Moncton-based startup hub Venn Innovation has announced the three winners of its pitch contest, held on March 28. The contest brought together 11 teams who pitched their ventures for a chance to win $7,000 in prize funding.

The winners of the contest were:

First place, winning $4,000: Trek.iQ, founded by Avery Cote.

The company is developing accessibility intelligence for venues and events, aiming to reduce uncertainty, improve operations, and build confidence for users navigating physical spaces.

Second place, winning $2,000: VELONIX, founded by Eric Pardatscher.

The company is focused on transforming reactive ground operations into precision-engineered performance for Atlantic Canada’s airports. By leveraging AI-driven analysis of real-time flight data, weather, and congestion, VELONIX is building predictive models to reduce delays, improve coordination, and enable more efficient airport operations.

Third-place, winning $1,000: the Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, developed by Eman Alhamd.

The project focuses on improving solar energy efficiency by dynamically adjusting panel orientation to maximize energy capture, with long-term plans for commercialization.

The pitching event also featured a panel discussion with founders from Bellavero Manufacturing - Benjamin Perreault, Nicholas Lavallé, and Jonathan Belliveau – who won last year’s VIP competition, as well as Ashish Deshmukh of Clearance Central, last year’s first runner-up.

The panel offered insights into their entrepreneurial journeys over the past year, sharing lessons on growth, challenges, and building momentum post-competition. At the conclusion of the panel, the Bellavero Manufacturing team presented this year’s competition trophies, which they designed and built themselves, marking a full-circle moment from past winners to current competitors.

Venn Innovation’s activities include its startup program, The Garage, where companies in all stages of growth work with the Venn team to access mentors, expert workshops and bi-weekly coaching sessions.