Attendees of the third annual Norman Esch Pitch Competition witnessed Nanotechnology Engineering students at their persuasive best. Three Nanotechnology Engineering teams, Amilent, Arylla and GraFET, were among a competitive group that pitched the business plan they developed as part of the Capstone Design Project. Congratulations to the Amilent and GraFET teams for their successful pitches, which won each team a $10,000 prize.
Competing NE teams
The Amilent team, Kojo Adjei-Afriyie, Jonathan Dorogin, Ryan Kearns and Alex Vena, pitched their food-safe antimicrobial plastic that can be used to 3D print everyday objects.
The Arylla team, Perry Everett, Justin Raimbault, Benjamin Rasera and Graham Thomas, pitched their method for reducing counterfeiting through the use of their scanner/fluorescent ink combination.
The GraFET team, Laura Bahlmann, Eric Beauregard, Wenbo Cui and Stuart Murray, pitched their miniscule graphene based nano-electronic harmful gas sensor, which can be used to create dynamic, real-time air quality maps.
Tough competition
All teams faced tough competition just to get on stage. Forty applications from teams of senior Engineering students were reviewed by the Undergraduate Associate Director of the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre; select teams were invited to submit their business model/plan for consideration. On the merit of their submission and the degree of innovation represented by their project, only 15 teams were selected to pitch their projects at the Esch Pitch Competition.
Fast-paced presentations
At the standing room-only event, each team had 90 seconds to pitch their project to a panel of expert judges and an additional 120 seconds to answer questions about their plans. The competition provided teams members with a fast-paced, exciting opportunity to present their project, demonstrate their business acumen and wow the judges. It also provided, thanks to the generous support of the Esch Foundation, the opportunity to win one of six financial awards intended to support business start-up costs.
Generous donation
The Esch Foundation was established in November 2004 by Norman Esch, who was a highly-regarded business leader and a driving force behind the printing industry in Toronto. The Foundation supports creative and entrepreneurial students in the pursuit of research and development and its commercialization for the benefit of Canada. Through the University of Waterloo’s Esch Pitch Competition, the Foundation supports the development of students receiving training in the interdisciplinary applications of engineering sciences.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the Amilent and GreFET teams for their award winning presentations.
The Amilent team receives their award from representatives of the Norman Esch Foundation.
The GraFET team receives their award from representatives of the Norman