Schulich Startup Night Attracts Nearly 700 Registrants
With the ongoing pandemic, the 15th edition of Schulich Startup Night (SSN) took place virtually this month with a pitch competition and fireside chat. This bi-annual event attracted nearly 700 registrants and gave students and alumni an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of top industry professionals for a chance to win a $5000 cash prize.
Chris Carder, Schulich’s Executive Director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Schulich Startup Night Organizer, and Detlev Zwick, Schulich’s Interim Dean, kicked off the event with welcome remarks and acknowledgements.
This was the first time we had Myra Arshad (BBA ’18), Co-Founder of ALT TEX, as the co-host for the competition and an all-female panel of judges: Snita Balsara (MBA ’12), Senior Investment Manager and Head of Community at MaRs IAF; Althea Wishloff, Investor at Panache Ventures; and Chevonaé Walcott, Investment Associate at Relay Ventures.
After a competitive round of pitches, the judges announced Ashleigh Berger (MBA ’13) and Jenna Kellner (MBA ’13), Co-Founders of Little Traders, as the winners in the Alumni category and for the People’s Champion Award. Bansee Dave (MBA ‘21), Founder of Myoga, was the winner in the Student category.
Once the competition concluded, guests were invited to tune into the fireside chat with Schulich alumni and CEO of Skygauge Robotics, Nikita Ilushkin (BBA ’16). The session was moderated by Chris Carder and Daniel Warner (MBA ’12), CEO and Founder of MyRemoteClinic.
During the session, Ilushkin shared his inspirational journey to raising $3.3 million in seed funding and spoke about his vision of creating a “workforce in the sky.”
“This was an amazing Schulich Startup Night on so many levels, as we celebrated the 15th edition and 30 champions,” shared Carder during his closing remarks. “The return of one of our very first finalist years down the road served as an incredible keynote with two new champions you couldn’t help but cheer for!”
Thank you to our generous sponsors, including our Official Cash Prize Sponsor, Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation; our Supporting Sponsors, Zeifmans LLP (Acceler8 Award for Little Traders), Wildeboer Dellelce LLP (Venture Award for Biiibo Inc.) and Bereskin & Parr LLP (Startup Innovation Award for Roger S. and Biiibo Inc.); and our Prizing Sponsors, BEST Lassonde (Impactful Tech Award for Daniyal Dehleh), YSpace (People’s Champion Award) and Indochino. We appreciate your support of Schulich student and alumni startups.