Investors award startup Cantaloupe AI $155,000 in equity-backed funding, while Ecoplasticity wins $2,675 for the Audience Choice Award at the AngelCon 2026 event.
San Luis Obispo, CA – The Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is proud to announce the results of its ninth annual AngelCon pitch competition which took place on April 30. The fund raised a total of $155,000 in equity investment and investors chose Cantaloupe AI as the winner of AngelCon 2026.
AngelCon is a culminating event, hosted at Rod & Hammer Rock, that brings together Central California tech-based startups who received training and mentorship through the SBDC and dedicated angel investors. These investors participate in the evaluation, due diligence and selection process of AngelCon applicants leading up to the live event. Participating startups are seeking equity investment to assist in the growth of their businesses.
Cantaloupe AI competed among six startups to an audience of around 200 live attendees and 100 hybrid attendees. Led by CEO Rich Simmerman, Cantaloupe AI is a recruiting platform that automates frontline hiring using voice interviews and delivers ranked, retention-focused candidate recommendations.
Rich shared, “I feel like we learned and grew so much as a team throughout AngelCon. The people we met in this process have also already become huge supporters of the cantaloupe vision. This has been such a special experience.“
Among the AngelCon competitors was Ecoplasticity, a team dedicated to replacing plastic take-out linings with a compostable seaweed-based alternative coating, founded by Mayela Fernandez. Ecoplasticity was awarded the Audience Choice Award and received $2,675 in prize money from the crowdfunding campaign.
“It was truly a special evening at AngelCon 2026. The energy in the room was undeniable, and it was inspiring to see our community show up in such a meaningful way to support local entrepreneurs,” remarked Donica Forensich, AngelCon Director.
The remaining finalists included:
- Everest Medical Solutions, Inc.: Developing a minimally invasive medical device to address shoulder dystocia, a critical childbirth complication that can pose serious risks during delivery.
- Hikari Medical Technologies: Creating precise drug-delivery and monitoring technologies that enable safer dosing of potent therapeutics.
- SafePlate Technologies, Inc.: Developing a rapid contaminant testing device for food manufacturing facilities to improve quality control and food safety.
- Vulcan BioWorks: A biotech services company using a digital platform, The Forge™, to accelerate and streamline medicine manufacturing.
The presenting sponsor of AngelCon 2026 is Columbia Bank. A recording of the live-streamed event is now available at bit.ly/angelcon2026.
About the Cal Poly CIE Small Business Development Center
The Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is funded in part through a subcontract between Cal Poly CIE, the City of San Luis Obispo and UC Merced, under the current cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBDC is a top resource for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, offering no-cost, expert one-on-one business advising, training and online courses in startup assistance, debt and equity funding, sales, marketing and product commercialization.
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