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v i t i l i ‘n‘ .li‘gt“. ‘r‘ . L _. ll! ~\\.-\ll RlUUCIIRUNIPIJ - Wednesday. Dec ember 7. lull W~-~â€"”W â€"â€"â€"â€" WWWâ€"Hm Making a pitch VeloCity’s Demo Day has student startups getting ready for the big leagues BY BOBVRMNMZ just have to provide the opportuni- g. :‘S \ r “29'st . ‘ I" ii I ‘ Chronicle 510]] _ ty,” 5 ‘ 9‘ if {is ‘I ’, ~ ‘ \ You could already see the stain- ,7 Aug} “is? ; -1 ~ TN _ I had the feel of a highstech pede of coach potatoes and others ‘~ \ 7ft,” fungg ‘ _ â€"~ . :4: I trade show with multiple start- willing to beat a path to his door for \ a“? ’ _ "' " a 1 ups all making their pitches to the ability to play video games and /‘ " v: ' " ' ' j“: {if}. areceptive audience. get paid at lliesame time. But while ' I '- as“). - ' r ‘ ' r _ But the Velotiity Demo Day last his pitch has drawn some interest. ‘ , .1 W -- - . g _ " week at the University of Waterltm's and he's come close to winning the V ‘1: “ ‘ g] _ fl '3’. _ William (l. Davis Computer top spot at these pitch competi- _- 2.‘ ” ‘ ‘4‘ ‘ §‘ Research (Zentre was about more Hons before. he's come up just 1 .\ r‘ .A '_ ,. ‘ than just polishing the presenta- short. “Even if you lose you're still i ' . . g f .. * ' /, lion. going to have a good time," he said ’ ’ . -:; ._ , ....\ f3 ‘ , , , ' It was about making important with two SLOOO prizes at stake. ‘ g ' '5 l ‘3 ' .. . ' . ’ connections with other students Lukianchuk said he's been part ’ . . ' and investors who might turn these of VeloCity since last year when it {5‘ students' visions into bona fide opened up space in The Hub and ' " new businesses, has been refining both his product E ‘ All of lllt' best protects and and his salesmanship since then. .7,“ , ; promising startiip companies at The reality of highetech entreprer ,‘ . l \'elo(‘ity were exhibited during netirship can't escape the fact that I -, . j . . Demo Day ofthc student Incubator iii addition to a killer product you \ . l program housed right on campus. also need a killer sales pitch to go 5‘ ' l l hey included residence stir mth it and he admits it's something ‘.. ‘ ’ l dents in the early stages of building he continues to work on. ‘ . f 3 1 ”iv” startiips to teams that have "I've been working on my pitch - .. é graduated to places like the (.tilllr ftir a year. year-antl-aelialfarid it's . . "'~ 5 _ . iiiuiiitct li lliili that are lilttll’ptlrill' just evolved." he said. " l'his morn- a ‘t ~ =' ' ‘ ed and looking for seed money ingl iust came out and said I think I Hongwei Liu, Mitchell Butler and Leander Lee from Mappedln used the VeloCity Demo Day last week to change One oi those grads from Velo(3i- know my line. I've done ll enough up their business pitch a bit. Student startups like theirs got valuable experience from the day IOI‘VVW worn ty on dais last Wednesday was Ivan times. it's getting easy, so for me it's | ”Hunt hut. and his Will Putt 4 a great time to come out and get Waterloo's Conestoga Mall. which comes with the success they've hail “A lot of students at the universi- lood Int some interest and get mum feed- has been a welcome partner as the in two short years. including win- tv are involved with building tech Hi- promised a “lit-artrpoutid back, get some people on my Beta startup continues to improve the mug $25,000 in seed money frotii nology htit they often don't get the lug. hand shaking adrenaline lest" list and maybe win some money for product So their entrance in Demo the Veloctty Venture Fund finals. chance to take it to the next level is itli his i t'r\ltlll of an l‘\l lt‘lllt‘ my startiip " Day was more to attract future tal More malls are comingonline to try and try to convtnceothers why they dodge ball gamc that not only While I tikiant'litik and Will Pwn uni and investment to the team. otit the prodtict. should buy it," he said. “ l hat‘s a allots s play cis to bin in and 4 l-ood looked to get othltt- ground, while having the three principals "We're into (xiiiestoga Mall now huge part of huildiiig a business. “MUM“ my” 5]) “do.” it also another startup named Mappedln shake liptheir familiar roles. and iii talks with a few other malls." beyond just building the product pats [lit'llt “llt'll Him “in has taken off, Pitched as a way to In this case it meant Mitchell said Butler. whose team has also itself." ‘1 \ m to.” it.“ .1 friend Hi A change [In- way malls do tubing“, Butler making the pitch normally made the move from VcIoCity to Van Kotighnett said he‘s amazed mp,“ who "L,“ “”1“". WW" I”, ”H.” prodiiit lg (it-st ribed as handled by llongss‘ei liti, the (Zoniiiiiinitech Huh. “ Things at the ideas coming out of the pro» minim." said l iikiatitliuk ‘\oii as (ioogle l'arth but for inside "We decided to ( liangc things are going really well." gram arid how fully ll'dllIt'd the , 4 game: mm that you tan ”MM ”10‘ h.i\i~;.|n-.u1y (Icyrlnpt'd an tip a little hit her aiise we wanted Ultimately, neither of those startups are as they look for the ’ stilllt' moon playing "our l.t\‘t)tlf|l(‘ interactni- mall diret ton that [C“\ cvenhody on our team to be a pitches won the prize last week, right mentors and investors ' gaini- )1,“ more than “N \‘h‘in- to go. ,1 good spokesman lor the product,” lhc Winners of this tcrni's Demo "1 don't know where they ('0lllt‘ ‘ Hus is .. “my opportunity my) it‘ll “in things mu- what's (m said Butler “Since we've done this Dav were liimos and Inflo tip with this stuff." he said " l'hc ' hmaiist- lilt‘lt‘ are it) million tom salt» and other mum“.- things t‘\t'lll a few times before we Hut Sean Van Koughtit'lt. direc~ goal is to get as many students prim“. “mm.“ H.” ”W“. alone when voii'rl‘slitipplnit thought I toiild go tip lht‘lt‘ and tor of the student success office interested in this as possible and ! and I it) million gamers in North Mappcdln .lllt‘.ltl\ has one of KIW‘ II a \h'ilr" that oversees tthelMaty program, the more at bats you have the mom . \nwni .. lht‘ math-t .\ [tn-rig we m“.- smart mm “mm wt up at l'liat's the kind oi refining that said it's an important experience. chancesthatyoti'll havcsomehits.” l a 2: ‘ .- ' 1- m on"; , ' if" a" f .. . 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