This year, the Collars team returned to Startup Mania, a bracket-style startup pitch competition that brings together founders from around the world to compete head-to-head on stage.

For the second year in a row, Collars advanced all the way to the final round.

We finished as a back-to-back finalist, taking second place both this year and last while competing against startups from around the world. It was an exciting moment for the team—but more importantly, it reinforced something we’ve been seeing for a while now: people are starting to recognize how important it is to modernize hiring in the trades.

What Startup Mania Is

Startup Mania is modeled after the format of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Startups compete in bracket-style rounds, pitching head-to-head as judges determine which companies advance.

The event took place this year in Texas and brought together founders, investors, media, and startup leaders for several days of pitching, networking, and conversations about what the next generation of companies might look like.

The final round is especially memorable. Founders step into a boxing ring set up in front of a live audience, delivering their pitches under the lights as the competition reaches its final stage and the championship belt, cash prizes, and other prizes are within reach.

The pitch formats also vary throughout the tournament. Some rounds include slide decks, while others require founders to pitch without slides, relying entirely on their ability to explain the problem, the solution, and the opportunity in just a few minutes.

It’s a fast-paced and high-energy environment where founders have limited time to make their case and win over the judges.

Bringing the Trades to the Startup Stage

Many startup pitch competitions are dominated by companies building tools for software, finance, or consumer technology. The trades don’t always get the same spotlight.

That’s part of why events like this matter for us.

When Collars takes the stage, we’re not just pitching an app—we’re representing industries that keep the country running: construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and service.

These industries face real hiring challenges, yet many employers and applicants are still forced to rely on hiring tools that were never designed for how the trades actually work.

Collars was built to change that.

Why Back-to-Back Finals Matter

Making the final round once is exciting. Doing it two years in a row tells a bigger story.

It shows that the hiring challenges facing the trades workforce are gaining attention—and that more people are recognizing the need for better ways to connect employers with talent.

For us, the back-to-back finals are a sign that the mission behind Collars resonates not just with tradespeople and employers, but with the broader startup community as well.

What Comes Next

Events like Startup Mania are exciting milestones, but they’re only a small part of the bigger mission.

Our focus remains the same: building a platform that helps employers find the talent they need and helping applicants showcase their skills, experience, and work in a way traditional job boards simply don’t allow.

We’re grateful to the Startup Mania team for putting on another great event and for the opportunity to represent the trades on that stage.

And we’re excited about what’s ahead.

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