The 12 finalists came from the 32 entrepreneurs who have been part of the University of Canterbury Centre for Entrepreneurship (UCE) EY Summer Startup programme this summer.Over the past 10 weeks, the students have been through what UC manager Michelle Panzer describes as “the complete crash course in starting a business”.“UCE is the catalyst for student entrepreneurs who have a business idea combined with real conviction,” she says.“The outcomes of the UCE EY Summer Startup programme are measurable, sustainable and viable. We have several students who have registered companies with early revenue as a direct result of the UCE programme. What’s more, all of our students finish the programme with hands-on, practical skills that set them up for careers in any industry.”The students’ learning has been heightened by daily speakers, business mentors, and a number of pitch panellists. All the new ventures were pitched to a panel of judges with the top 12 ventures selected from this preliminary judging round to pitch at the final UCE annual showcase.The UCE EY Summer Startup showcase event, held late last week, attracted an audience of more than 200 people. Guests included a number of Christchurch business community leaders, sponsors and supporters of UCE, many of whom have been involved in the students’ startup journeys throughout the 2017/18 EY Summer Startup programme.UCE’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Graham Dockrill, was the keynote speaker for the evening describing UCE students as “exceeding the calibre, determination and sheer guts of their entrepreneurial contemporaries in New York and London”.The 2017/18 UCE EY Summer Startup winners are:Best Pitch – STATisfying Sport, Chris BaconAdvanced Athlete Monitoring System: STATisfying Sport accurately monitors numerous athletes over a number of relevant metrics to reduce injury risk. A unique workload algorithm generates individualised feedback and recommendations to aid in injury prevention.Best Hustle – Kōrure, Ron ParkEnabling healthy change: Kōrure’s New Zealand greenlipped mussel oil relieves joint pain associated with arthritis.Best Opportunity & People’s Choice – Medsalv, Oliver HuntMaking healthcare more sustainable: Medsalv helps hospitals reduce their financial costs and environmental impacts by reprocessing single-use medical devices and returning these to hospitals at a lower cost than the original device. This means fewer devices end up in landfill.Best Social Impact – Purpose Projects, Laura RobinsonActing Local, Going Global: Purpose Projects drives international community development while impacting our local community. This is a purposeful new approach to student volunteering.
| A University of Canterbury release || February 13, 2018 |||
