Keri Damen, executive director of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, and Bill Rosehart, professor and dean, Schulich School of Engineering.
April 29, 2022
草莓污视频导航 community pitches innovative startup ideas at Launchpad Liftoff Competition
Seven teams participate in competition, with sustainable technologies startup Neocycle winning the grand prize
Members of Neocycle, Arshia Mostoufi and Ramin Kahidi (pictured) and Subasthika Thangadurai (not pictured), won first prize.
Students and researchers from the 草莓污视频导航 took to the virtual stage to present their innovative startup ideas at the second annual Launchpad Liftoff Competition hosted by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, in partnership with the Schulich School of Engineering. Concepts ranged from improving health and wellness to bettering travel experiences to addressing environmental sustainability.
Launchpad is 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 flagship co-curricular entrepreneurship program, enabling students, researchers, and postdocs from all faculties and departments to become founders and changemakers in their fields. This year鈥檚 program kicked off in October 2021, involving 99 participants on 27 teams from six faculties. It ran for six months and featured workshops, mentoring and coaching, prototype funding, and more than $20,000聽in prizes to celebrate and reward participant creativity and teamwork.
Envisioned by the Schulich School of Engineering in 2019, the Launchpad program helps bolster resumes and early-career experience, build entrepreneurial thinking skills, and encourage participants to make an impact by finding problems worth solving. 鈥淪chulich鈥檚 idea 产别丑颈苍诲听尝补耻苍肠丑辫补诲聽was to create a pan-草莓污视频导航, co-curricular entrepreneurship program for people from all faculties to participate and enhance their entrepreneurial thinking skills while developing innovative solutions across all disciplines,鈥 said Dr. Bill Rosehart, P.Eng, PhD, professor and dean, Schulich School of Engineering. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly rewarding to witnes蝉听尝补耻苍肠丑辫补诲听grow and become 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 flagship entrepreneurial experience. To this year's winners, I send my congratulations.鈥
This past year was Launchpad鈥檚 third year at 草莓污视频导航 and the program grew to support the local community. "Our vision is to transform lives and economies through entrepreneurial thinking across all disciplines and beyond our campus. Launchpad is a fun and supportive program for anyone at 草莓污视频导航 interested in creating innovative, impactful solutions. This past year we also offered the weekly Launchpad Live lectures to the public to create innovators beyond our university,鈥 said Keri Damen, executive director of the聽Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking.
Entrepreneurial thinking on display
The event on March 30 marked the finale of the Launchpad program and was a key celebration as part of the Hunter Hub鈥檚 first-ever Entrepreneurial Thinking Week showcasing innovators across disciplines. Sustainable technologies startup Neocycle claimed the first-place grand prize with their innovative idea for exploring recycled electronic waste as an alternative feedstock for rare earth elements (REEs).
Members of ZOHRBS, Zain Bin Kamran, Sahil Nazari, Bilal Rauf, and Osaid Abdullah, who won both the People鈥檚 Choice Award and Best Problem Definition.
The seven teams presenting at the Launchpad Liftoff Competition included:
- Dexpert Rehab: Provided an affordable, take-home rehab system to track the healing growth of stroke and brain injury survivors
- MRKS Aviation: Designed a low-cost, fixed-wing VTOL drone, which incorporates premium features at an affordable price
- Neocycle: Explored recycled electronic waste as an alternative feedstock for rare earth elements (REEs)
- Packsy: Created a functional travel kit for travellers looking to pack more efficiently and avoid spillage during travels
- Serenity Solutions: Designed a hands-free knee crutch for patients suffering from a lower leg injury
- SYZTMic: Developed cost-effective, real-time workout detection and feedback for fitness enthusiasts
- ZOHRBS: Revolutionized carbon credit trading by allowing individual facilities participating in the market to meet net zero emission targets
Team awards were presented as follows:
- First Place Grand Prize:聽Neocycle
- People鈥檚 Choice Award:听窜翱贬搁叠厂
- Best Problem Definition:听窜翱贬搁叠厂
- Best Prototype:聽MRKS Aviation
- Most Transdisciplinary Project:听笔补肠办蝉测
- Clearest Development Trajectory:听厂驰窜罢惭颈肠
- Best Pivot:聽Closet in the Clouds (did not present)
Individual awards were presented as follows:
- Most Coachable:聽Sarthak Sharan, InFun
- Most Engaged:聽Puneet Kaushal, Serenity Solutions
- Best Peer Support: Michael Francis, Dexpert聽
- Female Founder: Christie Sampson, Fieldwork Solutions聽
The Launchpad program will open for applications to next year鈥檚 program in August 2022.
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