Innovations in health care and home energy efficiency earned three Memorial University engineering students top prize in the 2018 Mel Woodward Cup this week.
BreatheSuite, VitalMIST and WARPAR Corp. won $10,000 each during the business idea competition for MUN student entrepreneurs.
The trio of companies were among eight finalist teams that pitched their ideas to a panel of judges from the business community during the event, hosted by the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE) at the Johnson Geo Centre.
Mechanical engineering student Brett Vokey’s BreatheSuite aims to be an add-on device for inhalers that allows people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to receive optimal dosages of medication.
VitalMIST, founded by Anna Gosine, another mechanical engineering student, offers a nasal optimizer that allows physicians to administer liquid medication effectively.
WARPAR, founded by fifth-year electrical engineering student Warren Parsons, makes Enzo, a light dimmer that provides power monitoring and is compatible with most bulbs on the market.
The winners are also reimbursed for up to $1,500 in approved marketing and legal expenses and will receive access to MCE’s co-working space, enrolment in the Genesis Centre’s Evolution Program, a free seminar from the Gardiner Centre, mentoring and other services.
Two other companies — Delta Innovations and BlueBrick Design & Development — received honourable mention and prizes of $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
A total of 40 applications were submitted in search of $40,000 in prizes up for grabs in this year’s competition, which is aimed at helping student entrepreneurs get over the seed-funding hurdle.
“Through the Mel Woodward Cup, we’re supporting entrepreneurial students in their business development journeys, providing them with much-needed funding so they can take their business ideas to the next level,” MCE director Florian Villaumé stated in a news release.
“By supporting these student entrepreneurs, we’re also providing a pathway for young people to stay in (Newfoundland and Labrador) as the province’s future business leaders.”
The Mel Woodward Cup was created in 2017 with a $1.13-million donation from the family of the late Dr. Mel Woodward, a well-known entrepreneur who founded the Woodward Group of Cos. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency contributed an additional $130,000.
