Dalhousie University will hold a demo day for the third cohort of its Ready2Launch accelerator September 22.
The three-month program for technology-based ventures was held virtually this year and wrapped up Aug. 26. It was open to undergraduate, graduate and PhD students, as well as postdoctoral fellows.
Ready2Launch teaches customer discovery skills and helps coach participants through the process of finding product-market fit. The program typically accepts about 10 teams, which will receive up to $15,000 apiece and have access to mentorship, personalized training and skill clinics. The 11 participants this year will have the chance to win a total of $10,000 at the pitch competition.
Last year, the first place winner was Drinkable Water, a Halifax team developing a graphene-based sensor to monitor water quality, which bagged a $5,000 prize. Runner-up Formula Consulting, which makes software for the concrete industry, won $3,000.
Ready2Launch is based on the delta v educational accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You can register to attend the demo day here.
Let's have a look at this year's competitors:
Ravindra Kempaiah, Kedy Leard, Paul Daniel and Somu Kumar
Dalhousie University
Zen manufactures electric bikes with a focus on battery technology.
EduDate
Nicole Daria and Jad Sinno
Dalhousie University and The University of Toronto
Edudate is a gamified learning platform that aims to teach teenagers about online safety.
It Must Be NATURAL
Mmasinachi Atasi and Maryan Tat Hesari
Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Community College
IMBN makes vegan hair care products for women of colour.
FoodImprover
Sean Myles and Sophie Watts
Dalhousie University
FoodImprover is developing a platform technology to genetically modify fruit.
Lisa Chen and Devanshi Kukadia
Dalhousie University
Marine Way plans to crowdsource the removal of “ghost gear” — abandoned fishing gear, which is dangerous to wildlife.
Kenneth Rajan Leslie and Geoffrey Vanderkooy
Acadia University
MotionBed is building a bed that will rock gently during the night, which research suggests can improve users’ quality of sleep.
Aneesh Raghupathy and Niraj Shukla
Memorial University
SmartBin is a combined hardware and software platform that aims to improve operational efficiency in the waste management industry.
Ocean Sights Technology
Artorix de la Cruz and Keenan Shirt
Dalhousie University
Ocean Sights is developing devices to monitor how many lobsters are in each of a fisherman’s lobster traps, helping save time and fuel by preventing users from having to manually check their traps.
Storybox Mentor Connect
Anamika Saxena and Amanjyot Singh
St. Francis Xavier University
Storybox offers one-on-one, real-time mentorship services for new university students.
Bronwyn Bridges and Gord Genge
Memorial University
PragmaClin is building solutions to allow for remote medical assessments of people with movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.
ORCA Order
HuSam Basemah
Memorial University
ORCA will be an e-commerce platform for local businesses.
