Drinkable Water Solutions, a Halifax-based team developing a graphene-based sensor to monitor water quality, has won Dalhousie University’s Ready2Launch pitch competition.

Ready2Launch is a three-month accelerator that helps participants to commercialize scientific research. It is part of the Dal Innovates suite of programs that promises to teach entrepreneurial skills to students and researchers.

The pitch competition is the culmination of the accelerator program. The first place winner, Drinkable Water, bagged a $5,000 prize. Runner-up Formula Consulting won $3,000.

Formula Consulting makes software for the construction industry to design and schedule formwork — the process of installing temporary moulds for pouring concrete.

A third company, HOLLO Medical, won the People’s Choice Award, which was decided by an audience vote. HOLLO is developing a spacer for use with asthma inhalers that is small enough to fit in a child’s pocket, unlike existing, cumbersome products.

"We came into Ready2Launch at a pivotal time in our team's growth and needed guidance on our market analysis, business model, and primary research," said Drinkable Water CEO Matthew Mizzi in a press release.

"R2L exceeded our expectations with quality content, impressive organization, excellent communication and an incredible network. We couldn't be happier with our progress during the program"