Four Founders Pitch Investors at Third Thursday's July Event at Silicon Slopes

Lehi, Utah — July 16, 2026

Third Thursday at Three, Utah's monthly startup pitch gathering, returned to Silicon Slopes headquarters in Lehi on July 16 for its latest round of investor pitches, drawing founders, investors, and mentors from across the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Four companies — Altruvia, Definitive TNF, Parlay, and Pingora — each delivered three-minute pitches followed by two-minute question-and-answer sessions with the audience.

Vanessa Perez, president of MakeUtah, hosted the event in place of Third Thursday founder Ray Smithson, who has been living in Taiwan for several months, but this time joined remotely from a hotel room in Silicon Valley where he was hosting a separate event. Smithson told attendees he would return to Utah in August and remain through the fall, leading up to the 43rd annual Investors' Choice Conference, scheduled for the first week of September. That event will be invite-only or sponsor-based, he said.

Sponsors and Partners

Before the pitches began, Perez recognized several of Third Thursday's longtime partners, several of whom sent representatives to speak briefly about upcoming initiatives:

• Kinect Capital, represented by CEO Matt Warnock, has operated as an accelerator since 1983 and has supported more than 3,600 first-time startups through a network of over 392 mentors across 43 states and three countries.
• Silicon Slopes, represented by Lindsey Ivie, previewed the organization's Stacked conference, scheduled for September 10 and 11, which will focus on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data systems, and software-as-a-service with an emphasis on hands-on workshops.
• Keiretsu Forum, represented by Tomi Smith of the organization's Northwest Rockies chapter, described the group as the world's largest angel investor network, with more than 30 chapters globally. The Northwest Rockies chapter, which covers Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and several other states and Canadian provinces, meets at the Alta Club and is open to accredited investors.
• Outcode, a Utah-based software development firm that provides product strategy, UX/UI design, engineering, and AI services, was recognized in absentia.
• Startup State, a statewide initiative working with the Governor's Office of Economic Development to unify Utah's entrepreneurial ecosystem and simplify regulatory processes for small businesses, was also recognized.
• Silicon Slopes IP, founded by Alexis Nelson, is a boutique intellectual property law firm based in Lehi specializing in patent, trademark, and copyright law. Perez noted Nelson was recently named an honoree in Utah Business Magazine's Elite Legal recognition.

The Pitches

Altruvia — Fritz-Carl Morlant

Morlant founded Altruvia to help donors understand how their contributions to nonprofits translate into measurable outcomes. The company's platform includes a customer relationship management tool, a fundraising platform, and an impact-measurement product, and it charges a 3% transaction fee on donations processed through the system. Morlant said Altruvia already works with paying customers, including Brigham Young University (where he was Student Body President in 2023-24) and the Other Side Foundation, and is finalizing an agreement to reach roughly 2 million nonprofits this fall. The company is raising $200,000 to expand its development team ahead of contract deadlines in October.

Definitive TNF — Chadwick Davis

Davis, previously an early employee at Recursion Pharmaceuticals, is developing an oral therapy to treat chronic inflammatory diseases linked to the TNF protein, which current treatments — a market Davis said generates more than $44 billion annually — address only through injectable or infused biologic drugs. Through an exclusive license with a partner company, Definitive TNF is developing synthetic peptide molecules designed to block TNF effectively while remaining stable enough for oral administration, a combination Davis said has not previously been achieved. The company is raising $2.2 million to complete preclinical development ahead of a Series A round. Davis said the company's chemistry patent is pending and, per a later audience clarification, protected for 18 months following public disclosure.

Parlay — James Biesinger

Biesinger pitched Parlay as an AI-driven coaching tool for sales representatives, combining software and a wearable device to deliver real-time, in-the-field feedback drawn from industry best practices and company-specific training materials. He said clients including Vivint and Aptiv have seen close rates increase by 35%, revenue increase by 40%, ramp times improve by 300%, and new-rep turnover decrease by 25%. Parlay has reached $220,000 in annual recurring revenue and is raising $600,000 on a SAFE note to fund product development and sales expansion, with a goal of $1 million in annual recurring revenue by the second quarter of next year. Biesinger noted the product complies with two-party consent laws in the 11 states that require it by disclosing AI recording to conversation participants.

Pingora — CJ Whittaker

CJ Whittaker and co-founder Mike May launched Pingora in 2018 to build technical outdoor gear for backcountry skiers, alpinists, and trail runners after retailers and athletes told Whittaker, a longtime designer for outdoor brands including Black Diamond and Gregory, that the industry had become too generalized to meet specialized athletes' needs. The company, which manufactures in Vietnam and the Philippines, has sold through retailers including Backcountry.com and specialty shops in Japan and Wyoming. Whittaker said Pingora is preparing to launch with a major Japanese distributor in 2027 and is raising $2 million to expand its team and grow brand awareness internationally.

Looking Ahead

With Smithson set to return to Utah for the August gathering and the 43rd annual Investors' Choice Conference on the horizon in September, Third Thursday's next chapter is already taking shape — another step in what Smithson has called Utah's own "venture adventure."

Learn more at Third Thursday @ 3.