A fledgling company that allows individuals to rent and hire personal items like sports equipment has won a pitching contest run by innovation hub Volta.

Halifax-based frenter soft launched on April 5th.  Fifteen-year-old Zachary Laberge, the venture’s Founder, said the company already has 40 users. Frenter is about to launch its #takebacksummer campaign which will help people celebrate the outdoor life in Nova Scotia. It won the Volta Virtual Pitch Competition on Wednesday, which featured three-minute pitches from early-stage companies. 

“We’re launching a campaign where we list the best camping places and bike trails in Nova Scotia then show people how they can experience those things by using frenter,” the young entrepreneur said in an email. 

“We’ve all been trapped indoors for the last couple weeks, and now that the end of the pandemic is near, it’s time to get outdoors, enjoy our parks, campgrounds and bike trails and frenter lets you do that.”

In an earlier interview in April, Laberge told Entrevestor his company had raised $70,000 and is going through the Propel program, all while he works through Grade 10 at École Secondaire du Sommet.

The youngster said frenter’s ideal owner-users are mature people who have acquired a lot of items they don't necessarily want to part with, while renters are, “likely to be adventurers and weekend warriors who want to try new things.”

"The idea is to try it all without having to buy it all," he added.

Laberge said this week’s pitching win has shown him that he can pitch alongside people who are much older than himself.

“It also made me proud of my business when all of the judges said that they loved the concept,” he said.

Laberge won a $500 Visa gift card, a $100 Apple Card, a one-on-one with OKR Financial, and his name on a Volta trophy. 

The next Volta Cohort pitch event occurs May 19.