Student startups take centre stage at the Gina Cody School Innovation Fund Demo Day

Student startups presented their projects at the Gina Cody School Innovation Fund Demo Day: Metabolight, JAMS and Keaty emerged as the standout winners of this year’s competition, recognized for innovations in sustainable bioproduction, interactive music learning and AI tools for student success.

The Innovation Fund, an initiative from the Gina Cody School’s Research & Innovation Partnerships team, supports promising student-led projects with strong potential for commercialization. Its Seed Program provides funding to help participants turn their ideas into market-ready solutions.

Held on May 13, the event saw Metabolight secure the Judge's Award and $30,000 in funding for its lab-on-a-chip device. The technology condenses lab functions onto a microchip, enabling faster, more efficient screening of genetically modified strains for bioproduction, the use of biological organisms to produce materials like fuels, medicines and food products.

‘An incredible experience’

 “Presenting my first pitch in front of such a distinguished panel was an incredible experience,” says Aniket Kandalkar, co-founder of Metabolight. “The competition was intense, and I’m truly grateful to the Gina Cody School Innovation Funds committee for giving us this amazing opportunity.”

JAMS claimed second prize and $25,000 for its augmented reality app, which projects interactive visual guides directly onto guitars to help users learn faster. The technology offers real-time feedback and creates a more engaging learning experience.

“Demo Day was a fantastic, albeit stressful, experience,” says Seina Assadian co-founder of JAMS. “We’re truly grateful to have been part of the program, which pushed us to grow as founders and build a strong foundation for the future of our startup.”

Keaty, which took third place with $20,000 in funding, focuses on streamlining university life with AI-powered tools. Its platform features a chatbot that quickly answers university-related questions and a smart scheduler that organizes study and work plans. Keaty’s goal is to help students manage their academic responsibilities more effectively while reducing pressure on university advisors.

“The competition was an amazing chance to get hands-on experience with entrepreneurship while still being a student,” says Vicky Liu from Keaty. “It’s not often you get to explore innovation like that outside of regular classes.”

Metabolight also earned the Most Innovative Team award, while Edge Star AI received the Public’s Choice Award for its AI driven autonomous lawn maintenance robot. The robot is designed to eliminate manual mowing, weeding and edging. It uses sensors to monitor and maintain lawns with minimal human intervention.

‘It is inspiring to see’

Emad Shihab, associate dean of research and innovation at the Gina Cody School, praised the participants for their creative approaches. “The projects we saw today represent forward-thinking solutions that bridge research and entrepreneurship,” he said. “It’s inspiring to see them bring their ideas to life.”

He also served on a high-calibre panel of judges made up of professionals from industry and academia:

• Ali Akgunduz, associate dean of undergraduate programs at the Gina Cody School
• Pierre Chamberland, M&A advisor, investor and coach with 30 years of experience in innovation
• Charlotte Savage, chief innovation officer and founder of HaiLa, Forbes 30 Under 30 – Energy (2021)
• Christian Levan, director of Quebec investment at FrontRow Ventures
• Lilia Tounsi, CEO of Trvlher
• Adeola Odusanya, senior associate at McKinsey & Company and former founder of Blühen Solutions
• Emad Shihab, founder of the Innovation Fund

The event was supported by Bombardier Inc, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Genium360, Fondation J. Armand Bombardier, Embark Student Foundation, Gina Cody and the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Learn more about the Gina Cody School Innovation Fund