ICUBEUTM is celebrating it's 10th year anniversary 
“Stepping onstage in front of large crowds can be intimidating and sometimes negatively impact pitch delivery, especially for new entrepreneurs. Some attendees also feel uncomfortable asking questions in front of large crowds. This style of pitching was very inclusive and empowered both presenters and attendees as it eased the pressure of public speaking for new entrepreneurs and offered a comfortable space for quieter voices to be heard through direct conversations.”
– Ria Khan, Nephrotech
Last week, ICUBE held their annual Pitch with a Twist competition, this time with an extra twist. Pitch with a Twist is a pitch competition focused on uplifting female founders. Featuring a panel of women-identifying judges, this event highlights brilliant ideas and early-stage startups from two distinct streams. This year, instead of asking entrepreneurs to pitch on-stage, ICUBE had them showcase and interact directly with all event guests and judges. This forum encouraged conversation, storytelling, and more space to get to know the founders as people first – not to mention that it led to incredible (and more personal) feedback.
Featured at this competition were the following finalists:
Nephrotech is a company aiming to make the process of peritoneal dialysis a faster, easier process. DialySnake costs less than $20, providing completely unobstructed catheters within 5 minutes. They plan to put the award towards filling a patent, so they can get DialySnake into emergency rooms.
reFern is a software platform that allows people to understand how sustainable and healthy their indoor spaces are. The platform gives people the ability to do a life cycle assessment on every item, as well as create and view details on their projects and view information on the sustainability and health standards of different materials.
My Dorm Store is a retail company, aiming to help the transition into dorm life easier for students. They offer bedding packages, toiletry packages, and other essentials, as well as care packages full of fun treats for new students.
Cloak the Poke is creating needle covers for children, and making them kid friendly. They are about to start clinical trials with McMaster Children’s Hospital to get more quantitative data on children’s discomfort with needles. The product is already on the market, and Cloak the Poke is currently trying to expand to insulin pens as well.
- BiteWise
BiteWise is a retail business, looking to create healthy snack alternatives that are free of harmful additives like palm oil, processed sugars, and more. They use natural products like sweeteners, as well as nuts and seeds, to satiate busy professionals, children, and more.
LeapoN is a complete networking solution for professionals to manage their contacts. With LeapoN, you’ll exchange, manage and nurture connections in one place, which helps to save time that professionals spend managing and growing their network.
Aiko Translations is a real-time, care-centered, hands-free translation solution for 130+ languages. It aims to help translate daily conversations between care providers, residents and program coordinators for all long-term care settings, and facilitates medical conversations between care providers and residents.
ICUBE also had the privilege of seeing keynote speaker Kayli Smith: founder of Friendlier, a company focused on transforming the packaging industry through sustainability. With a background in chemical engineering and a steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship, Kayli fuses technical expertise with a dedication to sustainable practices. Recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 for Social Impact, Kayli is driven by the vision of establishing a circular packaging supply chain that minimizes waste and maximizes efficiency.
This year, ICUBE handed out four awards. The attendees had the option to vote for their favorites. In the early stage category, the people picked Cloak the Poke, and in the late stage category they chose My Dorm Store. The winner of the early stage category overall was Nephrotech, and the winner of the late stage category overall was My Dorm Store.
This year, Pitch with a Twist was made possible by IDEA Mississauga, SRJ Chartered Accountants, business coach Chris Bardos, Cassels LLP, ClickMedia, and U of T Entrepreneurship.
Overall, Pitch with a Twist was another opportunity for ICUBE to uplift entrepreneurs, and it was a wonderful one at that. Be on the lookout for ICUBE’s other pitch competitions, with many twists to come!
