Waterloo is a hotbed of startups, and many of them have come out of the University of Waterloo Veolocity program, such PiinPoint and Thalmic Labs. Three times a year, Velocity offers grant programs to aspiring entrepreneurs and helps them gain resources for their startups. For students and alumni connected to the university, it’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
The Velocity Fund Finals competition offers entrepreneurial students from the University of Waterloo the chance to pitch for three prizes of $5,000, while the $25K prizes are reserved for 10 vetted startups, and comes in four grants. The Velocity Fund Finals competition will take place on March 26th at the University of Waterloo.
Here is the list of competitors for the $5k and $25k prizes:
Velocity Fund $5K Winter Finalists:
CareChair: The first standalone system that can function both as a bed and a wheelchair.
Free Radical Labs: Developing autonomous vehicle technology for haul trucks.
GRASP: Providing a low cost, highly convenient bicycle lock that is simple to use and very fast to deploy, so the process becomes effortless for bikers.
Huvee Inc.: An inflatable hovercraft that can provide users with a portable and truly all-season and all-terrain mode of personal transportation.
Kue: developing a timed-release capsule that will open after a specific amount of time. They are using this technology to develop a caffeine product that gives people a burst of energy before they wake up.
Moocow Unicycles: an innovative company bringing innovative, high quality parts to extreme unicyclists.
NERv: Develops implantable bio-sensors that operate from within the human body. They are being developed to collect data about the body and send feedback to the doctor allowing medical care facilities to have a portable bio-lab able to assess the human body.
Node: A platform for beautifully designed, high-quality, custom fit compression garments designed by users and artists for individuals suffering from lymphedema.
Ourotech: A biotech company that creates 3D bio-printers for the medical field. This technology can be integrated with medical scans for precise surgical modelling.
Tongo: Designs retainers capable of taking user input in the form of tongue gestures to control an electronic device such as a wheelchair.
Velocity Fund $25K Winter Finalists:
Cardinote: Cardinote presents Tabophone, a combined hardware and software solution to automatically writes finger-accurate tablature while you play guitar.
Doppel: Doppel aims to precisely quantify individual movement patterns by means of a smart garment. Their goal is to provide athletes with a new standard of safety by detecting detrimental movements in their infancy, and ensuring safe practice by means of vibratory feedback cues.
Fotofox: FotoFox is an online marketplace that connects customers with photographers for high-quality, professional photos. It curates a personalized list of photographers that best fits the client’s needs, budget and style.
HealthIM: HealthIM has developed a mental health reporting system for police officers responding to mental health calls. The software system integrates directly into existing police hardware and networks, and standardizes the admissions process of mentally ill persons under police care.
Lani: Lani is a payment and management system for 3D Print Centers. It enables universities, public libraries and 3D Print Centres to automate payment, manage users, designs and materials. It is also a great way for designers to showcase their work.
OneSet: OneSet is the “Vine” for fitness. Users are able to capture 15-second videos of any exercise, categorize them by muscle group, and share them with the OneSet community.
Pout: Pout is a place to show and tell, inspire, discover and explore the beauty and fashion industry. The community targets beauty and fashion enthusiasts/professionals to share photos and videos that show their unique looks, process, and techniques.
Site2Site: Site2Site is improving construction by automating the office with a software suite for android, iPhone and PC. GPS tracked time cards, job budgeting and performance, equipment tracking, receipt collection and more are all handled automatically.
Suncayr: Suncayr is developing UV-responsive marker ink that tells you exactly when to reapply sunscreen. This can be drawn directly on the skin before applying sunscreen, and when the sunscreen is no longer blocking UV rays, the ink changes colour. Suncayr is making sun safety personal, fun and simple.
Vitameter: Vitameter is changing the way people manage supplements. The majority of Canadians have a vitamin deficiency and about half take pills to supplement their diet. Some blindly decide dosage and most take too little or too many pills. With experience in nanotechnology and bio-sensors, their team has created the Vitameter: a personal handheld device that determines your vitamin levels within minutes. Each test is inexpensive and provides you with the information needed to manage your diet and supplements.