Meet the Hamilton area startups competing for $30,000 prize
Lion’s Lair, an annual Hamilton competition for entrepreneurs, is hosting a series of pitch ‘showdowns’ live on Cable 14
The 10th annual Lion’s Lair pitch competition has gone virtual this year, with 16 Hamilton area startups vying for the top prize — $30,000 — at a series of pitch competitions.
“We really wanted to dress it up, so we created this whole sort of virtual bracket thing — you know, à la March Madness — where we put people headto-head and you can vote online and you can watch the pitches,” said David Carter, executive director of the Innovation Factory, a Hamilton-based non-profit that helps entrepreneurs bring business ideas to life.
The head-to-head pitch showdowns are taking place from Sept. 21 to 24 and being broadcast live on Cable 14.
Anyone can register to vote and cast their ballot via text message, but ultimately, the judges’ scoring will bear the most weight in determining the winner, which will be announced Thursday followed by a virtual after party in place of its usual gala. The runners-up will receive peoples’ choice awards of $2,500.
“A big piece of it for us is not just to give away money to someone who's got a great pitch, it's really about engaging the community and teaching these companies how to really show their wares,” Carter said.
Last year’s winner was Oakville’s IRIS R&D, which aims to improve roads and reduce the cost of manual patrols of city streets through video data captured on dash cams of municipal buses and trucks.
This year’s competitors, all of which are from the Hamilton and Toronto areas, are diverse, ranging from apps to e-commerce to health science.
“The common denominator is they are all early stage,” Carter said. “Obviously we would never want to see like Digby Paints up against ArcelorMittal Dofasco or anything like that.”
Meet the 16 finalists competing for the top prize:
> AIRO.LIFE
AIRO.LIFE Be Free Phone is a smartphone and data plan that is free to own and use, paid for by advertising.
> BDATA Solutions
Toronto tech company BDATA has developed a data-driven plant management solution for the manufacturing and processing industries.
> Biosa Technologies
Biosa Technologies Ltd. is an “enzyme enhancement” company that helps pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies improve productivity and efficiency. The company is headquartered in Toronto.
> Cheer District
Cheer District is a smartphone app that facilitates training, coaching and education for the cheerleading industry through social media. The company is based out of Burlington.
> Creation Crate
Scarborough-based Creation Crate is an educational platform that helps subscribers become more “tech literate” with hands-on electronics projects delivered to your front door.
> Digby Paints
Digby Paints is a Hamiltonbased company that aims to make paint-buying in Canada more convenient and engaging through its e-commerce platform.
> Green Apple Pay
Green Apple Pay is a digital fundraising tool designed to help organizations operating in a low-touch economy. The company has also developed software for managing events, which includes tools for managing online registrations, cashless payments and digital forms.
> ImaginAble Solutions
Hamilton-based ImaginAble Solutions creates assistive devices for people with impaired motor control to enhance both independence and quality of life during everyday activities, such as writing, painting and drawing.
> Integral Health
Integral Health’s goal is to “enhance teamwork in the operating room.”
> MyPalate
MyPalate is a smartphone app that helps people discover recipes from around the world that meet their health needs.
> PharmAssess Diagnostics
PharmAssess Diagnostics has developed diagnostic software to help pharmacists automate assessment, diagnosis and treatment for minor illnesses, improving their workflow.
> Powered by ARC
Powered by ARC is a sports social networking platform geared toward helping sports and e-sports organizations manage their clubs, coaches manage their teams, and players manage their careers.
> PULSE Lifesaving Inc.
PULSE is an accredited lifesaving, lifeguarding and firstaid training educational technology company based in Hamilton that uses augmented reality to offer training remotely.
> Reviewerly
Hamilton-based company Reviewerly has developed a Messenger chatbot that helps ecommerce businesses get reviews by prompting customers who opt-in to leave a review after purchasing.
> Veer AI
Veer AI is a Toronto-based company that helps retailers better understand their customers through collecting and analyzing customer behaviour data and providing recommendations on how to market to them.
> WeavAir
WeavAir is a proactive hardware and software solution to improve air quality to reduce costs, improve employee productivity and conserve energy. The company has offices in Canada and in South Korea.