Velocity Fund $5k Finalists Announced
This week, over 40 of University of Waterloo’s aspiring entrepreneurs pitched for the chance to compete at the Velocity Fund Finals. At stake? Ten slots to pitch for one of three $5K prizes on March 26th.
Over two nights, each student had exactly three minutes on stage to deliver their solution to a real-world problem in front of our panels of judges and audience. The judges then provided feedback to each contender, including perspectives on the viability of the business idea and suggestions for improving their pitch. Our judges (Adam Singer, Geoff Malleck, Calvin Chu, Jim Robeson, Bryan Smith and Tania Del Matto) did a great job narrowing down the talent to the best five from each night.
Follow these ten finalists as they compete at the Velocity Fund Finals $5K competition:
CareChair: The first standalone system that can function both as a bed and a wheelchair.
Free Radical Labs: Developing autonomous vehicle technology for haul trucks.
GRASP: Providing a low cost, highly convenient bicycle lock that is simple to use and very fast to deploy, so the process becomes effortless for bikers.
Huvee Inc.: An inflatable hovercraft that can provide users with a portable and truly all-season and all-terrain mode of personal transportation.
Kue: developing a timed-release capsule that will open after a specific amount of time. They are using this technology to develop a caffeine product that gives people a burst of energy before they wake up.
Moocow Unicycles: an innovative company bringing innovative, high quality parts to extreme unicyclists.
NERv: Develops implantable bio-sensors that operate from within the human body. They are being developed to collect data about the body and send feedback to the doctor allowing medical care facilities to have a portable bio-lab able to assess the human body.
Node: A platform for beautifully designed, high-quality, custom fit compression garments designed by users and artists for individuals suffering from lymphedema.
Ourotech: A biotech company that creates 3D bio-printers for the medical field. This technology can be integrated with medical scans for precise surgical modelling.
Tongo: Designs retainers capable of taking user input in the form of tongue gestures to control an electronic device such as a wheelchair.
Register here to attend the event on March 26, 2015 in the Student Life Centre’s Great Hall at the University of Waterloo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The $5K competition starts at 11:00, followed by the $25K competition at 1:00. The $25K field was announced earlier this week here.