CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Conestoga entrepreneurs compete at annual pitch competition

On November 21, Flash Reality Inc., led by Andres Otalvaro and John Higuera, won first place at the college's Pitch Day competition. The annual event was hosted by the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective (CEC) at Kitchener's Communitech to showcase the entrepreneurial talent of aspiring innovators from the CEC's Venture Lab. 

Flash Reality was awarded $5,000 for its immersive VR/AR educational experiences.

"Tonight we're gathered to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship at Conestoga and to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the startups in our Venture Labs and those founders who entered the pitch competition this year," said Rose Mastnak, CEC director.

"The cash prizes tonight, totalling $8,000, are made possible through the generosity of the Rotary Club of Cambridge Preston-Hespeler. These awards are made in memory of long-time Rotarian and Cambridge businessman and philanthropist Wilf Rieck who embodied the Conestoga Venture Lab's entrepreneurial and community spirit."

Competition finalists were each given five minutes to pitch their original business ideas before taking questions from a judging panel that included Adam Gracie, real estate agent and local entrepreneur; Conestoga alumna of distinction and previous Pitch Day winner, Jolene MacDonald; and Stephen McCabe, a graduate of both the Conestoga Gig Lab and Venture Lab and co-founder of QuickCasa.

Sine-x Works, founded by Peter Chinedum Ugwu, finished in second place with $2,000 for his advanced noise control panels. Cornerstone X, created by Dixitkumar Soliya, secured third place and $1,000 for connecting engineering firms with global BIM (building information modeling) professionals.

"Wilf would have loved to participate in this event his goal was to help small business receive a hand up to get their start and to continue to build and innovate for our future. We hope to have Wilf's vision carry on and ripple out in positive ways in the community for many, many years to come," said Paul McMenemy of the Rotary Club of Cambridge Preston-Hespeler.

As part of the evening, Gage Funkenhauser and Taylor Francis, winners from the 2023 pitch competition, shared updates on their ventures. Karl Fellbaum, Venture Lab alumni, Conestoga alumni of distinction and co-founder of Noki Farms, delivered a keynote address offering advice to this year's ventures.

"I think the reason why we all are here today is because you want to try something different. Everyone in here competing for the award has made a different kind of choice. Instead of being happy with the piece that's in front of you, you've all decided to put your chips in," said Fellbaum.

"There will be days when you feel like What's the point, why keep going, why bother?' And for some, today might be that day, but don't worry because the sun still rises tomorrow. Win or lose you're still in the game  good luck and keep going. The world needs you."

The Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective empowers and inspires students and alumni to successfully participate in the Waterloo Region entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem by providing multiple pathways for engagement that include developing a new business, becoming a corporate innovator and providing support systems to the ecosystem.

The CEC's Venture Lab is designed to support the development of early-stage start-ups through one-on-one coaching, access to industry mentors as well as college and community new venture development resources, and participation in workshops and targeted sessions with subject matter experts.