CS Startup brews up success at the Velocity Pitch Competition

Friday, July 26, 2024

Brewtrack was among four teams that took home the Velocity $5k grant.

Every year, Velocity, Canada’s most successful incubator, hosts pitch competitions. This allows student-led teams to showcase their cutting-edge ideas and receive feedback, pitching experience, idea validation from a network of experienced entrepreneurs and Velocity Coaches— and a chance of winning $5,000. Recently, the Summer 2024 Velocity Pitch Competition, took place on July 25.

Brewtrack, created by Ernest Wong, an undergraduate in Computer Science at Waterloo and Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University, offers an advanced solution for coffee shops. The startup helps businesses track inventory, understand costs and provide detailed analytics to enhance profitability by connecting directly to their point-of-sale software.

“I have always enjoyed problem-solving and looking at how businesses run and operate,” Wong said. “The amazing thing about technology is that you can solve one problem, but it can benefit many people.”

Brewtack was selected among eight finalists. One of the finalists included Talk & Order, founded by Computer Science undergrad Ishan Baliyan and Data Science undergrad Daniyal Mohammed. The duo pitched a solution that integrates phone orders directly into restaurants’ systems to reduce missed sales. Notably, they won the people’s choice award and $500.

Another finalist Doro, founded by computer science and psychology student Rastin Rassoli, is using AI to support mental health.

Read about the other winners on Waterloo News.