On July 25, UW hosted the Velocity Final Pitch competition which showcased UW student creativity and innovation and brought together eight dynamic teams competing for four $5,000 prizes. With an impressive starting pool of 82 applicants, the competition was fierce, narrowing down to 24 semi-finalists, and resulting in an engaging and inspiring final pitch event.

The winning teams are as follows:

Automax AI impressed judges by streamlining the real estate appraisal process. This smart assistant reduces the time to appraise properties from three to four days to under an hour, connecting directly with multiple listing services and external data sources. Automax AI was founded by Humza Ahmed, a UW undergraduate mechanical engineering student. 

BrewTrack is brewing up success by helping coffee shops efficiently track inventory and costs. By offering real-time tracking and analytics, BrewTrack is transforming how cafes manage their operations. BrewTrack was founded by Ernest Wong, a UW undergraduate computer science and business administration student.

MyPharmacist offers a revolutionary approach to MedChecks. By automating these checks and providing real-time therapeutic analysis and voice-to-text notes, this tool improves patient care and reduces clinician burnout. MyPharmacist was founded by Brian Hui, Musab Iqbal, and Aram Mohammadi, all UW undergraduate students from the school of pharmacy.

PyroGuard stood out by developing a new gear to protect firefighters from cancer. With cancer being a leading cause of firefighter deaths, PyroGuard’s innovative gear is set to fill a critical gap. PyroGaurd was founded by Drew Davidson, a UW PhD candidate in chemical engineering. 

Davidson was inspired to create this unique protective gear when his mother, who was a firefighter, came to him with her concerns. “94 per cent of firefighter deaths are caused by cancer,” Davidson said. “I started out doing coding and working to combat freezing rain buildup on roofs, but when my mom came to me with this idea it was way more important. Now that I’m not a student I can really focus on this.”

The People’s Choice Award was given to a fifth winner. Talk & Order won this $500 award as they impressed the audience with their AI restaurant phone assistant that takes customer orders and integrates them directly into the restaurant’s system, reducing missed sales and employee overhead costs. Talk & Order was founded by Ishan Baliyan, a UW undergraduate computer science student, and Daniyal Mohammed, a UW undergraduate data science student.

However, three other innovative ideas did not walk away with a check:

Comedy Set is a website for those who want to see local comedians in their area. Promoters can put up shows to sell tickets, thus providing a means to support smaller creators over big-name comedians. Comedy Set was founded by Youssef Ben Ammar and Stephen Baldwin, both UW master’s of business, entrepreneurship, and technology students. 

Doro is an AI counsellor that targets subclinical intervention and aims to make therapy more accessible. Doro was founded by Ramtin Rassoli and Rastin Rassoli, both UW undergraduate computer science students. 

Innsight is a hotel software that aims to improve customer satisfaction as it alerts managers in real time on security issues and long queues. Innsight was founded by Rahim Merchant and Rahman Merchant, both UW undergraduate computing and financial management students.

To share insight into entrepreneurship, being a woman in business, and FemTech, Tina Wilton, manager of strategic partnerships at Velocity, hosted a fireside chat with Rachel Bartholomew, the founder and CEO of the Ontario-based FemTech company, Hyivy Health. Bartholomew shared her heart-wrenching personal experience of recovering from cervical cancer and seeing how medical practices for women’s pelvic health are extremely outdated and inadequate. “1997 is when women were required to be a part of clinical trials,” Bartholomew said. “I want to have women go into the doctor’s office and have them leave feeling heard.”

Bartholomew also shared advice for budding entrepreneurs. “Get advice from people who’ve done it before,” Bartholomew said. “Getting out and talking to anyone who will listen to you and ask them, ‘Who should I talk to next?’”

To learn more about this year’s Velocity Spring 2024 finalists, go to velocityincubator.com.