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RIC Centre awards $30,000 in Youth Startup Grants at first annual sharpTECH Funding Competition

After an incredible pitch competition, RIC Centre is very pleased to announce the very first winners of the sharpTECH grants! After carefully reviewing all of the applications, the top 8 young and remarkable entrepreneurs with innovative startups were chosen to take part in the pitch competition.

sharptechThe winners were announced at the conclusion of RIC Centre’s Champion Series Regional Alliance Pitch Panel in front of 20+ business, technology and financial experts representing committed resource providers (federal, provincial, municipal, industry, investment and private sector) engaging their respective communities for further startup acceleration.

RIC Centre is happy to announce the 6 winners of the sharpTECH Competition:

  1. ApoSys Technologies – A small handheld measurement device which provides its users a quick way to determine the dimensions and shapes of objects without any physical contact
  2. Cantango Solutions – Provesoft is the most simple to use process control software aimed at companies who actively maintain process document such as standard operating procedures, training documents and process flow diagrams.
  3. DRAM Innovations – The Sonic Air Filter is an innovative method of air filtration that reduces the resistance in an air filter resulting in less power consumption for the fan
  4. InstecBio – Produces a high quality, low cost and environmentally responsible alternative to fishmeal as the main ingredient in aquaculture diets.
  5. Schedulock – A real estate booking service platform that allows agents & to arrange, manage and track their real estate showings from their smartphone and our website.
  6. VIV Life Group – A mobile app that uses machine learning to help millennials discover places and experiences uniquely meaningful by taking out the process of searching for experiences and simplifies down to a single click.

“This pitching opportunity helps youth entrepreneurs realize the credibility of their startups. The sharpTECH finalists received focused and detailed advice from a group of RIC Centre’s expert panelists,” says Geoff Simonett, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at RIC Centre.

“InstecBio is a startup that produces a high quality, low cost and environmentally responsible alternative to fishmeal as the primary ingredient in aquafeeds. The RASF award will help us to protect the company’s IP while moving forward towards meeting CFIA requirements for regulatory approval,” commented Edward Marchant of InstecBio, one of the winners of the sharpTECH funding.

This grant provides youth startups access to specialized advisory services from industry experts. Pam Banks, Executive Director of RIC Centre, commented: “Young entrepreneurs need critical assistance at the early stages of their startup. With this initial funding, we hope that we are able to contribute to each startup’s success.”

Funding for RIC Centre’s sharpTECH competition has been generously supported by the Youth Business Accelerator Program, an Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs program delivered by MaRS.

About RIC Centre

Peel Region’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, the Research, Innovation, Commercialization (RIC) Centre supports the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon. RIC Centre provides commercialization support to help new entrepreneurs and seasoned business people take technical innovations to market, with experienced advisors and Entrepreneurs in Residence who guide its clients every step of the way. The Centre’s mission is to build an innovation ecosystem to support community prosperity across Peel Region.

Contact:
Pam Banks
Executive Director, Research Innovation Commercialization Centre
289-373-3050
pam.banks@riccentre.com