From Nick Quain’s vantage point, the 11 companies taking part in the Startup World Cup regional competition Thursday at Lansdowne Park represented almost a perfect microcosm of the Eastern Ontario tech ecosystem. Enterprises vying for $50,000 in non-dilutive cash grants ran the gamut of buzzworthy innovations, from carbon-capture trailblazer TerraFixing to rising biotech star NuvoBio, […]
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From Nick Quain’s vantage point, the 11 companies taking part in the Startup World Cup regional competition Thursday at Lansdowne Park represented almost a perfect microcosm of the Eastern Ontario tech ecosystem.
Enterprises vying for $50,000 in non-dilutive cash grants ran the gamut of buzzworthy innovations, from carbon-capture trailblazer TerraFixing to rising biotech star NuvoBio, whose AI-powered platform that aims to develop better treatments for cancer and other diseases has attracted the attention of investors such as legendary entrepreneur Michael Cowpland.
In the end, the $25,000 grand prize went to Kingston-based mDetect, which is developing groundbreaking “liquid biopsy” blood tests designed to track the spread of cancer and help oncologists create effective treatment plans more quickly.
Two Ottawa companies, biotech startup Loon and semiconductor equipment maker Szimpla, also landed on the podium, with Loon capturing the $15,000 second prize and Szimpla taking home $10,000 for finishing in third place.
The wide range of industries on display at the pitchfest organized by San Jose-based Pegasus Tech Ventures was clearly a point of pride for Quain, who serves as vice-president of venture and entrepreneurship at Invest Ottawa.
“The Ottawa startup ecosystem is on fire,” Quain told Techopia after the winners were announced at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building. “It’s as active as it’s ever been.”
MDetect will now go on to represent the Ottawa region and compete for the US$1-million grand prize at the Startup World Cup finals in San Francisco in October.
Keira Frosst, a scientist at mDetect who presented the startup’s four-minute pitch to a panel of judges on Thursday afternoon, said the chance to rub shoulders with other leading entrepreneurs from across the U.S. and other parts of the world represents a massive opportunity for her and her company.
“I’m really excited to go to California and pitch our technology to the world,” she said. “For us, this is huge. We really want to get this technology out to cancer patients around the world, and to get our technology in the hands of patients is just going to be so impactful to help change lives.”
The Startup World Cup capped off a jam-packed day of activities at the Horticulture Building, where Invest Ottawa hosted its annual AccelerateOTT conference.
