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2026 Applicants Bring Big Ideas to Catalyst by Beemok

As the application window enters its final hours, this year’s Catalyst by Beemok applicant pool reflects a wide range of industries and stages of business growth, from emerging ideas to established, revenue-generating companies.

This year’s applicant pool reflects both emerging ideas and businesses already gaining traction. Nearly half of applicants, 47%, are already generating revenue, while 53% are pre-revenue.

The businesses themselves span more than 20 industries, offering a snapshot of the variety of ideas being built across the Charleston region.

HealthTech and Biotech lead the applicant pool, representing 18.5% of submissions, followed by SaaS at 10.9%. Consumer products, AI and machine learning, food and beverage, media and entertainment, hospitality and tourism, real estate and PropTech, fashion and apparel and more are also represented.

Now, the work begins to determine who will take the Catalyst stage.

Selected entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses at the Catalyst by Beemok Live Pitch Competition, where up to $2 million in potential funding is available.

With applications spanning early concepts to revenue-generating companies, this year’s field demonstrates the depth and diversity of entrepreneurship taking shape across the region.