Ideas flowed at the Communitech Hub over the weekend at the Dream Launch Startup Weekend. The two-day event welcomed first-time entrepreneurs to join a team, further develop their ideas, and pitch them to a panel of expert judges, helping them fast-track their business ideas, all within 48 hours.
“I said, let me throw my hat in the ring and see what founders face, and it has been good. I met a lot of people here,” said Startup Weekend participant Taiwo Oyewole. “Communitech has been fantastic. It has been amazing being here.”
Oyewole was one of 56 entrepreneurs who participated in the Startup Weekend. Alongside his teammates Purvesh Simejiya and Sai Kishore Chalumuri, Oyewole had five minutes to pitch his idea - Vali Tech, a solution to prevent vehicle theft – to a table of expert judges. The solution can detect when a vehicle is stolen, and automatically deflates the tires.
“I have a friend who came out of his house one morning and his car was stolen,” said Oyewole. “The manufacturer was able to find the car within the first 24 hours, but he is the lucky one, 100,000 vehicles are stolen every year.”
Oyewole, Simejiya and Kishore were part of one of 14 teams that had three minutes to present their idea and two minutes to answer questions from the judges. As a new founder, Oyewole spent the weekend learning more about the local tech ecosystem. Over the two-day event, he was able to meet like-minded people, expand on his idea, build out a business model, and learn from startup experts.
The weekend culminated with a pitch competition, allowing entrepreneurs to showcase what they learned from the hands-on workshops and coaching from startup experts.
As the winner of the pitch competition, Oyewole and Vali Tech were awarded a $1,000 cash prize from the City of Kitchener, three hours of one-on-one marketing support from Communitech Pro Squad member Prosh Marketing, and admission to this year’s SAAS North conference.
“The winner will also be automatically enrolled in the next cohort of the Communitech Startup Bootcamp,” said Angela Bruce, Startup Program Manager, at Communitech. “The six-week intensive programming will support and guide you through your next steps, as you continue to build on your innovative idea.”
“From medtech solutions to global flower delivery services, each entrepreneur came with an idea or a way to make it happen,” said Bruce. “The comradery from fellow founders, support from industry experts, and exposure to the local tech ecosystem is what this weekend is all about. Opening the door to further collaboration, learning, and partnerships, to take an everyday solution to the next level.”
The Startup Weekend brought founders and startup experts from across Waterloo Region together to create opportunities and provide support to aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators.
“The past two days have been amazing,” said Seva Losev, CEO and co-founder of Dream Linked. “You came from being strangers to creating teams. You came with ideas and developed them into business models. Leverage your peers and the opportunities this weekend has provided. The people in this room are building the future of Canada.”
As Waterloo Region remains at the top of the list of small tech talent markets in North America, the community continues to receive critical support and investment from government partners who believe in the importance of innovation.
Dream Launch Startup Weekend powered by Communitech was presented in collaboration with Conestoga College, McMaster University, and Accelerator Centre and sponsored by the Government of Ontario and City of Kitchener.
“A lot of great ideas have come together over the course of the weekend, whether it is travel or ideas to support older adults, kudos and applause to all of you,” said Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of the City of Kitchener. “For the City of Kitchener, partnering with Communitech for events like this is so important because it demonstrates the importance of innovation. As you continue to flesh out these ideas, you can count on the City of Kitchener to hopefully be part of your story.”
As Oyewole and his team left the Communitech Hub for a celebratory dinner, he shared an encouraging message to fellow entrepreneurs.
“I think most people worry about how to start something,” said Oyewole. “But what I have learned is there is no way to start it, without actually doing it. Just begin and everything falls into place.”