Aeolus, the Newfoundland and Labrador-based maker of portable ventilators, has won startup hub Genesis’s Pitch & Pick competition, as well as the event’s Community Choice Award for its coronavirus-inspired technology.
The company is building a ventilator system powered by a pneumatic pump and small enough to carry. The product is targeted at healthcare providers in developing countries, where its low cost offers a competitive advantage.
Founder Katie Stone said during the pitch competition that she is eyeing two revenue streams: direct sales to healthcare providers and sales to international aid groups, such as UNICEF.
The Pitch & Pick competition featured companies from the summer cohort of Genesis’s Evolution “pre-incubator”, which helps young companies spend eight weeks validating their ideas and finding product-market fit.
Each company gave a four-minute presentation and took questions, before being judged by a panel of four judges representing Pitch & Pick’s industry sponsors.
For its first-place win, Aeolus won $1,500, as well as another $250 from the Community Choice Award.
Second-place winner Consensu, meanwhile, bagged $750. The company is developing a software platform to help automate the process of seeking patient consent for health research and clinical trials, such as for pharmaceutical products.
Here’s a look at the runners-up:
OPAS Mobile
Vince Payne
OPAS is developing software to automate regulatory compliance work and improve communication with field personnel for industrial services companies. So far, it has 61 beta users.
Uncover Culture/S.T.R.E.A.M.S.
Jamie Berfield and Tisia Procopio Stemp
S.T.R.E.A.M.S., which does business under the name Uncover Culture, is an online platform that sells “culturally concious” curriculum content to schools and school districts via a subscription model.
Robin Murphy
Audyse is developing a motorcycle helmet with active noise-cancelling technology that offers wearers protection from hearing loss caused by loud engine sounds without compromising their awareness of noises such as car horns.
Barath Sundar
MechMonkey is readying a mobile mechanic service that is meant to be more convenient and affordable than drive-in oil change providers and other quick-fix solutions.
Green Bean
Colin and Conor O’Driscoll
Green Bean is building a portable power generator for outdoor enthusiasts that will run off both solar and wind power, unlike competing products that typically use only one power source.
Myco Futures
Stephanie Lipp
Myco Futures is developing a synthetic leather product made from mycelium -- rootlike structures found on fungi, such as mushrooms. The faux leather is meant to be more durable and environmentally friendly than currently available products.
