Twelve senior student teams from the Faculty of Engineering competed in this year's Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design, pitching their startup ideas to a panel of judges who awarded over $100,000 across all 12 teams.
Each team delivered a three-minute business pitch to showcase their entrepreneurial and innovative approach to solving a real-world problem. These solutions ranged from a device that improves sleep quality and cognitive functioning in children with epilepsy, to a highly porous material that can improve oil spill cleanups.
Feature image: The 12 teams that competed in the 2025 Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design pitch contest. Photo credit@ Mohammed Irfan.
"We pitched a simulation of an industrial operation rather than a working prototype which was challenging," said Sophie Campbell, Direct-Li team member. "But thanks to our amazing supervisor Dr. Sarah Meunier, and all our supporters from the Department of Chemical Engineering cheering us on, the judges saw the value in our work. Our team is passionate about this project and this prize money from the Norman Esch Foundation is a real boost to helping us develop it further."
The contest was emceed by Waterloo alum Dr. Matthew Stevens (BASc '04, PhD '08), and the projects were judged by two Waterloo Engineering alumni and established local entrepreneurs Jay Shah (BASc '11) and Michael Litt (BASc '10), with Ruth Casselman, CEO of the Accelerator Centre, and Michelle Lennox from Waterloo Engineering's Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.
The Esch pitch $12,000 winners
KASA Labs for developing a groundbreaking method that uses microwaves to rapidly produce ceramic molds and cast metal. This solution offers a fast, safe and affordable way to bring investment casting in-house, eliminating the costs of traditional foundry processes and revolutionizing metal prototyping. Presented by Adham Abji, Kostubh Agarwal, Adam Stokes, Steven Szczeszynski Mechatronics Engineering.
Bracket Bot for developing an open-source robotics software development kit for $600. Presented by Angad Bajwa, Jai Prajapati, Brian Machado and Ivan Yevenko Mechatronics Engineering.
EV-TREx for its Electric Vehicle Thermal Runaway Extinguisher, a system that detects and extinguishes lithium-ion battery fires before they spiral out of control. Presented by Ridham Goyal, Ethan Kim, Melda Kiziltan, Shaheer Rana Mechatronics Engineering.
Direct-Li for improving the lithium extraction process with a continuous two-stage design that uses nanofiltration and ion pump separation to extract 20% more lithium per kilogram in 50% of the time compared to industry standards. Presented by Sophie Campbell, Rachel Kumara, Maeve Seto and Louise Tayzon Chemical Engineering.
Gradient by Morph for creating a novel manufacturing system that uses dynamic thermoforming technology to build medical casts faster and make them more breathable to reduce skin complications. Presented by Saksham Ahuja, Mohamed Goha, Aryan Kalia and Dhruv Upadhyay Mechatronics Engineering.
Simflection for improving the online shopping experience with a 3D avatar that simulates trying on clothes. Using digitization, machine learning and photogrammetry methods, size discrepancies are reduced and customers can make better buying decisions. Presented by Joseph Lim, Faith Lum, Tiffany Ngai and Yan Zhang Systems Design Engineering
The Esch pitch $5,000 winners
Medrone for its autonomous deliver system that gets Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to rural communities via drone, reducing delays and improving survival chances. Presented by Sophie-Gabrielle Hermanns, Nicolas Palmar, Shivam Sharma, Jerry Tian Systems Design Engineering.
Sound2Sleep for developing a take-home, non-invasive device that helps children with epilepsy sleep better and aids their cognitive development. Presented by Sean D'Mello, Jaeyoung Kang, Vicki Li and Kevin Xue Biomedical Engineering.
Airsero for its a highly porous material for selective oil absorption from water, addressing the limitations of existing oil spill cleanup solutions. Presented by Aliasgar Bawangaonwala, Hamzah Curtay, Anthony Keen Nanotechnology Engineering.
PuttPilot for designing an innovative putting green to help golfers perfect their putting technique in an immersive, cost-effective way. The system enhances practice sessions with automatic ball return, ball dispensing, and advanced stat-tracking, offering a seamless experience for users. Presented by Ethan Abraham, Christopher Chung, Ria Narag, Nicholas Rampertab and Aidan Wilson Mechatronics Engineering.
Woodpeckr for revolutionizing the utility construction industry with a semi-autonomous robot designed to climb and drill wooden utility poles during the electrical line installation process. Presented by Brandon Ko, Nadine Oliynyk, Christian Sforza, Bishneet Singh and Tyler West Mechatronics Engineering.
Salico for developing an automated harvester for nutritional sea asparagus that is rich in vitamins, minerals and iodine. Presented by Joyce Chen, Max Apitz Grossman, Kevin Li, Daniel Qu, Daniel Ye Mechatronics Engineering.
Salico also won the Sedra People's Choice Award, taking home an extra $4,500.
The pitch competition's 12 qualifying teams were drawn from more than 350 projects developed by over 1,500 fourth-year engineering students and showcased at the University's 2025 Capstone Design Symposia.
The pitch competition, funded by the Esch Foundation, launched in 2014 to support creative and entrepreneurial senior engineering students who are pursuing research and development and its commercialization for the benefit of Canada.
