Mr. Turtle Took the Big Stage(s)

Summarizing a year’s worth of work in just 10 minutes is no small task. It may appear effortless to an outside viewer, but behind that clarity is countless hours of effort. I know that firsthand, because it’s exactly what we did.

Last month, I had the opportunity to pitch Mr. Turtle at two of the most impactful entrepreneurship competitions in San Luis Obispo County: the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Innovation Quest (IQ) and the Small Business Development Center’s AngelCon. Both events gave us the chance to share our mission with investors, friends, family, spectators, and more!

April 26th was our first opportunity to pitch: Innovation Quest. IQ celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, a milestone that speaks to the impact this competition has had on student innovation over the last two decades. This anniversary brought out the strength in our competition, strong requirements placed upon teams, and some amazing people. The founders of IQ were present alongside prior year’s winners, successful entrepreneurs, and important faces throughout the Cal Poly entrepreneurial scene. It reminded me that every great company starts with a bold, simple idea and a relentless drive to make it real. Thank you Aaron Bergh and Sidney Collins for your feedback and encouraging words — they truly meant the world!

Innovation Quest 2025 finalist photo

May 1st was our second opportunity to pitch: AngelCon 2025. AngelCon is more than a pitch competition, it’s a rigorous months-long process that includes due diligence, financial reviews, and one-on-one check-ins from experienced investors. As some of the old contestants have said, “Think of it as your most difficult business beauty pageant.” I want to thank Mitch Emerson for the amazing support throughout this due diligence process. We have utilized this new venture capitalist (VC) confirmation to close even more vital partnerships and new investors for Mr. Turtle.

Mr. Turtle Team at AngelCon 2025

However, more importantly, was the pitch itself. Standing on stage and seeing my team, friends, and family in the audience was a moment I’ll never forget. We’ve poured everything into Mr. Turtle, from early prototypes to real machines now operating in stores, and being able to share that progress in front of hundreds of people was surreal. It was amazing to pitch to a community of supporters. Thank you to my team for trusting me to pitch what we’ve worked so closely on!

Benjamin Arts on the AngelCon stage

Thank you Ruby Wallau for capturing this moment!

To the investors that are now having second doubts about investing in Mr. Turtle, I understand :)) We are fundraising $250k SAFE on a $2M valuation cap. We would love to continue the conversation and see if your strategic investment will help us further our mission. As my co-founder Colin Brown put it so well: “May you be a doubter or a supporter. We are excited to keep pushing forward.”

Thank you to the organizers, mentors, and everyone who makes events like IQ and AngelCon possible. And thank you to everyone who believes in what we’re building. The refill revolution is just getting started, and we’re just getting warmed up.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Arts