Teams of emerging entrepreneurs made their case for a piece of a $50,000 funding pool during the 2024 edition of the Summer Pitch competition on Aug. 15. 

For more than a decade, the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC) has been bringing together new entrepreneurs to develop their skills, innovate, and share solutions to modern-day challenges by helping them to launch local startups. 

This year’s Summer Pitch Competition, Kingston’s biggest, featured eight teams presenting to a panel of judges with the goal of securing the funding that will enable them to start their journey towards becoming financially sustainable businesses.

Six for-profit teams from Queen’s and the Kingston community competed for a piece of the $50,000 prize pool. The competition also showcased the work of the Provost’s Continuing Education Team, who have spent the summer working on an intrapreneurship project for Queen’s, and Ugabrush, a Uganda-based venture from the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation (JL MCF) program. 

Teams in the Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QICSI) spent the summer tackling a problem, creating and validating solutions, and building a business venture. Three advanced to the final stage. Three others qualified through regional competition.

Each team had five minutes to pitch their business to judges, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer session. 

“We are immensely proud of this year's talented innovators and their unwavering dedication throughout this year's entrepreneurship journey. As we embark on this summer's pitch competition, we celebrate the spirit of innovation and the power of collective collaboration,” says Gregory Bavington, Executive Director of DDQIC. “Together, let us embrace the impact of working hand in hand, fueling the growth of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, not only in Kingston, but across Canada.”

Queen's Innovation Centre Summer Initiative 

Each year, the Queen's Innovation Centre Summer Initiative selects ambitious individuals with a demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, or social impact. Participants gain access to resources and mentorship which provide an environment where ideas can grow into successful startups. 

Members of Local Reach address the crowd and judges during the 2024 Summer Pitch competition. The team was awarded $10,000. (Queen's University)

Winners

Monarch Informatics - $20,000

Monarch Informatics is aiming to optimize clinical laboratories across Canada by providing them with real-time data analytics and assisting with data driven decision-making. 

Local Reach - $10,000

Local Reach helps restaurants and bars monetize their untapped, recurring TV commercial breaks. By integrating our device into venues’ cable box systems, Local Reach utilizes artificial intelligence to legally replace pre-existing TV commercial breaks with advertisements from hosting venues and external local businesses

Vulnscanner AI - $10,000

Vulnscanner AI democratizes website security by providing an affordable, user-friendly platform designed for individuals, web professionals, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and non-profits.

EcoSafeSense - $5,000

EcoSafeSense leverages custom-made lightweight, low-cost sensors and advanced machine learning algorithms to deliver near real-time, high-resolution air quality data. This monitoring system pairs sensors with novel machine learning algorithms to establish dynamic environmental tolerance thresholds, delivered in real time to key decision makers via a user-friendly dashboard.

Wisdom of the Market award: Ugabrush $5,000
Ugabrush aims to address the lack of locally produced shoe brushes in Uganda and bolster the economy with an innovative solution. Crafted from indigenous materials, Ugabrush is gentler on leather compared to imported alternatives. 

Members of the Continuing Education Provost Task Force were assigned by the provost to research the market opportunity of extended learning options at Queen’s. (Queen's University)