Communitech has awarded $100,000 to Alexandra McCalla, co-founder and COO of AirMatrix, for winning the Fierce Founders Bootcamp Pitch Competition.
AirMatrix, based in Toronto, creates an airspace mapping system designed for autonomous drones in urban areas. Communitech noted that commercial businesses like Amazon would be able to use this system when delivering packages.
AirMatrix creates an airspace mapping system designed for autonomous drones in urban areas.
The Fierce Founders Bootcamp is open to startups that have at least one female founder, and that have launched a minimum viable product. Over two weeks, 24 women participated in the Winter 2019 bootcamp where workshops and learning sessions were hosted, surrounding topics such as customer validation, financials, building sales funnels, and marketing. Women entrepreneurs were also coached on their pitch presentations.
Runners-up companies include Halifax-based ColourSmith Labs, which develops contacts for people who are colour blind, and Wavy, an app that provides local travel recommendations that come from local experts. ColourSmith Labs has previously received a $25,000 investment from Volta Labs. It is also one of seven startups to be accepted by Emera ideaHUB, a new tech incubator created by Dalhousie University.
Both runner-ups were awarded spots in the Communitech Fierce Founders Accelerator, a six-month program designed to provide startups with the resources needed to grow.
Other startups that pitched at the Fierce Founders competition includes Toronto-based Swob, an app that allows students to connect with potential employers, Taste Guru Artificial Intelligence, a program that determines the success of food and beverage products, and Senior Care Connect, a platform that connects caregivers with senior residents.
Communitech works to help companies in the Waterloo region scale and grow. Last year, Interac announced the launch of Interac Lab in Communitech, where the company will support the research and development of its next generation of products and services.
Image courtesy Communitech, by Sara Jalali.
