Pitches hit all the right notes

For more than a decade, the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC) has been bringing together emerging entrepreneurs to develop their skills, innovate, and share solutions to modern-day challenges. Entrepreneurial teams, which included those participating in the Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QICSI), Build2Scale Health (B2S), and regional ventures, pitched their idea to a panel of judges.

Several Faculty of Arts and Science students earned top honours at the event. GLASQ won the second-place prize of $15,000. Team members included: Brock Newell (FAS), Yasi Shahidian (FAS), Jay Patel (Engineering), and Mia Hao (Community).

GLASQ is a chem tech company that is licensing a Queen’s patent for a polymer used on screen coatings.

“There was an amazing lineup of competitors this year, each with strong teams and business models,” says Shahidian. “We've been working very hard on how to communicate our technical aspects. Forming an effective pitch was the deciding factor - the results reflect the work we've put in.”

Shahidian adds the pitch event was a wonderful opportunity to work with students outside her faculty and adds they are all grateful for the network and foundation the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre has provided the teams.

Ponder earned the third-place prize of $10,000. Team members included: Benjamin Falkner (FAS), Abigail Kaye (FAS), Caroline Wu (FAS), Simon Long (FAS), and Lauren Van der wissel (Commerce).

Ponder is a company that focuses on improving well-being by sparking meaningful conversations. This is done through daily questions on their website.

“My team worked really hard this summer and we were keen to win something,” says Kaye. “The experience was definitely very unique in that anyone can be a part of it no matter what the program. It was really interesting to collaborate with students from other programs and use some of the skills that we’ve learned here at Queen’s.”

Comma also earned the third-place prize of $10,000 and features FAS student Aidan Burung. Her co-founders include Kathy Sheng (FEAS) and Wendy Li (FHS). Comma focuses on philanthropic marketing, partnering with brands to advertise on the packaging of menstrual pads. This covers the cost of the product, making it free for menstruators everywhere.

“To all participating teams and the judges, our heartfelt gratitude for making this event a possibility,” Gregory Bavington, Executive Director of the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre. “Early-stage seed funding is the ignition for startups. Sparking ideas into reality, propelling prototypes to perfection—a pivotal moment where vision meets validation. It's not just an investment; it's the catalyst that fuels ambition, drives sales, and opens the door to further growth.”