Flex Factory Mentorship

Pitch to the Pack finalists are supported by a network of wonderful mentors. Meet them below!

Flex Factory Mentorship

The W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory is proud to offer both mentorship opportunities and workshops for Pitch to the Pack finalists, helping them grow their businesses. In alliance with First Flight Venture Center (FFVC), finalists will learn how to build their competitive strategy, understand their problem and market opportunities, and conceptualize their Minimum Viable Product. Finalists will also have the opportunity to attend sessions hosted by Andrews Launch Accelerator, preparing finalists to apply to this summer’s program, which builds on the work done during Pitch to the Pack. This year’s session will be held between January 26th and February 27th. A schedule of events for the spring 2026 Pitch to the Pack is below:

Schedule of Events

“How to Make a Pitch Session” – Hosted by FFVC | November 14th
Launch Session – Hosted by ALA | November 19th: 6 – 8 pm
Other Session TBD

Andrews Launch Accelerator Sessions

In addition to the above session, ALA will host a session preparing teams to submit for ALA in the summer of 2026. The dates and times of those sessions will be updated here when they become available.

Mentorship

These sessions would not have been possible without our mentors, and we especially want to thank them for volunteering their time. See the complete lists of mentors, staff and volunteers below.

2025 Technical Mentors

Flex Factory Staff

Other Mentors

	Mars Harvey Technical Woven Design Consultant
	Josh Wall Owner and Creative Director, No More Paper Ideas
	Maddy Lyon Founder, Mend Mother
	Andre West Director, Zeis Textiles Extension, NC State University
	Susan Llanos Social Media Specialist, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University
	Cami Leisk Co-founder of Loam LLC
	Greg Pilgrim President and Chief Executive Officer, Murdock Webbing Co.
	Jess Jur Deputy Director at the North Carolina Department of Commerce
	Daniel Weispfennig Research Specialist, NC State Wilson College of Textiles
	Raoul Farer Executive Deputy Director, The Nonwovens Institute
	Ashley Heller Senior Manager of 3D Technical Design, Perry Ellis International
	Amanda Mills Assistant Professor, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University
	Hank Hardigan Footwear Innovation Specialist, Design Director, Educator

	Rachel Raineri Public Speaking Mentor
	Joshua Hayes Hutchison PLLC
	Morgan Maccherone Hutchison PLLC
	Jasjit Grewal Hutchison PLLC
	Ashley Pittman Hutchison PLLC

	Bailey Knight Program Manager for Pitch to the Pack, Prototype Lab and Senior Design Lab Manager, Wilson College of Textiles
	Erin Tillery Entrepreneurship Manager for Pitch to the Pack, Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Wilson College of Textiles