New inventions, fresh ideas, novel ways of doing things; this year’s cohort of the EPIC Founders Accelerating 2020s program has again showcased what innovative minds can create.

Over the past 4-months, ventures utilized an immersive approach to the Lean Startup Methodology to bring their new product to reality. Program participants have been focusing on customer discovery and problem/solution fit by gaining insight from potential customers (and competition) through hands-on training in survey creation and implementation, interview techniques, and focus groups. They then took those insights and crafted them into the first working versions of their ideas through the MVP / prototype process.

During the program, the members also received coaching from EPIC Special Program Coordinator, Paul Brereton. “It’s an honour to work with these incredibly driven entrepreneurs,” says Paul. “In four short months, these innovators were able to take their ideas and turn them into functioning prototypes. It’s amazing to watch a concept turn into reality in real-time.”

This program culminated with an EPIC Final Showcase on February 24th, where each program participant had the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges. With four very different ideas in four very different industries, the judges had their work cut out for them.

Congratulations to the winner of the EPIC Showcase and recipient of the RBC Foundation’s prize of $3,500:

Kaitlyn Sheehan, Founder – Arena Mom Inc.

Thank you to our esteemed judging panel:

• Maureen Lucas – EPIC Entrepreneur- In- Residence and Former CEO, LucasWorks!
• Dr. Afshin Rahimi – University of Windsor Professor; Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering, and previous Founders Accelerating 2020s program member
• Wen Teoh – Director and Co-Founder of the EPICentre

A big thank you also goes out to our program sponsors. We couldn’t have done this event without you!