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Bow Valley College Students Dazzle Bright Ideas
At VentureQuest, entrepreneurial students and alumni of the Bow Valley College compete for seed money and support with branding and business planning. An industry panel of business experts judges pitches from competitors of the College.
The College entrepreneur-in-residence, Craig Elias, leads the planning of the VentureQuest competition. “The VentureQuest Business Idea Competition gives Bow Valley College students the opportunity to collaborate, network, develop business ideas, and to receive funding and support so they can launch their side hustle or business successfully,” he says. “Students are pushed out of their comfort zones and gain networking skills, exposure, and experience in public speaking.”
College alumnus Agatha Mari Caraveo took home the top prize in the eighth annual event. Her successful pitch for her business, Lormed Accessories, took her personal experience battling a chronic autoimmune disease and identified a need: fashionable medical accessories that share crucial health information with first responders. Agatha presented her idea to our panel of judges, who awarded her $7,237 in funding to grow her business.
“I have learned a lot from this journey, probably even more than what I have expected,” says Agatha. “More than the prizes and the prestige, the ultimate win for me is getting my idea and message across to a larger audience and being given the feedback that my idea is feasible and, most importantly, will be able to help a huge population.”
Svitlana Dziadyk’s second-place winning business, Adjustable Bags, provides a high-quality alternative to expensive and non-reusable plastic bags. Her goal with the product line is to help create a greener world. This green idea won Svitlana $5,525 in funding to help grow her company.
Third place went to Ian Kappo, who pitched ArtistsMasks, bandana-style face masks featuring unique art. The 100-per cent recyclable masks support local artists, and are designed to prevent glasses from fogging up. Ian won $5,237 in funding for his innovative idea that he plans to sell in public vending machines.
VentureQuest is grateful for the support of its Skills Development and Prize Sponsors Calgary Economic Development Trade Accelerator Program, and Franklin Templeton Canada. Their generous contributions support our students and their entrepreneurial spirits.
“The impact of competitions like VentureQuest is huge,” says Craig. “Not only do students compete for seed money, but they also gain invaluable skills pitching their ideas and networking their businesses.”
We are also grateful to the Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park for their sponsorship of the first annual Rotary Den Crowd Favourite Pitch Competition, held in conjunction with VentureQuest.
Contestants of the competition provided a short video about their idea and were judged by a panel of Rotarians. The top five pitched their ideas at the event, and the attendees voted on the winners. The $3,000 in cash prizes sponsored by the Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park were shared amongst winners Jordan Hadgu, Adi Adewumi, Thuy Dang, Jamaica Calayoan, and Sahil Bhamani.
For a full list of our sponsors and more event details, please visit our website.
The College entrepreneur-in-residence, Craig Elias, leads the planning of the VentureQuest competition. “The VentureQuest Business Idea Competition gives Bow Valley College students the opportunity to collaborate, network, develop business ideas, and to receive funding and support so they can launch their side hustle or business successfully,” he says. “Students are pushed out of their comfort zones and gain networking skills, exposure, and experience in public speaking.”
College alumnus Agatha Mari Caraveo took home the top prize in the eighth annual event. Her successful pitch for her business, Lormed Accessories, took her personal experience battling a chronic autoimmune disease and identified a need: fashionable medical accessories that share crucial health information with first responders. Agatha presented her idea to our panel of judges, who awarded her $7,237 in funding to grow her business.
“I have learned a lot from this journey, probably even more than what I have expected,” says Agatha. “More than the prizes and the prestige, the ultimate win for me is getting my idea and message across to a larger audience and being given the feedback that my idea is feasible and, most importantly, will be able to help a huge population.”
Svitlana Dziadyk’s second-place winning business, Adjustable Bags, provides a high-quality alternative to expensive and non-reusable plastic bags. Her goal with the product line is to help create a greener world. This green idea won Svitlana $5,525 in funding to help grow her company.
Third place went to Ian Kappo, who pitched ArtistsMasks, bandana-style face masks featuring unique art. The 100-per cent recyclable masks support local artists, and are designed to prevent glasses from fogging up. Ian won $5,237 in funding for his innovative idea that he plans to sell in public vending machines.
VentureQuest is grateful for the support of its Skills Development and Prize Sponsors Calgary Economic Development Trade Accelerator Program, and Franklin Templeton Canada. Their generous contributions support our students and their entrepreneurial spirits.
“The impact of competitions like VentureQuest is huge,” says Craig. “Not only do students compete for seed money, but they also gain invaluable skills pitching their ideas and networking their businesses.”
We are also grateful to the Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park for their sponsorship of the first annual Rotary Den Crowd Favourite Pitch Competition, held in conjunction with VentureQuest.
Contestants of the competition provided a short video about their idea and were judged by a panel of Rotarians. The top five pitched their ideas at the event, and the attendees voted on the winners. The $3,000 in cash prizes sponsored by the Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park were shared amongst winners Jordan Hadgu, Adi Adewumi, Thuy Dang, Jamaica Calayoan, and Sahil Bhamani.
For a full list of our sponsors and more event details, please visit our website.
