Announcing the Velocity Fund W16 $5K Finalists

This past Wednesday and Thursday, students from across the University of Waterloo participated in the Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers. Of the 30+ students who pitched their innovative ideas, 10 finalists were selected by a panel of judges to move on and compete at the Velocity Fund Finals on March 31st for their chance to win one of three $5,000 prizes. The $5K competition will start at 11am, and the $25K competition will start at 1pm. Finalists for the $25K competition will be shared this afternoon.

The Velocity Fund Finals $5K competition provides equity-free funding to early-stage startups to help remove some of the barriers that can hinder innovation and entrepreneurial growth. Each participant at the Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers had exactly 3 minutes on stage to pitch their solution to a real-world problem to a panel of esteemed judges and a packed audience of their peers. The judges provided feedback to each student on their pitching style, as well as valuable insight to help improve their business idea. The best five contenders from each night were selected to move forward.

We are pleased to announce this term’s Velocity Fund $5K finalists:

AVRO Life Science
AVRO Life Science is developing novel approaches to conventional transdermal drug patches, specifically for the delivery of antihistamines.

CognitiVR
CognitiVR is a virtual reality training tool that objectively measures concussion symptoms, particularly for athletes, and aids with their return-to-play.

Gamelynx
Gamelynx is a web gaming platform that provides users with the ability to play in-person games with their friends, without physical game boards or installing apps.

Godel
Godel provides route optimization services to enable cost-saving opportunities for small and medium sized companies.

Gymnatik
Gymnatik partners with gyms to provide applicants with a one day pass anywhere in the world.

Moocow Unicycles
Moocow Unicycles designs and sells unique, durable unicycle parts.

PASS Kit
PASS Kit develops mental health first-aid kits to reduce stress and anxiety symptoms in students, and to decrease mental health stigma.

Scavengr
Scavengr is a B2B marketplace that facilitates the exchange of industrial by-products, and the logistics for their transportation.

Tabnex
Tabnex streamlines the job application process to save time and increase productivity through automation.

Tailor
Tailor is a cross-platform static analysis and lint tool for source code written in Apple’s Swift programming language. It analyzes your code to ensure consistent styling and help avoid bugs.

One $5K prize is awarded on the basis of the People’s Choice, so make sure to book it in your calendars and come out to the Velocity Fund Finals on March 31st to cast your vote! Register to attend or join in via livestream for your chance to win a Pebble Time Round, just for participating as an audience member! We will also be providing free boxed lunches to the first 200 audience members.

The Winter 2016 Velocity Fund Finals is sponsored by Thomson Reuters and Rockshield Capital.