{"id":256430,"date":"2018-10-08T20:02:11","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T00:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfiledev.uit.yorku.ca\/?p=256430"},"modified":"2025-04-03T13:12:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T17:12:58","slug":"york-university-entrepreneurship-program-announces-three-award-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2018\/10\/08\/york-university-entrepreneurship-program-announces-three-award-finalists\/","title":{"rendered":"York University entrepreneurship program announces three award finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The graduating class of entrepreneurs at the LaunchYU Graduation and Launch Day on Sept. 27<\/p><\/div>\n

The graduating entrepreneurs didn\u2019t disappoint the crowd at the LaunchYU Graduation and Launch Day held on Sept. 27 at the offices of Aird & Berlis LLP in Toronto. Hosted by Innovation York<\/a>\u2019s entrepreneurship unit, LaunchYU<\/a>, the event showcased presentations from the top ventures of the accelerator program<\/a> and celebrated their success among fellow graduates, investors, mentors and industry professionals.<\/p>\n

The intensive, four-month Accelerator program provides support to high-potential entrepreneurs as they build, launch and scale their ventures. The program has grown into something truly unique. Organized into four one-month sprints focused on product-market fit, pitching, go-to-market strategy, financing and fundraising, entrepreneurs participated in day-long boot camps, workshops, investor and peer feedback sessions. This year, LaunchYU partnered with Infounders, an organization that organizes mastermind peer feedback sessions for entrepreneurs. Struggles and challenges are openly shared in these sessions and talks go beyond the surface level to explore the good, the bad and the not-so-pretty aspects of entrepreneurship. Each year, the bar is raised and this year\u2019s group of entrepreneurs are the program\u2019s best yet.<\/p>\n

To kick off the celebration, attendees were welcomed by Innovation York Entrepreneurship Manager Nilay Goyal. He spoke about the progress and quality of ventures participating in this year\u2019s program. \u201cThis year, we had a fantastic cohort of startups run by inspiring entrepreneurs who have progressed significantly during the four-month period,\u201d said Goyal. \u201cCredit also goes to our amazing mentors, advisers and partners who equally deserve recognition for the success of these companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Innovation York Director Sarah Howe with Aird & Berlis Partner Randy Williamson (centre) and LaunchYU Entrepreneurship Manager Nilay Goyal<\/p><\/div>\n

Innovation York Director Sarah Howe continued this sentiment, recognizing the support of program partners like Aird & Berlis, ventureLAB and Infounders, program mentors, the many program facilitators and the investment community.<\/p>\n

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Dylan Rogers of RedPine Music presents his pitch to the audience<\/p><\/div>\n

At the main event, the entrepreneurs were the stars of the show. A total of 19 presentations were delivered during the event and each showcased the program\u2019s diverse group of startups. From Swob<\/a>, an app that uses Tinder-style swiping for job searching, to Arfront Technologies<\/a>, an augmented-reality solution provider, to the\u00a0Green Campus Co-operative<\/a>, which provides ethically made clothes to schools and other organizations, each startup has tackled a unique sector.<\/p>\n

Those in attendance could feel a sense of camaraderie among the group, developed through the four months of amped-up programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you're put in a room with other like-minded entrepreneurs, there's more than just the mentors and advisers to learn from,\u201d says Ali El-Shayeb, Nugget<\/a> founder. \u201cThe ultimate takeaway comes from the participants in the program who share the same struggles, successes and journey. The LaunchYU program helped me build a deeper connection with every entrepreneur in the program from which I was able to learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the event, Innovation York announced the following three venture winners of a $5,000 cash award:<\/p>\n