Faculty, students and community members are invited to attend the annual ‘Seed Your Startup’ business pitch competition hosted by The Student Success Centre and BizInc. Seed Your Startup encourages the transition from entrepreneurial ideas to formalized action plans, awarding one student project a $5,000 entrepreneurial grant and business advisory services to pursue their proposal in London during summer 2013.
The event is scheduled for 1:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11 in the Mustang Lounge at Western. Winners will be announced at the Ernst & Young After Party at 5 p.m. at The Spoke.
Of the 50 proposals submitted by current Western University and Fanshawe College students, five finalists have been selected to work closely with the Success Centre and BizInc to refine their idea and polish their pitch for the final presentation. Finalists will compete in front of a panel of judges from the community at the Seed Your Startup open door event.
“We are so impressed with the caliber of proposals we reviewed this year,” said John Pollock, BizInc. director. “There is a strong culture of entrepreneurship on our campuses, and Seed Your Startup is a great way to showcase this talent to London.”
A wide range of business proposals will be presented to the public including:
- ShockLock, a mechanical tool which reinforces gas-charged vehicle lift supports for hatches such as hoods, trunks and windows at varying heights;
- Igniteck, the GymNut application allows personal trainers to offer a secondary affordable service for gym members;
- Modern Edge Razors, combines restored vintage straight razors with modern design and exotic woodworking to produce cutting-edge razors;
- GamePress, allows users to create, share and play mobile games on the iPad;
- Build-A-Bakeshop, provides generic and customized packaging, display items, accessories and design services for small to medium bakery businesses.
Seed Your Startup 2013 is sponsored by RBC, Investor’s Group, Loblaw, Ivey Business School, Ernst & Young, Enactus, the Small Business Centre, BizInc. and The Student Success Centre