COEUR d’ALENE — Creativity and innovation took center stage at the Innovation Collective building Thursday night, as area startup founders shared their aspirations during the first Build_ Summit.

Hagadone Media President Clint Schroeder, Helo Hancock with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Build_ founder and investor Nick Smoot and founding CEO of Beats by Dre Susan Paley heard seven founder pitches and investment requests as local investors also listened in.

The founders of Survey Noodle, ADLocal Value, DOVIA, VKix, The Progma Fellowship, CQB Underground and NexBoard all gave five-minute pitches in hopes of receiving both funding and valuable feedback from industry leaders.

About 90 people attended the Summit in total.

Thursday night marked Mike Peck’s first official pitch of his startup, Survey Noodle, a customer insight platform.

He found it to be a valuable experience.

“I’m hoping to take the feedback I heard tonight and refine my pitch,” Peck said. “And from there, get some new customers.”

While many of the startups, like Peck’s, were rooted in technological and AI innovation, Build_ aims to foster a community of creatives from all industries through both an online platform and in-person events.  

“The next chapter of creatives and entrepreneurs in Coeur d’Alene is here,” Smoot said. “(Build_) is a tribe of creatives.”

Paley emphasized that having an outlet is just as important as an idea itself. 

“You still need spaces, and that’s exactly what (Smoot) has done here,” Paley said.

“It’s very exciting to hear pitches from local companies trying to do innovative things,” Hancock added.

Build_ investors plan to hold similar events focused on area startups every four months. 

    Mike Peck (far right) pitches his startup to Hagadone Media president Clint Schroeder (left on couch), Helo Hancock with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe (middle), and Beats by Dre founding CEO Susan Paley (right) during Thursday night's Build_ Summit in Coeur d'Alene.