Some of the most promising student-led startups in Atlantic Canada stepped into the spotlight last month to show off their innovations during Dalhousie’s Demo Day competition.
The 14 student teams pitched their ventures to a panel of judges as part of Dalhousie’s second-annual Innovation Week, competing for prize money to help further advance their startups.
Each team received one-on-one coaching and $10,000 through the Collide Launch or Lab2Market Launch programs delivered by Dal Innovates to turn their ideas into market-ready solutions to global challenges.
Peters and Mousavi, both alumni of the Launch program, shared stories of embracing change and staying curious, setting the tone for the afternoon.
“You could sense the excitement and commitment with every pitch,” said Lynette Peters (PhD ‘26), founder of BravoZulu and co-host of the event along with Mohammad Mousavi, cofounder of Atlantic Echo.
Lynette Peters, right, and Mohammad Mousavi.
This year’s lineup featured innovations ranging from sustainable bioplastics and agricultural technologies to AI-powered tools for classrooms, law firms, and microbreweries, as well as advances in medical diagnostics.
Judges were tasked with awarding a prize pool of $18,000 to be split among the top Collide and Lab2Market competitors. The panel consisted of:
- Dr. Jennifer Bain, associate vice president, research at Dalhousie
- Luke DeCoste, entrepreneur and AI expert
- Mandy Woodland, director of business development at Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub
- Matthew Martel, CEO of the Black Business Initiative and Business is Jammin’
Their decisions reflected both the quality of the pitches and the potential for real-world impact.
Collide Launch winners
In the Collide Launch competition, the judges awarded two first-place prizes to Sheher Yar Khan, founder of Alaagi, and Melina Markotjohn, founder of Nimbus, recognized respectively for their innovations in sustainable bioplastics and custom-performance earplugs.
“Presenting in front of a live audience was an incredible experience,” says Markotjohn, a third-year medical student at Dalhousie. “The competition was intense, and I’m truly grateful to Dal Innovates and my Founder Council advisors for supporting the launch of Nimbus.”
Markotjohn plans to run initial user tests to improve the design of her customizable, high-performance earplugs.
Third place was awarded to Shawn Ray and Jake Young, cofounders of Shell Tech, who developed an efficient larvae monitoring platform for shellfish hatcheries.
Lab2Market Launch winners
For Lab2Market Launch teams, first place was awarded to Dr. Haitham Shoman, founder of Qalam Health Solutions Inc. Shoman is developing the Qudrapen, an intraoperative bone cancer detection system.
Dr. Haitham Shoman.
“Demo Day was a fantastic, albeit stressful, experience,” says Dr. Shoman. “I’m grateful to have been part of the Launch program, which pushed me to grow as a founder and build a strong foundation for the future of Qalam.”
Dr. Shoman’s goal is to pilot the Qudrapen in hospitals, enabling surgeons to detect bone cancer tissue during surgery and prevent bone cancer relapse.
Celebrating the ecosystem
Jeff Larsen, assistant vice president, innovation and entrepreneurship at Dalhousie, praised the teams for their dedication and ingenuity.
“The pitches we saw today represent innovative solutions that bridge new ideas and research with entrepreneurship,” he said. “It’s inspiring to see them bring their ideas to life.”
Jeff Larsen, assistant vice president, innovation and entrepreneurship at Dalhousie.
Demo Day also featured nine Emera ideaHUB companies showcasing their prototypes for the first time to more than 200 members of Atlantic Canada’s startup ecosystem. Attendees voted, and Equlantic and SpectrAlign were awarded the $2,000 People’s Choice award.
Demo Day was supported by Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Mitacs, Springboard Atlantic, Build Ventures, and Morrison Park Advisors.
Dal Innovates provides opportunities for students and faculty to explore and experience innovation and entrepreneurship. Applications for Lab2Market Validate and Collide Discover are open.
Students on winning teams. L-R Haitham Shoman, Catherine Evans, Melina Markotjohn, Shawn Ray, Jake Young, Sheheryar Khan, and Mariana Toro Ramirez.
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