Startup Survivor: The Pitch Competition

The Forge Business Incubator and McMaster University are proud to present our Annual $80k Pitch Competition: Startup Survivor.

Participate in a fun evening of startup pitches, meet exciting entrepreneurs from McMaster, network with the local innovation community and more!

Join the action on November 20 and watch as our top student entrepreneurs compete for cash in front of a panel of expert judges.

Reserve my free ticket

Who will outlast the competition and take home the grand prize?

Startup Survivor is a 4-month Accelerator and Pitch Competition awarding $95,000 to McMaster University students and alumni with the best business ideas. The program runs annually throughout the Summer Term. To support the growth of these startups, McMaster and The Forge awards $50,000 to the 10 teams while mentoring them through intense business and technical challenges. At the Pitch Competition, finalists will deliver a 5-minute pitch to the audience and esteemed judging panel. After deliberations, we’ll crown our winners and award the remaining $30,000 in our prize pool!

About The Forge

Welcome to The Forge, McMaster University’s premier startup incubator and entrepreneurship hub. At The Forge, we believe in empowering innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers to transform their ideas into successful ventures.

The Forge is an entrepreneurial hub backed by McMaster University, catering to startups in the Hamilton, Greater Toronto, and Niagara Regions. Established in 2015, we actively engage with entrepreneurs, providing them comprehensive support in transforming their business concepts into thriving ventures. Regardless of industry, The Forge offers cohort-based programs to facilitate idea development, validation, and ultimately, sustainable growth.

Meet The 2024 Finalists

Winged Wheelchairs

Pitching: Bohdan Mozharivsky (Faculty of Engineering)
Co-Founders: Patrick Clarkin (Faculty of Health Science), Mary England (Faculty of Engineering), Troy Gonidis (Faculty of Engineering)

Winged Wheelchairs has developed an innovative accessibility device that allows manual wheelchair users with limited hand functionality to independently propel their wheelchairs without the need to grasp the push wheel. Our mobility aid eliminates the hand pain and discomfort typically associated with traditional manual wheelchair use, enabling users to regain independence, restore personal agency, and push beyond their limitations.

Local Reach

Pitching: Evan Ferreira
Co-Founders: Hussein Tahan (Faculty of Engineering), Joseph Liao

Local Reach offers restaurants and bars a unique opportunity to monetize their in-house TV commercial breaks. Our free, plug-and-play device seamlessly replaces traditional TV ads with promotional content from partnered advertisers, creating a new passive revenue stream for venue owners. At the same time, it provides businesses with cost-effective, targeted out-of-home advertising opportunities.

Power of Play Innovations

Pitching: Deena Al-Sammak (Faculty of Engineering & Health Sciences)
Co-Founder: Rooaa Shanshal (Faculty of Engineering & Health Sciences)

Power of Play is dedicated to transforming pediatric rehabilitation by creating a child-friendly tool that accurately measures grip and pinch strength in young patients. Our company bridges the gap between current industry standards and pediatric therapy, focusing on making data collection easy for rehabilitation therapists while being engaging and enjoyable for children. Power of Play’s device offers objective measurements while integrating playful design elements, supporting therapists in tracking rehabilitation progress and improving care outcomes. Power of Play is committed to continuous improvement through collaboration with pediatric therapists and families, driving innovation in rehabilitation therapy.

Respyra Technologies

Pitching: Hunter Csetri (Faculty of Health Sciences & Faculty of Engineering)
Co-Founders: Lily Zhong (Faculty of Engineering & Health Sciences), Emnpreet Bahra (Faculty of Engineering & Health Sciences), Esa Ahmad (Faculty of Engineering & Health Sciences)

Respyra Technologies is a medical device company specializing in advanced solutions for difficult airway management. Our innovative products equip clinicians with the tools to achieve safe and efficient intubation, ensuring rapid and successful tube placement on the first attempt. Our flagship device supports anesthesiologists, respiratory therapists, and emergency physicians in navigating difficult intubations, significantly improving first-pass success rates and minimizing airway trauma and related complications.

Medium AI

Pitching: Kino Song (Faculty of Engineering)
Co-Founders: Edward Yu (Faculty of Engineering), Meimei Peng (Faculty of Engineering & Health Science), Pega Liu (Faculty of Engineering), Justin Lin (Faculty of Engineering)

Medium AI offers the most secure, powerful, and accurate medical scribe software, tailored for multilingual healthcare providers. With Medium AI, physicians can automate the documentation process, saving up to 8 hours per week while increasing clinic revenues by up to $100k annually. Our on-premises solution, powered by a specially trained medical scribe model, ensures top-tier privacy and security while efficiently processing requests within the hospital.