Our Innovation Night Showdown and Summer Social is an event that showcases local innovations and is a great opportunity for networking.
Similar to the other two Innovation Nights held during the year, the Showdown allows innovators and entrepreneurs to practice and perfect their pitch, and present their ideas to the local business community. However, we switch things up by changing the format to a more intense “showdown”, where we have sets of two pitchers go head-to-head with only one advancing until a single innovator is named the winner.
The event took place on June 18, and iF was pleased to feature a roster of 13 brave local startups who mustered up the courage to pitch to our live audience and go head-to-head for the title of Showdown champion.
This month’s pitch night garnered an audience of over 100 people, and presentations of the night were as follows*:
– ACE Camp – a summer camp for kids located in downtown Hamilton
– Educredu – an app for professionals who maintain credentials, helping them easily find events and/or activities to earn valuable credits towards their professional credentials.
– GoAhered – a smart pill box that harmonizes the patient experience with reliable scientific monitoring
– Impactstore.ca – connects non-profits and social enterprises with impact-conscious consumers
– Marauders Medical Devices – a novel artificial placenta that mimics the conditions of a womb and helps in the natural development of the lungs of an infant
– Motis – a company that sells DIY skateboard kits and puts on skateboard building workshops
– QReserve – an online catalogue of research resources to make access to research equipment easier than ever
– SensorWeb – a platform that allows non-experts to easily create internet connected sensor networks that interact with existing web services
– Spacebuq – an online venue directory that connects event planners and venues
– Tender Feelings Personalized Celebration Flags – personalized printed flags for honouring the memory of a deceased loved one
– Thrive Games – a video game development studio based out of Hamilton, working on their flagship project: Dragon of Legends
– underSTUDYgames – a platform of micro-educational video games that can be embeddable in any digital learning environment
– Virtual Possibilities – developing patented, prototyped medical imaging software designed to reduce collisions between patient tissue and surgical instruments
After all teams pitched, the top two – QReserve and Virtual Possibilities – pitched a second time and Virtual Possibilites won, taking home a Pebble smartwatch.
The event was filled with great networking opportunities for presenters and attendees alike.
Attendees also enjoyed a delicious dinner (a taco bar) and Rudy’s Paletas for dessert. Congratulations to all of the Innovation Night presenters!
*If you are interested in contacting any of the above companies, please email [email protected]
