Initiate Startup Program

We encourage the start-ups to choose one or the other. Participating in the Initiate program will give you the chance to pitch and exhibit alongside other innovators and founders.

Once the portal is ready, you will login to the exhibitor portal online and register your staff (2 full conference pass and 2 exhibition passes). 

Once the exhibitor portal is open, you can rent these items through the portal. You can also bring/ship items directly to the convention center and instructions are located in the exhibitor manual (coming soon to the event website).

Each start-up will have 5 minutes to pitch and 5 minutes of Q&A from our judges for a total of 10 minutes.

Duke typically selects one start-up each year to receive the Duke Energy Award. This means that Duke will meet with one start-up post event to discuss potentially working together in the future.

58 companies will participate, showcasing a variety of technologies.

The audience at DTECH is mostly utility representatives. There might be some VCs in the audience, but the main purpose of pitching at DTECH is to get in front of a utility audience to showcase your technology and how it might be useful to them as customers.

While there is not a cash prize, the top three start-ups will receive a physical award to display, interview with one of Clarion’s content directors, a press release, and a free 10x10 booth for DTECH 2026 in San Diego, CA. The top start-up will also receive a $1,500 sponsorship credit to use toward the 2026 event.