Velocity Pitch Competition winter 2024 semi-finalists announced

Innovative student teams representing University of Waterloo's diverse and varied student body are diligently preparing to showcase their entrepreneurial prowess at the Velocity Pitch Competition semi-finals on March 13 & 14. This event will be a preview of what is to come in the highly anticipated finale on April 4 at Theatre of the Arts. 

A panel of seasoned entrepreneurs will judge 26 teams slated to pitch over the course of the competition's semi-finals.

The Velocity Pitch Competition, held each term, provides a platform for student founders to pitch their early-stage venture ideas, and vy for one of four $5,000 awards.

Each semi-finalist will have three minutes to pitch their idea and persuade a panel of judges of its potential. The top 8 will proceed to the Velocity Pitch Competition finals.

This flagship event is just one of Velocity’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurial spirit and innovation among students, providing them with invaluable opportunities to transform ideas into tangible ventures.

Attend Velocity Pitch Competition Semi-Finals and watch UWaterloo students in action!

Pitching On Wednesday March 13:

Automax AI

Automax is building custom AI assistants for real-estate appraisers. Submitted by Humza Ahmed, undergraduate Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.

FarmicleGrow

FarmicleGrow uses farm management and digital market access platforms to connect farmers to businesses. While upscaling the capabilities of farmers, we provide businesses with preferred quality and traceability systems.

Submitted by Lydia Madintin Konlan, masters student Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Faculty of Engineering. 

foresAIt

foresAIt uses AI to power personalized care and collaboration in oncology, delivering relevant, reliable, and up-to-date information and data. Submitted by Ibukun Elebute, Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Faculty of Engineering; and Salman Lari PhD candidate Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

Grease Tech

Grease Tech is augmenting manual greasing process for bearings in manufacturing. Submitted by Minaal Butt, Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Jesurun Ramesh, Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Faculty of Engineering.

MakeMy

Tinder for tinkerers: A space for startups/makers/hobbyists to find others to collaborate on their projects and jumpstart their businesses. Submitted by Daphne Kwan, and Noah Yacowar, Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

Montere

A modular and customizable espresso machine that allows consumers to upgrade and repair specific components as they see fit, thereby reducing costs and E-waste in the process. Submitted by Jenny Ho, Science and Business, Faculty of Science; Jakob Leville, Science and Business, Faculty of Science; Coleton Myers, Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; and Matthew Xu, Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.

NewGen Health

a non-invasive pee-on-a-stick test that uses unique biomarkers in urine to detect kidney disease in it’s earliest stages, earlier and 10x cheaper than the gold standard. Submitted by Shiv Naik, Biology, Faculty of Science; and Mazhar Shahen, Kinesiology, Faculty of Health. 

OneBuy

OneBuy is a one-stop shop purchasing platform for child care centers to save owners time and money with their buying experience. Submitted by Yahya Rao, undergraduate Accounting and Financial Management, Faculty of Arts; and Suyash Unnithan, Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

OrthoFlexion

OrthoFlexion is a sensor device with an app that supports parents and clinicians caring for children with clubfoot deformities to achieve better outcomes. Submitted by Maryse Bouchard; Finn O’Hara, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Hannah Seatle, alumni Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; and Ella Walsh, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

Outseek

Outseek is a financial research and analysis terminal for retail investors focused on innovate data display, visualizations., and conclusive information. Submitted by Nathan Dopko, undergraduate student Economics, Faculty of Arts; and Paul Walsh.

SheepIt

SheepIt is a modern end-to-end herd management solution for non-industrial sheep farmers. Submitted by Saahibdeep Dhaliwal, undergraduate Computer Science, Faculty of Math; Noumaan Kaleem, undergraduate Computer Science, Faculty of Math; Nathan Philippon, undergraduate Computer Science, Faculty of Math; and Josiah Plett, undergraduate Computer Science, Faculty of Math.

the journey.

An interactive experience to allow children and young adults alike to allow themselves to process feelings of grief and mourning in a healthy way. Submitted by Rishabh Sharma, undergraduate student Computer Science, Faculty of Math. 

VeinGuard

VeinGuard is a blood flow monitoring device for hemodialysis patients. Submitted by Lagan Bansal, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

Virtual Tour Ontario

Virtual Tour Ontario specializes in customized 360° virtual tour technology to transform how businesses and real estate connect with their audience, elevating digital marketing effectiveness, streamlining workflows, and improving profitability. Submitted by Brandon Murray, Jacob Murray, and Vanessa Martinez Storin, undergraduate Science and Business, Faculty of Science. 

Pitching On Thursday March 14:

Bamboo Housing

Bamboohousing.ca is an online student housing marketplace for students and landlords, focusing on simplicity and security. Submitted by Simeng He, undergraduate Computer Science, Faculty of Math; Zi Wen Lim, alumni Computer Science, Faculty of Math; Ruben Philip, undergraduate Mathematics/Financial Analysis and Risk Management, Faculty of Math; and Allen Wu, alumni Computer Science, Faculty of Math. 

BatBall

Creating the next biggest sport Batball; which will modernize cricket by reducing barriers to entry and participation to the sport. Submitted by Wahaab Ali, undergraduate Recreation & Sports Business, Faculty of Health. 

ACR Lab

We are developing an affordable, non-hazardous, and efficient breast cancer detection system, which utilizes advanced technology, namely LFEMF film, to capture images of the biological tissues without using harmful radiation. Submitted by Hamid Akbari Chelaresi, PhD candidate Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

CELLECT.

Nanomaterial functionalized menstrual products that double as at home self collection kits for HPV and cervical cancer testing. Submitted by CT Murphy, masters student Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

InsulatorVision

 Dedicated software solutions that harness the power of UAVs and AI to inspect and predict the health of electrical distribution network and substations safely, quickly, reliably, and cost-effectively. Submitted by Abubakar Bello, undergraduate Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Preenon Chisty, undergraduate Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Aditya Malhotra, undergraduate Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Saksham Manaktala, undergraduate Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Taher Rampurawala, undergraduate Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; and Arunima Singh, undergraduate Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

LabMind

LabMind is a data operating system for engineering and scientific R&D aims to manage, assist and automate R&D workflow. Submitted by Yunheng Zou, undergraduate Nanotechnology Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

LendN

LendN is a digital B2B marketplace with integrated BNPL solutions tailored for Bangladesh's small and medium-sized apparel retailers. Submitted by Muztahid Azim, masters student Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Faculty of Engineering; and Arsen Stepanyan, masters student Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Faculty of Engineering. 

PatientCompanion

PatientCompanion streamlines the patient triaging system for optimal care coordination. Submitted by Ethan Alvizo, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Christy Lee, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; and Valerie Liu, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.

PopTein

Seasoned plant-based protein popcorn. Submitted by Multi Mao, undergraduate Mechatronics, Faculty of Engineering. 

Siteability

Siteability simplifies site selection by instantaneously compiling reliable property information in a user-friendly format, empowering users to make knowledge-based decisions quickly. Submitted by Asjad Khan, undergraduate Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering;  Talina Sen Smet, undergraduate Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Logan Wenzel, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. 

SUMMIT Learning

An app that helps students learn about personal finance using gamified learning. Submitted by Dvij Baron, undergraduate Management Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; and Adrit Batra. 

Wygo

Building infrastructure to help people form meaningful relationships in the real world. Submitted by Jocelyne Murphy, undergraduate Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.

Attend Velocity Pitch Competition Semi-Finals and watch UWaterloo students in action!