BC Business
University Canada West organized its first-ever pitch night on November 1
On Friday, November 1, University Canada West held its first business pitch competition in Downtown Vancouver. Thirteen undergraduate students from UCW’s business and technology programs delivered seven Dragons’ Den-style pitches, and the event garnered tons of attention from the local business community with Praveen Varshney of Varshney Capital Corp., Steve Lowry of the Frontier Collective, Vahid Shababi of Victory Square Technologies, Neil Haran of Rawbots, venture capitalist and investor Mathew August and Steven Whiteside, director of business development at UCW, on the judging panel.
The judges didn’t hesitate to put the applicants on the hot seat and it was especially entertaining to see the students hold their ground. Like when Alejandra Bonilla of TimelyU distributed a detailed breakdown of her company’s projections after Whiteside challenged the numbers in her presentation.
Over the course of a few hours, we saw nonprofits, course schedulers, fitness apps, wellness brands and other businesses compete for cash prizes. They all deserve recognition for their innovative ideas, but in the spirit of the competition, four pitches in particular stood out to us. Here’s why.
Nicolaas Felix Gunawan and Gabrielle Amanda kicked off their pitch with a powerful personal story: Gunawan struggled with weight gain during the pandemic and turned to unhealthy habits. He shared photos of his deteriorating health and the emotional impact it had on his family, who hadn’t seen him in a while. This raw, relatable story set the stage for NicFit, Gunawan and Amanda’s AI-powered fitness app.
Juan Camilo Benito, Shin Thant Aung and Juan Morales stood out by wearing matching Fruitasty t-shirts. None of the other founders repped merch like this, and the three entrepreneurs behind Fruitasty sweetened their pitch by serving the judges with samples of their product topped with ice cream. Varshney was seen savouring his bowl well into the night.
This memorable presentation helped Fruitasty place third in the competition and win a $500 prize.
Bonilla and Andres Agudelo made their entrance with a ton of confidence: they spoke loud and proud about their course scheduling solution, TimelyU, and when they ran into technical issues with their presentation, Bonilla quipped, “We’re aiming to solve these kinds of problems.” The comment garnered a long round of applause, as did their clean and clear presentation, which relied on videos and diagrams more than words. In the end, TimelyU took home the top prize—a $1,000 check.
Charming Gaganjeet Singh wrapped up the event as the final pitcher. Expectations were high, and he didn’t disappoint: his pitch for FrescaNova, a fresh produce delivery service, was full of humour and thoughtful research. He shared how mentorship from a Greater Vancouver Food Bank executive helped shaped his business plan, and his jokes offered much-needed levity to an audience that had been sitting down for hours. Singh never stopped smiling, and his Dragons’ Den-style closing—“I’m asking for $50,000 for 10 percent, but I’m open to offers”—had the crowd erupting in laughter.
Ultimately, Singh’s strong soft skills made his pitch almost perfect, earning him the title of runner-up and a $750 prize for his business.