Accelerating Start-ups by Design
Canada SynBio 2019
Pitch Competition Program Overview
Are you a Canadian-based startup company working to commercialize a synbio-based product or service? We want you to apply to pitch for up to $25,000 in prize money in front of leading investors!
Prizes
Startup companies will be competing for a first prize of $25,000 and second prize of $10,000
Eligibility
- Startups must be based in Canada and have raised less than $3M in financing
- Products or services being developed by the company must be based on an engineered biological (synbio) technology
- Companies must demonstrate access to lab resources required
- Individuals and students are welcome to apply, but must incorporate as a company if successful in order to receive funds
Program Overview
Stage 1- Submission of written application (January 16th deadline)
- Startups are invited to submit a written proposal to Ontario Genomics via the application form. Questions cover:
- The problem you are trying to solve
- Description of your product or service and differentiation
- How you are engineering biology and your team’s experience working on this technology
- Your business plan and estimated timeline to market
- How the funding will be used
Stage 2- Interview (early February)
- The top companies based on a pre-screen will be selected for an interview conducted over video conferencing (details on format to be provided to companies selected)
- The top 6 companies selected from the interview will be invited to pitch in person at the Canada SynBio 2019 conference on March 6th
Stage 3- Mandatory Practice Pitches (mid-February)
- Teams must present their pitches over video conferencing for feedback
March 6th- Pitch Competition
- Each company will be given 7 minutes to pitch to a panel of judges consisting of investors who will select the top two companies for awards
Terms
- The funding is offered as a grant, without any ownership stake in the company or any intellectual property being taken by Ontario Genomics or its partners
- Periodic reporting on the impact of the funding received will be required
For questions please contact Britney Hess, Manager, Investment and Venture Development
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