Meet the Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Finalists

Every semester, UWaterloo students in the Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch analyze important problems to thoroughly understand the scope, scale, history, and how current solutions are falling short. After weeks of honing their problem analysis skills, six teams secured their spots in the Fall 2021 Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Finals. Teams drew upon their own work experiences, backgrounds and interviews with stakeholders to validate the important problems they researched.

With over 40 applicants this semester, the Finalists had fierce competition as they demonstrated their team possessed the best understanding and insight into their chosen problem space. Each Finalist will have 5 minutes to pitch their research for online audiences and up to 10 minutes of live Q&A with a panel of judges. Teams are competing for two prizes of $7,500 in funding to support the research & development of a solution to address the problem they identified. In recognition of all the incredible work they have done, all finalists will receive a minimum of $2,000 to support their R&D.

We are proud to introduce you to the Fall 2021 Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Finalists!

Green Data Solutions

Canada is over reliant on single-use plastic (SUP) in food packaging making it difficult to buy plastic-free food in supermarkets.

Hydro House

There is no effective long-term energy storage system for northern communities.

LightFlow

The current design flow for optical benches lacks optimized design tools and rapid, high-quality standardized manufacturing.

Medical Melanin

The problem is that Women of Color (WOC) are misdiagnosed at an alarming rate. In part, this is due to poor listening and implicit bias.

Pipit

Super stores struggle with managing large assortments of physical inventory in their stores leading to lost sales and inaccurate forecasts.

Progenitor

It is difficult to accurately and reproducibly model human tissue, which creates barriers to drug development.

Join us in the virtual audience and watch the Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Finals on Tuesday, November 30th to see which Finalists walk away with $7,500 in funding.

The Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Competition is made possible by $300,000 in funding from Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, principals of Quantum Valley Investments® and founders of Blackberry.