DMZ, a global startup ecosystem, officially concluded its annual Basecamp program, where 55 student-led businesses had the opportunity to participate in a summer program to develop technology-driven solutions that address critical industry challenges, equipping them with foundational business skills to thrive in an entrepreneurial career.
As an inaugural recipient of the Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program, the 2024 Basecamp program was offered in two phases: Sprint and Voyage. Basecamp Sprint offered a 4-week pitch coaching experience that provided students the chance to pitch their business ideas at Collision, North America’s premier tech conference. Following the Sprint phase, all participants continued their journey in Basecamp Voyage, an 8-week comprehensive program designed to help students refine their innovative ideas through expert 1-on-1 mentoring, customized coaching and opportunities to connect with startups and industry experts within Canada and DMZ’s global network.
Basecamp concluded with ten student-led startups competing for cash prizes at the highly anticipated Basecamp Demo Day pitch competition. Demo Day awarded $50,000 CAD in total grant prizes to the top three pitch finalists. Award winners included:
- Glucosense, a HealthTech startup founded by Justin Allen and Tenzin Dhonyoe from Toronto Metropolitan University, was named the first-place winner and took home $20,000 CAD.
- PNYX, an Entertainment startup founded by Asar Qadir from Metalworks Institute/Yorkville University, was named the second-place winner and took home $15,000 CAD, as well as the People’s Choice award, voted by the audience.
- Summina, a HealthTech startup founded by Sylvia Gehring from Toronto Metropolitan University, was named the third-place winner and took home $10,000 CAD.
- Fresh AI, a RetailTech startup founded by Krish Bhoopati from Wilfred Laurier University, was named the fourth-place winner and took home $5,000 CAD.
The 2024 Basecamp program set new records, doubling the number of startups supported and drawing the highest number of applications in the program’s history. For the first time, Basecamp expanded its reach internationally, welcoming students from DMZ’s global hubs including Qatar’s University of Doha for Science and Technology and Japan’s Yamanashi Prefectural University.
The prestigious $20,000 grand prize was generously provided by The George and Helen Vari Foundation in honour of the late Dr. Helen Vari for her lifelong dedication to education.
As part of DMZ’s Talent Academy, Basecamp is just one of the expert-led tech and business programs available. If you’re an entrepreneur or professional looking for mentored, hands-on learning and a downtown Toronto co-working space, check out DMZ’s SkillHouse upcoming courses at dmz.to/SkillHouse.
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DMZ’s Basecamp showcases the next generation of startups and awards over $50,000 in cash prizes to student-led businesses
DMZ, a global startup ecosystem, officially concluded its annual Basecamp program, where 55 student-led businesses had the opportunity to participate in a summer program to develop technology-driven solutions that address critical industry challenges, equipping them with foundational business skills to thrive in an entrepreneurial career.
As an inaugural recipient of the Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program, the 2024 Basecamp program was offered in two phases: Sprint and Voyage. Basecamp Sprint offered a 4-week pitch coaching experience that provided students the chance to pitch their business ideas at Collision, North America’s premier tech conference. Following the Sprint phase, all participants continued their journey in Basecamp Voyage, an 8-week comprehensive program designed to help students refine their innovative ideas through expert 1-on-1 mentoring, customized coaching and opportunities to connect with startups and industry experts within Canada and DMZ’s global network.
Basecamp concluded with ten student-led startups competing for cash prizes at the highly anticipated Basecamp Demo Day pitch competition. Demo Day awarded $50,000 CAD in total grant prizes to the top three pitch finalists. Award winners included:
The 2024 Basecamp program set new records, doubling the number of startups supported and drawing the highest number of applications in the program’s history. For the first time, Basecamp expanded its reach internationally, welcoming students from DMZ’s global hubs including Qatar’s University of Doha for Science and Technology and Japan’s Yamanashi Prefectural University.
The prestigious $20,000 grand prize was generously provided by The George and Helen Vari Foundation in honour of the late Dr. Helen Vari for her lifelong dedication to education.
As part of DMZ’s Talent Academy, Basecamp is just one of the expert-led tech and business programs available. If you’re an entrepreneur or professional looking for mentored, hands-on learning and a downtown Toronto co-working space, check out DMZ’s SkillHouse upcoming courses at dmz.to/SkillHouse.
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This entry was posted on August 26, 2024 at 8:28 am and is filed under Commentary with tags DMZ. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.