Dal Innovates is pleased to announce the winners of the Ready2Launch Pitch Day. Ready2Launch is a three-month summer accelerator for early-stage startups. The 2022 program concluded at Pitch Day Thursday, September 22nd, with eleven teams competing for a chance to win three cash prizes.
During Pitch Day, the graduating teams presented their ventures to a panel of judges. In first place was Zen Electric Bikes Inc., winning $6,000. Zen E-Bikes is a clean tech company building electric vehicles with advanced battery technology. Both the $4,000 second place prize and the $3,000 people’s choice award went to PragmaClin Research Inc., which is developing digital tools to manage movement disorder assessments from home.
“The Ready2Launch program was crucial for our growth.” says Ravi Kempaiah, co-founder of Zen Electric Bikes,
“A lot of useful resources were made available – from IP strategy to financial modeling etc. Advisory board meetings and weekly discussions with experts helped us refine our business model and go-to-market strategy and realize bigger opportunities within the Cleantech space. We are immensely grateful, and I hope more startups benefit from this program.”
The program brought in experts from the local and national innovation ecosystems as mentors, board members, and Pitch Day judges. The judging panel was made up of Dr Alice Aiken – VP Research and Innovation at Dalhousie University; Patrick Keefe – Partner at BUILD Ventures; Ellen Farrell – Professor, VC and Entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s University; Dave Santangeli – Managing Director and Co-Founder at Morrison Park Advisors; and Sarah Shaw – Assistant Economic Development Officer at Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
“It is always amazing to see how far ventures progress over Ready2Launch,” says Spencer Giffin, director of Dal Innovates at Dalhousie.
“These teams are at a pivotal moment in their journey, and the support from the board of directors, mentors and the instructors are setting them up for future successes. We can’t wait to see how the teams will make an impact, improve lives, and change the world.”Â
Four of the eleven teams previously participated in the Lab2Market program, which is a precursor to Ready2Launch. Participating teams represented Dalhousie University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Acadia University, and St. Francis Xavier University. Each team is supported by a mentor and a simulated board of directors who volunteer their time. Â
To date, teams from Ready2Launch and Lab2Market have raised over $5 million in funding from private and public investors and have created nearly 100 jobs in the region. Ready2Launch is offered through Dal Innovates which is supported by $594,895 in non-repayable assistance from the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Â
Dalhousie University is a member of the Incubate Innovate Network of Canada (I-INC), which acts as an umbrella organization providing support to high-performing university-connected incubators and accelerators. Led by Dalhousie University, Ready2Launch is supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Brigus Capital, Build Ventures, Christopher Huskilson,  Morrison Park Advisors, and Ontario Brain Institute.