# Tweener Madness: The Fabulous 4 Begins with Utilyst VS HAM. Two Different Paths to Scale

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nc-tweener-talks-7053588/tweener-madness-the-fabulous-4-begins-with-utilyst-vs-ham-two-different-paths-to-scale
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nc-tweener-talks-7053588/tweener-madness-the-fabulous-4-begins-with-utilyst-vs-ham-two-different-paths-to-scale.md
Podcast: [NC Tweener Talks](https://stenobird.com/podcast/nc-tweener-talks-7053588)
Published: 2026-04-09T06:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/8a07e820
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/8a07e820/d856f42d.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2643

## Resource

We’re down to the Fabulous 4 . Four startups. Two matchups. One step closer to the $25K investment from the NC Tweener Fund . This is where things shift. The ideas are sharper. The stakes are higher. And every decision starts to look a lot more like a real investment call. Utilyst is building deep infrastructure software for utilities. HAM is building lightweight AI tooling for developers. One is grounded in physical systems and regulation. The other is riding the fastest-moving wave in tech. Two B2B plays. Two completely different paths to scale. 🧠 What you’ll see in this episode: AI cost is becoming a real problem → efficiency is the next wave Clear problem vs. massive market defined the matchup Investors want dollar impact, not just features Speed + scale potential won this round 👇 Featuring the Exceptional 8 Selection Committee: Zakiya Alta Lee-Hill (Principal, IDEA Fund partners) Greg Boone (CEO of Walk West) Carly Connell (Principal at BCVP) 👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket 👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness 00:45 — Fabulous 4 Intro: Utilist vs. HAM 08:10 — Utilist Pitch 13:00 — Utilist Q&A 23:05 — HAM Pitch 26:00 — HAM Q&A 33:00 — Judges Feedback Begins 33:10 — Feedback on Utilist 35:00 — Feedback on HAM 39:30 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed) 🎯 About Tweener Madness Tweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure. --- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation. We couldn’t share posts l…

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