UW’s in-home start-up incubator, Velocity, held its annual fund pitch competition on Sept. 19, which aimed to encourage and support early-stage start-ups.
Four start-ups won $50,000 each in prize money in four sepeerate competitions.
The four winners, Maple Precision, SquidBio, StackTronic, and Watfly also received intellectual property, legal services, and a provisional patent application.
“After 25 competitions, we continue to showcase the best from across Canada, proving our dedication to highlighting today’s most forward-thinking innovators,” Jay Shah, Velocity’s director of start-ups, said.
Maple Precision, founded by CEO Rebecca Swabey, supplies affordable positioning solutions, centered around Global Navigation Satellite System receivers including the first RTK GNSS receiver for under $500.
Maple RTK provides centimeter accuracy for all precision applications.
SquidBio, founded by Isaac Ellmen and Danielle Rose, created an in-home personal DNA synthesizer that labs can use, making it a faster, cheaper, and reliable process.
StackTronic created a flexible and modular battery platform that simplifies the design process for electric powertrains, allowing any vehicle to be battery-powered.
The company was founded by Robert Rowland, Riley Stone, Nicolas Benais-Thomson, Ethan Hamshaw, and Keith Teeple
Finally, Watfly, founded by mechanical engineering students Abinesh Chandrasekhar and Gonzalo Espinoza Graham, is developing a single seater air vehicle powered by the latest in electric propulsion technology.
The start-up has its sights set on being the first affordable air vehicle to bring vertical take-off and landing to market.
