Innovate Calgary announced the winners of the recent Rural Founders in Tech Pitch Competition 2024.
The Rural Founders Pitch Competition is designed to support entrepreneurs outside of Alberta’s tech hubs with resources, coaching, and a platform to showcase their innovations.
The Competition, held on October 17th at the Garry W. Harris Canada Games Centre in Red Deer, brought together five founders who each had four minutes to pitch their startups, after which followed a Q&A session.
“After an exciting afternoon of pitches, networking, and connecting with community resources, we are proud to announce the winners,” stated Innovate Calgary.
In first place and earning a prize of $3,000 was Damilare Odumosu, chief executive officer of CropMind.
CropMind utilizes artificial intelligence to improve crop management with a data-driven approach to farm optimization.
In second place for $2,000 was Heba Iftikhar, a cofounder of Trigger Tracker Tech, which is a food diary app combining AI and computer vision to make gut-health management more accessible.
And in third place for $1,000 was Styn Nieuwenhuis, cofounder of FeedXchange. The company operates a digital marketplace that connects farmers and brokers, providing them with real-time data and tools to manage feed procurement.
Annie Ray from Anandi Botanicals and Tamara Aspeling from Draw a Fence also competed in the event.
The panel of judges included David Nagy, Ecommerce Canada; Mitchell Eaton, Prototype Hubs; Kara Johnston, TDA Alberta Innovates; and Chloe Xing Schimpf, Migr8 Capital.
“We look forward to seeing these startups grow and continue to drive innovation in rural communities,” stated Innovate Calgary, which has been fostering regional entrepreneurship and technological innovation from its base at the University of Calgary for over 30 years.
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