SANTA MONICA - September 9, 2025 - Pegasus Angel Accelerator celebrated another milestone with the successful conclusion of Lightning Round V, its premier pitch competition. The event drew nearly 600 registrants, filling the virtual room with founders, investors, and operators eager to witness the next wave of innovation.
From an overwhelming number of applications, five bold startups were selected to pitch live before a distinguished panel of judges from NVIDIA, Morpheus Ventures, and Pegasus Angel Accelerator. The night spotlighted breakthroughs across AI, self-driving technology, energy storage, and photonics.
Avocado Health, led by Hans Kullberg, took home the top prize. Their AI-powered “Parent Coach-in-Your-Pocket” platform impressed judges with its ability to provide real-time support to parents — a transformative example of AI applied to everyday life.
What the Startups Received
Each finalist competed for a high-impact package designed to accelerate growth:
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Fast-tracked $100K investment due diligence from Pegasus Angel Accelerator
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Sponsored spot in the Ignite Startup Academy, Pegasus’s flagship founder training program
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$1M+ Partner Perks Stack, including top-tier investor exposure and media spotlight
The Finalists
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Avocado Health – AI parent coach-in-your-pocket, providing instant answers to parent concerns
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Aparti.ai – Automating legal and financial documents for family law firms
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Niebla – Level 5 self-driving technology with unsupervised intelligence, beyond human
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Zenthos Energy – Revolutionary aluminum battery technology for next-gen energy storage
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Phaseshift – Advanced metasurfaces and photonics powering the future of quantum applications
Quotes from Pegasus Leadership
“What makes Lightning Round V so special is the ecosystem we bring together — ambitious AI founders pitching alongside global leaders like NVIDIA and Morpheus Ventures. It shows that Pegasus is where breakthrough startups get discovered and validated.” — Lucas J. Pols, General Partner, Pegasus Angel Accelerator.
“We were honored to bring together decision-makers from NVIDIA, Pegasus, and Morpheus Ventures to evaluate our finalists,” added Taissa Maleh, Venture Partner at Pegasus Angel Accelerator. “Their perspectives provided invaluable validation for founders building at the cutting edge of technology.”
A Community Effort
Pegasus extended a special thanks to Innovent Capital Group for their support and partnership in making Lightning Round V possible.
The competition continues to grow as a platform for ambitious founders — with Pegasus preparing to host Lightning Round VI and additional programming to support AI-driven innovation and startup growth.
About Pegasus Angel Accelerator
Pegasus is the #1 investment and growth acceleration firm in Southern California dedicated to identifying and scaling high-potential brands and startups. Led by Lucas Pols, Pegasus combines deep industry expertise with strategic capital to transform innovative businesses into market leaders. With headquarters in Los Angeles and global footprint, our team of seasoned entrepreneurs, operators, and investors brings decades of collective experience in building and scaling successful companies. Learn more at pegasusangelaccelertor.com.
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