(TORONTO) 27 February 2017: Twelve post-secondary students who balance a full-time course load and a full-time business have been selected as finalists for the Student Entrepreneur National Competition, supported by the John Dobson Foundation. Participants will be flown out to Vancouver to pitch their business for a chance to be named Student Entrepreneur National Champion and win $10,000 at the 2017 Enactus Canada National Exposition May 9-11.
Amr Abdelgawad | University of Waterloo | NERv Technology Inc.
NERv is developing an implantable biochip designed to monitor a patient’s health after surgery. The biochip includes embedded biosensors to identify post-operative complications such as internal bleeding and bacterial infection.
Torin Regier | University of Ottawa | Kegshoe Inc.
Kegshoe Inc. is a software company for the beer industry that is building a SaaS platform specifically for breweries to help them manage their business. The keg tracking solution, launched one year ago, is already helping breweries worldwide minimize keg loss and increase keg inventory turnover rates. Integrated brewery-specific modules such as CRM, production planning and order fulfillment are also in development to create a fully integrated brewery management platform.
Mitalie Makhani | McGill University | Groundit Waste Management and Composting Inc.
Groundit is a woman-led startup with a mission of decreasing the carbon footprint of the coffee market. Groundit transforms organic waste and coffee grounds from over 40 coffee shops in Montreal into a high-quality, all natural fertilize, which is distributed to gardeners as an effective and greener alternative to chemical fertilizer and manure.
Jason Hawkins | Queen’s University | Rooted Foods Co.
Rooted Foods Co. is changing the student grocery game by providing students with convenient access to affordable, local food while simultaneously creating value for farmers.
Kevin Nguyen | University of Calgary | ImPaper
ImPaper is a paper goods brand that contributes to a social cause with every purchase. Contributions include tree planting, providing vaccinations and providing meals to the poor. With over 400 unique products, ImPaper has delivered over 4000 meals, 1200 tetanus vaccines, and 2000 antimalarial pills to date.
Lee-Michael Pronko | Carleton University | Milieu
Milieu is an organization dedicated to democracy and data-driven city building. The web application connects citizens, urban developers and city officials to enhance citizen engagement. It’s designed to crowdsource public feedback, then aggregate and analyze input using cognitive computing tools allowing developers and municipalities to assess public sentiment to make more informed decisions.
Mitchell Hollohan | Saint Mary’s University | Site 2020
Site 2020 – a construction technology startup – is a drop in replacement for flaggers on road construction sites. Where you’d typically see two or more flaggers managing traffic on a road construction site, you will now see one person managing traffic on a tablet connected to smart portable traffic lights, increasing safety and cost savings of more than 65 per cent.
Patrick Millward | Carleton University | InteractiveStudios Inc.
InteractiveStudios is an Ottawa-based tech company on track to generate $1M in annual sales through the creation and delivery of digital directories. The backend software is designed to analyze user activity, providing clients with rich information allowing them to make better, informed decisions. The provided data would otherwise be very difficult and expensive for clients to obtain independently.
Paulo Meneghel | Seneca College | EMERGE Network Solutions Inc.
EMERGE is a mobile application that aims to improve information flow between patients, hospitals and clinics, allowing patients quicker access to healthcare, saving hospitals and clinics time and money while simultaneously increasing quality of care.
Richard Clark | MacEwan University | StudentHire
StudentHire provides an innovative solution to post-secondary student problems: high tuition costs, student debt and busy school schedules. StudentHire is a platform where students can connect to one-time job opportunities locally ranging from snow shovelling to graphic design. Homeowners set their price and students can then apply.
Victoria Ross | University of Calgary | aGRO Systems
aGRO Systems is an agriculture company dedicated to providing livestock producers with financial stability through sustainable production practices. Using modular on-farm waste management systems using biotechnology, aGRO Systems processes manure into 100% organic customizable fertilizer and generates electricity, sustainably improving crop yield and soil health while cutting costs.
Zoey Li | McGill University | YUMiTRITION
YUMiTRITION is a professional nutrition and food company offering practical and creative food products and solutions to decrease refined carb consumption and achieve healthy blood sugar levels. Their product, YUMiBOX provides convenient and healthy carbohydrate sources from whole grain mixes, while offering discovery and learning opportunities.
ABOUT THE ENACTUS CANADA STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR NATIONAL COMPETITION: To celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of young Canadians, Enactus Canada runs the Student Entrepreneur National Competition, proudly hosted by the John Dobson Foundation. The Student Entrepreneur National Competition enhances the success of full-time students operating businesses, who are creating jobs and furthering investments in our economic future. In 2015-2016, Enactus Canada student entrepreneurs and their business ventures have employed 313 people and generated $2.8 million in revenue. Every year, student entrepreneurs present their businesses to panels of Canada’s industry leaders in national competitions in order to be named Enactus Canada’s Student Entrepreneur National Champion.
ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform, is shaping entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 2,734 entrepreneurial post-secondary students led 280 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast. As a global network of 36 countries, Enactus