New ventures off to a great start thanks to RVZ partners and sponsor

The Ryerson Venture Zone (RVZ) in Brampton recently held its first Startup Industry Challenge Awards, presented on Zoom by electrical engineering ’02 graduate Sangita Patel, current host of HGTV's Home To Win and an on-air personality of ET Canada. Ten founders pitched their early stage startups in the health and wellness space for a chance to win one of three Industry Challenge awards, with a total of $10,000 in cash and the equivalent of $10,000 in business services in prizes. The incubator and awards are supported by RVZ’s founding members, the City of Brampton and St. George’s Society Toronto, and industry sponsors, including Dynacare and Medtronic. 

A part of Ryerson’s Zone Learning ecosystem, the Ryerson Venture Zone in Brampton is a new incubator dedicated to attracting, building and growing early stage, high potential technology startups in Brampton. The RVZ brings together aspiring entrepreneurs and provides them with deeper industry knowledge and upskilling opportunities through programming, coaching, mentorship, and access to the resources and funding they need to create new ventures. 

“The Ryerson Venture Zone’s vision is to serve as a model economic growth engine and developer of entrepreneurial talent for emerging cities,” said Usha Srinivasan, the director of the RVZ. In her introduction to the event, Srinivasan noted “It has been three short months since we officially launched, and now we are ready to celebrate the top 10 companies that have worked so hard to get here today.” 

At the close of the evening, MedaKi (external link)  emerged on top. An online platform, MedaKi allows users to connect with local pharmacies through a map interface and enables them to order over the counter products such as cough medicine, nasal spray, and feminine hygiene products, as well as prescription medication for same-day delivery.

Medaki was cofounded by class of ’18 computer science grads Sundar Manku, who serves as its CEO, and Zain Quraishi, who is the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). They will use the prize money and business services to enhance MedaKi’s compliance and data security, as well as expand pharmacy and customer outreach. 

“Winning really validated what we’re doing and confirmed that we’re heading in the right direction,” said Manku. 

“Coming in first place re-energizes us,” added Quraishi. “Now we want to work even harder to get to the next level.”

The second place winner was Nymo, a startup founded by Nikita Madhyani that is focussed on bridging the gap between insurance companies, dental care providers and patients to create optimal oral health for both Bramptonians and Ontarians. They won a cash prize of $3,000 and $3,000 worth of business services. Kinetika Performance (external link)  a venture founded by Elizabeth Salas that seeks to facilitate the application of biomechanics and ergonomics principles for athletes in order to reduce the risk of injury and optimize athletic performance, took third place, winning a $2,000 cash award and $2,000 worth of business services.   

In addition to being one of RVZ’s founding members, St. George’s Society Toronto has made a commitment to match support for the RVZ up to $50,000. “St. George’s Society believes that every entrepreneur with a dream should have the same opportunity for success,” said Robert Baines, executive director, St. George’s Society. “To help level the playing field, we’ve partnered with Ryerson University to launch the entrepreneur fund to provide financial support to high potential entrepreneurs in the Ryerson Venture Zone incubator program,” he added. “We have always been passionate about community building and the community that the RVZ is fostering will surely echo throughout Brampton and the GTA for years to come.”

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown noted that “the recipients of the awards this evening are a great representation of why Brampton remains committed to growing our Innovation District. The impressive business people here are making a difference in our community and, soon, our world.”

RVZ’s Fellowships provide financial support to groundbreaking tech startups that are shaping the future of the community health and wellness sector in Brampton. Apply here before February 3, 2021.