Catching Up with Winners of NexStream 1.0

We were thrilled to introduce to you the finalists—and announce the winners!—of the second annual NexStream Tech Competition at our online finale on June 8, 2021.

We recently caught up with Brandon Pirie and Mark Rabin, winners of the first NexStream Tech Competition (or NexStream 1.0), who joined us by video to congratulate this year’s finalists.

What’s new with Brandon and Mark since they won NexStream 1.0?

Brandon, chef and founder of WildIsle Ferments, wowed the NexStream 1.0 judges with gourmet, fermented seafood sauces. WildIsle Ferments’ scope of work has expanded since NexStream 1.0. Brandon’s been working with Walcan Seafood and its delivery program, Tide to Table, to develop value-added products using underutilized and underappreciated seafood ingredients. Brandon has also been collaborating with local businesses such as Asiatopia, G2 CNC, Smith & Lee Local Butcher, and other restaurants, bakeries and farms. Artist Adrian McKerracher has been creating artwork for WildIsle Ferments.

Mark, founder and CEO of Portable Electric, impressed the judges with their VOLTstack power stations. Portable Electric closed a round of financing soon after NexStream 1.0, and they are now preparing for another fundraising round. They also secured an order to supply units for a wildfire response program in California, U.S. More recently, Mark notes, they’ve been starting to sell into the film and event industries again, and are seeing opportunities emerge in the mobile e-recharging world.

What advice do they have for NexStream 2.0 participants?

Brandon says that participating in NexStream 1.0 “was really a life-changing, wonderful experience.” Mark agrees that challengers can get a lot from the process, whether they’re incubating an idea or are ready to take an idea to market.

So, what’s their number one piece of advice for making the most of the competition? Relationship-building.

Brandon advises NexStream 2.0’s challengers to stay in touch with their competition mentors. “I’m just constantly amazed by how generous they are with their time,” he says.

Mark agrees, noting that the mentors are “just generally caring” and willing to share their knowledge, connections and networks with participants.

Mark had one more piece of advice to offer NexStream 2.0 participants: “Don’t give up. Keep pushing.”

“It’s an exciting time,” Mark says. “The world’s changing really fast, and we need great innovators to keep pushing and making things happen.”

You can watch the entire video here.