Two entrepreneurial teams with links to the Faculty of Mathematics advanced to the final of the bi-annual Concept $5K challenge, which is hosted by the Velocity startup incubator.
The teams that include current students in math are:
Beam Commerce:Beam Commerce helps eCommerce merchants boost their revenue by creating a better post-purchase experience. It was co-founded by computational mathematics student Varun Kundra.
SethSquash: SethSquash is a digital sports training platform to allow squash players and coaches to leverage data analytics to provide more insightful feedback for their game. The team includes computer science PhD student Cameron Seth.
The Concept $5K startup challenge is an initiative of the Velocity incubator and provides a platform for students to pitch ventures or products. Students in mathematics and computer science programs are a mainstay in the bi-annual competition, with math-linked teams having been named among the winners in the previous edition.
The contest starts out with hundreds of teams applying to take part, and then a semi-finals round with about a dozen teams pitching to a panel of industry-expert judges. Along with the prize money to further entrepreneurial efforts, the award is widely seen as a major public relations boost for winning teams.
The finals are set to take place on November 25. Register in advance on the Concept 5K website.