Winners of 2014 U of S Tech Venture Challenge chosen
Three teams of University of Saskatchewan entrepreneurs made their final pitches for thousands of dollars in prize money and services May 22 at the sold-out finale to the 2014 Tech Venture Challenge at Saskatoon's Sheraton Cavalier.
By Jennifer Thoma
And the winner is … Innocorps Research! The U of S alumni team of Aarya Shahsavar, Alexander Chan and Dawson James has developed a mobile water treatment system for oil service companies that reduces makeup, hauling and disposal costs in unconventional oil and gas operations by recycling frac flowback water on-site.
The Innocorps team will receive $50,000 cash from the U of S Industry Liaison Office, one year office space at Innovation Place valued at over $10,000; professional services valued at $6,000 from Deloitte and specialized banking services from RBC.
"The Tech Venture Challenge has been a game changer for us" said Shahsavar Innocorps' president. "Learning from experienced entrepreneurs and going through the process has focused our strategy and opened up opportunities we wouldn't have had without the competition."
Second place in this year's Tech Venture Challenge went to Deliverfy, an on-demand delivery service provider for businesses, using proprietary algorithms to efficiently dispatch deliveries. The student and alumni team of Joshua Simair, Chris Simair, Stephen Chau and Jeff Adamson will receive $5,000 cash from Mariner Innovations, $3,000 in professional services from Deloitte and more than $3,000 in banking services from RBC.
"Our Tech Venture Challenge mentorship, experience and support have been instrumental in helping us expand Deliverfy and SkipTheDishes.ca's restaurant delivery network across Canada." said Joshua Simair, Deliverfy president, adding the ILO and sponsor prize money will help the company refine its technology that enables low-cost food delivery for hundreds restaurants that did not deliver before.
Third spot in the challenge went to One Health Medical Technologies Inc., developer of leading edge medical technologies for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of animals and humans suffering from physically debilitating injuries or disease. The researcher and alumni team of Dr. James Montgomery, Julia Montgomery, Jim Boire and Harley Olsen will receive $3,000 from Affinity Credit Union and Mercan, $2,000 in professional services from Deloitte and more than $3,000 in banking services from RBC.
"This recognition is strong motivator in our quest to find new solutions to the challenges faced by the veterinary community," said One Health president, Dr. James Montgomery. "The Tech Venture Challenge was both educational and motivational and kept us focussed. I highly recommend it."
The Tech Venture Challenge is sponsored by the Industry Liaison Office, Mariner Innovations, Affinity Credit Union, Mercan, Innovation Place and Deloitte and the Royal Bank of Canada. The finale was held in conjunction with the i3 Idea Challenge, sponsored by the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the U of S.
"The competition was very close this year, and the judges deliberated at length to choose just three finalists - they would have liked to promote several more," said ILO Managing Director Glen Schuler. "The technologies covered IT, environmental, life sciences and education. All were highly innovative, commercially viable ideas. The Tech Venture Challenge has proven itself to be a significant asset to the innovation ecosystem in the province."
For more information, contact:
Laurel Reich
Projects Coordinator
U of S Industry Liaison Office
306-966-1465
laurel.reich@usask.ca
The Innocorps team will receive $50,000 cash from the U of S Industry Liaison Office, one year office space at Innovation Place valued at over $10,000; professional services valued at $6,000 from Deloitte and specialized banking services from RBC.
"The Tech Venture Challenge has been a game changer for us" said Shahsavar Innocorps' president. "Learning from experienced entrepreneurs and going through the process has focused our strategy and opened up opportunities we wouldn't have had without the competition."
Second place in this year's Tech Venture Challenge went to Deliverfy, an on-demand delivery service provider for businesses, using proprietary algorithms to efficiently dispatch deliveries. The student and alumni team of Joshua Simair, Chris Simair, Stephen Chau and Jeff Adamson will receive $5,000 cash from Mariner Innovations, $3,000 in professional services from Deloitte and more than $3,000 in banking services from RBC.
"Our Tech Venture Challenge mentorship, experience and support have been instrumental in helping us expand Deliverfy and SkipTheDishes.ca's restaurant delivery network across Canada." said Joshua Simair, Deliverfy president, adding the ILO and sponsor prize money will help the company refine its technology that enables low-cost food delivery for hundreds restaurants that did not deliver before.
Third spot in the challenge went to One Health Medical Technologies Inc., developer of leading edge medical technologies for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of animals and humans suffering from physically debilitating injuries or disease. The researcher and alumni team of Dr. James Montgomery, Julia Montgomery, Jim Boire and Harley Olsen will receive $3,000 from Affinity Credit Union and Mercan, $2,000 in professional services from Deloitte and more than $3,000 in banking services from RBC.
"This recognition is strong motivator in our quest to find new solutions to the challenges faced by the veterinary community," said One Health president, Dr. James Montgomery. "The Tech Venture Challenge was both educational and motivational and kept us focussed. I highly recommend it."
The Tech Venture Challenge is sponsored by the Industry Liaison Office, Mariner Innovations, Affinity Credit Union, Mercan, Innovation Place and Deloitte and the Royal Bank of Canada. The finale was held in conjunction with the i3 Idea Challenge, sponsored by the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the U of S.
"The competition was very close this year, and the judges deliberated at length to choose just three finalists - they would have liked to promote several more," said ILO Managing Director Glen Schuler. "The technologies covered IT, environmental, life sciences and education. All were highly innovative, commercially viable ideas. The Tech Venture Challenge has proven itself to be a significant asset to the innovation ecosystem in the province."
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For more information, contact:
Laurel Reich
Projects Coordinator
U of S Industry Liaison Office
306-966-1465
laurel.reich@usask.ca