The Home Improvement Research Institute today announced the four finalists selected for its inaugural HIRI Summit Pitchfest, debuting at the 2026 HIRI Summit. Chosen from a competitive pool of applicants across the U.S. and abroad, the four finalists — QwikFix, upmarkPDF, Homefile and Birdwatch — will present live at the 2026 HIRI Summit conference for the chance to be selected to go home with a $2,000 cash prize.
The Pitchfest was created to spotlight emerging companies whose innovations are reshaping how homeowners, contractors and industry professionals plan, execute and experience home improvement projects. The four finalists represent breakthrough solutions in construction technology, materials innovation, workflow automation and residential resilience.
“Innovation is accelerating across the home improvement ecosystem, and these finalists reflect the ingenuity and forward-thinking solutions our industry needs,” said Dave King, CEO at HIRI. “The Pitchfest gives rising companies a national stage to share ideas that can meaningfully improve how homes are built, repaired and maintained.”
The finalists were selected by an esteemed group of judges with vast experience in the home improvement space. Judges include Bruce Case, president and CEO at CASE Architects and Remodelers; Deidre Myers, director of Market Intelligence at Ferguson; Philip Odelfelt, the co-founder and CEO at Datavations; Mark Wille, director at The Build Show; and Jennifer Castenson, vice president at Green Builder Media.
“This group represents the technological transformation of the home improvement industry,” said Chris Iglienski, HIRI’s board president. “These technologies are creating a better customer experience for homeowners while also creating cost savings opportunities for the pros. It’s a win-win and an exciting time to be part of the industry.”
Pitchfest will take place during the 2026 HIRI Summit in Minneapolis, MN on September 29-30. To learn more or register for the Summit, visit https://hirisummit.com.
QwikFix is a managed marketplace to make home repairs simple by connecting homeowners with vetted contractors, handling the job from quote to completion, and guaranteeing the price upfront. QwikFix is able to do it by plugging directly into the home inspection process. The findings from an inspection report are turned into a fixed-price repair quote within 24 hours.
All builders face the same challenge: bills from subs and vendors arrive hourly and need to be associated with projects with cost codes. upmarkPDF’s online interface speeds up the of marking up bills, adding cost codes and project names, breaking out sales tax, and developing approval workflows. upmarkPDF is built to save time, reduce errors, provide context, and improve communication across an entire organization.
Homefile turns every home into an evidence-backed, homeowner-controlled record. With the app, appliances, materials, warranties, systems, receipts, projects and service history are captured, organized and connected to a home. Homeowners can build a record from photos, documents, receipts and simple conversations. In the app, businesses also can recommend products, scope projects, and support homeowners.
Birdwatch is a technology-driven personal general contractor for today's busy homeowners. Birdwatch employs technicians and operates as prime contractor across every trade for repairs, maintenance, enhancements and larger projects, owning the relationship, the coordination and the accountability. Homeowners pay a membership for the program, can add a recurring service plan for scheduled maintenance and services, and then pay per service and project. In exchange, they save time and money and have confidence in the service they are receiving.
Founded in 1981, HIRI is the only nonprofit secondary research provider for about 100 of the biggest stakeholders in the home improvement industry. HIRI’s mission remains to provide companies of all sizes with high-impact research so that they can understand and adapt to industry changes with actionable insights. HIRI members receive full access to comprehensive data sets from the research conducted, enabling analysis of customer behaviors, channel shifts and product purchase trends specific to their business case and product lines. Join as a member for unlimited access to over $1 million worth of new home improvement research annually. For more information, visit HIRI.org.