VIP - Venn Innovation Pitch
A startup pitch competition designed to spotlight promising Tech ideas, celebrate emerging founders, and connect participants with visibility, feedback, and opportunity. Join us for an exciting event where innovation meets community.
This Year’s Story
On Saturday, March 28, Venn Innovation hosted the VIP: Venn Innovation Pitch Competition, welcoming 11 teams to pitch their ventures for a chance to win a total of $7,000 in prize funding.
The event brought together a full room of supporters, including aspiring entrepreneurs, community members, and ecosystem partners, all gathered to watch the next generation of innovators take the stage.
Taking home first place and the $4,000 prize was Trek.iQ, founded by Avery Cote. The company is developing accessibility intelligence for venues and events, aiming to reduce uncertainty, improve operations, and build confidence for users navigating physical spaces.
Second place and $2,000 was awarded to VELONIX, founded by Eric Pardatscher. The company is focused on transforming reactive ground operations into precision-engineered performance for Atlantic Canada’s airports. By leveraging AI-driven analysis of real-time flight data, weather, and congestion, VELONIX is building predictive models to reduce delays, improve coordination, and enable more efficient airport operations.
The third-place prize of $1,000 went to the Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, developed by Eman Alhamd. The project focuses on improving solar energy efficiency by dynamically adjusting panel orientation to maximize energy capture, with long-term plans for commercialization.
In addition to the competition, the event featured a panel discussion with founders from
Bellavero Manufacturing - Benjamin Perreault, Nicholas Lavallé, and Jonathan Belliveau - who won last year’s VIP competition, as well as Ashish Deshmukh of Clearance Central, last year’s first runner-up. The panel offered insights into their entrepreneurial journeys over the past year, sharing lessons on growth, challenges, and building momentum post-competition.
At the conclusion of the panel, the Bellavero Manufacturing team presented this year’s competition trophies, which they designed and built themselves, marking a full-circle moment from past winners to current competitors.
Events like the Venn Innovation Pitch Competition play an important role in strengthening New Brunswick’s innovation ecosystem. By creating a platform for early-stage founders to test ideas, gain exposure, and connect with the community, pitch competitions help accelerate both entrepreneurial development and the commercialization of new technologies.
As the region continues to invest in innovation, initiatives like the Venn Innovation Pitch Competition highlight the importance of supporting emerging talent and building opportunities for ideas to grow into impactful ventures.
Last Year’s WinnerS
Last Year in Pictures
