Twelve teams of fourth-year Waterloo Engineering students pitched their Capstone Design projects as viable startup ideas to a panel of industry judges at the 2025 Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards.
Ideas included a device to enhance sleep quality and cognitive function in children with epilepsy, and a novel material designed to improve efficiency in oil spill remediation.
“Our pitch focused on a simulation rather than a physical prototype, which made things more difficult,” said Sophie Campbell of the Direct-Li team. “But with support from our supervisor Dr. Sarah Meunier and the Department of Chemical Engineering, the judges recognized the value of our approach. Winning this funding from the Norman Esch Foundation gives us a significant boost to keep developing our solution.”
The event was hosted by Waterloo Engineering alum Dr. Matthew Stevens (BASc ’04, PhD ’08). The judging panel featured successful Waterloo alumni and entrepreneurs Jay Shah (BASc ’11) and Michael Litt (BASc ’10), alongside Ruth Casselman, CEO of the Accelerator Centre, and Michelle Lennox from the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.
The Norman Esch Awards are designed to support engineering students in transforming their Capstone Design projects into viable startups. By connecting students with early-stage funding and mentorship, the program fosters a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the Faculty of Engineering.
Go to Bold ideas win big at the Esch pitch contest for the full story.