A few months ago, Toronto-based DMZ and Innovation Birmingham announced its Next Big Idea innovation competition for Ontario and Birmingham-based startups. The competition was a product of the two incubators signing a memorandum of understanding, setting the foundation for joint initiatives that would bridge the gap between Ontario and UK markets.
Both the Ontario and UK-based winners of the competition have been announced, with Sampler, an online sampling management and analytics platform, and Komodo OpenLab, a company creating software and hardware solutions for people with disabilities, taking the top prizes from Toronto.
“The winners of The Next Big Idea Contest have created innovative technologies that show great potential,” said Dr. David Hardman, CEO at Innovation Birmingham. “With continued guidance and support from Innovation Birmingham, the DMZ, and initiatives like the Next Big Idea Contest, the selected startups will be able to utilize a wide range of resources that will enable them to scale their business globally, ensuring continued growth and success.”
The startups will stay in their respective sister cities at the incubators to meet with advisors and find ways to scale globally.
“Hosting these entrepreneurs from Birmingham at the DMZ is a step in the right direction to creating global business opportunities for both Birmingham startups and resident startups at the DMZ,” said Abdullah Snobar, executive director of the DMZ. “We are pleased to be working with Innovation Birmingham on such an important initiative, and are excited to welcome Birmingham startups into Toronto’s thriving startup ecosystem.”