Two teams from the Faculty of Mathematics will be competing in the Velocity $5K Finals at 12 pm tomorrow in the Theatre for the Arts.
The Velocity $5K competition is a competition hosted by the Velocity incubator that happens every term. Student teams deliver three-minute pitches to a panel of expert judges for a chance to win one of four $5000 prizes.
Twenty-three teams competed at the Velocity $5K Semi-Finals on July 5 and 6, including six teams with members from the Faculty of Mathematics. Eight finalists were chosen to advance to this Wednesday’s finals, including two teams with Math members: Nitron and Pragmatica.
Nitron is a personality engine developed for video game NPCs and digital personal assistants that emphasizes “user behaviour rather than dialogue and natural language processing.” Nitron’s team consists of three undergraduate Software Engineering students: Dhruv Bhatia, Hargun Mujral, and Zac Waite.
Pragmatica is developing VR speech therapy options to supplement or offer alternatives to individuals who cannot access or afford dedicated speech therapy. The Pragmatic team includes Computer Science graduate student Karthik Prasad, as well as Psychology PhD candidate Emily Shiu and Thomas Mastantuono.
“We really want to make a positive impact on the world,” Prasad says, “and we are at a pivotal point in our company where this $5000 can help us pay for our current expenses and conduct our pilot tests so that we can validate the product, gain traction, and successfully launch it to a wide audience in the future.”
“The Velocity $5K Challenge is a great opportunity to practice innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Stephanie Whitney, Director for Research & Innovation Partnerships in the Math Innovation Office. “We are proud of all students from the Faculty of Mathematics who participated, and want to wish the members of Pragmatica and Nitron all the best in the finals this week.”
You can learn more about the Velocity $5K competition on the Velocity website and register to attend the Finals tomorrow here.