Students Compete at Together 2023 for $15,000 Prize
The Schulich School of Business has successfully concluded Together 2023, its annual Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and Competition that bridges the innovation ecosystems of Canada and India.
Together 2023 was the third edition of the program, supported through an ongoing partnership between Schulich and Startup India (Government of India) and focused on the theme of ‘Self Reliability, Sustainability, and Social Purpose.’
The student entrepreneurs were handpicked from applications from over 17,000+ Indian colleges and 700 + universities with 21 shortlisted startups then teaming up with Schulich students from both Canada and the Schulich MBA in India Program.
Alumni and Innovation Ecosystem Mentors from Canada/India also worked throughout the program to support the student teams.
The top 6 teams pitched live in front of an audience and judges, followed by a round of Q&A. The winners for the competition were team Stimuler, led by Akshay Akash and Ankit Pandey, and were awarded $15,000 as a cash prize. They developed an AI based platform to help improve communication skills and English vocabulary with real time feedback.
“This was the first competition where we were not just pitching our product but we also got mentorship and advice from successful entrepreneurs across the globe. Together 2023 is a great opportunity to learn, develop and connect with great minds,” said Stimuler’s Co-Founder Akshay Akash.
The runners up were team Udaan, led by Anupriya Nayak and Prisha Dubey, who received $5,000 as a cash prize. They pitched an affordable sanitary pad which is 100% sustainable and can degrade within 6 months of disposal.
“This was the most impressive cohort of startups to date,” reports Schulich Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Executive Director Chris Carder. “We’re already excited and gearing up for next year.”
To find out more: https://schulich.yorku.ca/together/together-about/
Watch a full video of the event: https://youtube.com/live/nHXMZvVxJiY?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE