Latest news with #Ingenious+
Cision Canada
3 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Increased support for young innovators and entrepreneurs: Rideau Hall Foundation and DMZ announce new initiative to drive youth-led innovation Français
OTTAWA, ON, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Rideau Hall Foundation and DMZ announced that they plan to launch a joint initiative to help support young Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs realize their ambitions. Through DMZ Ventures ' investment fund, DMZ intends to invest up to $100,000 annually over the next three years to help youth innovators from the Rideau Hall Foundation's Ingenious+ program. Building on the momentum of the Ingenious+ program—a national youth innovation challenge for Canadians aged 14 to 18—this partnership intends to provide select alumni not only with capital, but with the resources, mentorship and support through DMZ's world-leading startup programming to scale their innovations. "This new partnership will help to deepen the support we can offer our Ingenious+ winners at every stage of their innovation journey," said Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. "We are very grateful to DMZ for seeing the value in investing in the potential of young Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs. Their bold ideas will help shape the way for a more hopeful and prosperous country for all." Since its launch, over 300 young people from across the country have become Ingenious+ national and regional winners. That amounts to over $800,000 invested in helping them to grow their innovations and develop as innovators and entrepreneurs. "Through Ingenious+, the Rideau Hall Foundation has built something truly powerful, giving young minds a national platform to shine. We're honoured to take their impact one step further," said Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures. "DMZ was founded on the belief that young entrepreneurs have the potential to drive real change and that belief remains at the heart of what we do. The best ideas come early and they deserve meaningful backing to thrive. This partnership is about more than just funding, it's a shared commitment to fueling youth-led innovation across Canada." From mentorship and hands-on coaching services, to curated learning experiences, DMZ intends to help Ingenious+ alumni transition their early-stage innovations to the next level, from concept to commercialization. More information on this new Ingenious+ component will be available in the coming months. For more on this year's Ingenious+ winners, check out the announcement here: About the Rideau Hall Foundation The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a nonpartisan national charitable organization that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada while working with partners to meaningfully improve lives and foster the conditions for more Canadians to succeed and thrive. Learn more at About DMZ DMZ is a tech incubator and startup ecosystem that fuels entrepreneurship in Canada and beyond. Through its award-winning programs, DMZ empowers founders to scale high-impact ventures, helps students develop entrepreneurial mindsets and equips professionals to thrive in today's fast-moving economy. By offering tailored support, world-class resources and expansive networks, DMZ nurtures bold ideas, drives business growth and creates global economic impact. To date, DMZ has supported 2400+ startups in raising $2.94 billion in capital and has created over 25,000 jobs. Headquartered in Toronto, DMZ operates a global network of hubs spanning 15+ countries, enabling entrepreneurs to access diverse markets, collaborate internationally and drive global innovation. About DMZ Ventures DMZ Ventures is the for-profit investment arm of Toronto Metropolitan University. From day one, DMZ Ventures supports startup founders by helping them build foundations, forge connections and fuel growth. DMZ Ventures' main areas of focus include: startup equity management for DMZ's portfolio companies, the oversight of Zone Startups Network and enabling Canada's startup investment landscape through DMZ's Angel Investor Program. SOURCE Rideau Hall Foundation
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Increased support for young innovators and entrepreneurs: Rideau Hall Foundation and DMZ announce new initiative to drive youth-led innovation
OTTAWA, ON, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Rideau Hall Foundation and DMZ announced that they plan to launch a joint initiative to help support young Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs realize their ambitions. Through DMZ Ventures' investment fund, DMZ intends to invest up to $100,000 annually over the next three years to help youth innovators from the Rideau Hall Foundation's Ingenious+ program. Building on the momentum of the Ingenious+ program—a national youth innovation challenge for Canadians aged 14 to 18—this partnership intends to provide select alumni not only with capital, but with the resources, mentorship and support through DMZ's world-leading startup programming to scale their innovations. "This new partnership will help to deepen the support we can offer our Ingenious+ winners at every stage of their innovation journey," said Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. "We are very grateful to DMZ for seeing the value in investing in the potential of young Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs. Their bold ideas will help shape the way for a more hopeful and prosperous country for all." Since its launch, over 300 young people from across the country have become Ingenious+ national and regional winners. That amounts to over $800,000 invested in helping them to grow their innovations and develop as innovators and entrepreneurs. "Through Ingenious+, the Rideau Hall Foundation has built something truly powerful, giving young minds a national platform to shine. We're honoured to take their impact one step further," said Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures. "DMZ was founded on the belief that young entrepreneurs have the potential to drive real change and that belief remains at the heart of what we do. The best ideas come early and they deserve meaningful backing to thrive. This partnership is about more than just funding, it's a shared commitment to fueling youth-led innovation across Canada." From mentorship and hands-on coaching services, to curated learning experiences, DMZ intends to help Ingenious+ alumni transition their early-stage innovations to the next level, from concept to commercialization. More information on this new Ingenious+ component will be available in the coming months. For more on this year's Ingenious+ winners, check out the announcement here: About the Rideau Hall Foundation The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a nonpartisan national charitable organization that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada while working with partners to meaningfully improve lives and foster the conditions for more Canadians to succeed and thrive. Learn more at About DMZ DMZ is a tech incubator and startup ecosystem that fuels entrepreneurship in Canada and beyond. Through its award-winning programs, DMZ empowers founders to scale high-impact ventures, helps students develop entrepreneurial mindsets and equips professionals to thrive in today's fast-moving economy. By offering tailored support, world-class resources and expansive networks, DMZ nurtures bold ideas, drives business growth and creates global economic impact. To date, DMZ has supported 2400+ startups in raising $2.94 billion in capital and has created over 25,000 jobs. Headquartered in Toronto, DMZ operates a global network of hubs spanning 15+ countries, enabling entrepreneurs to access diverse markets, collaborate internationally and drive global innovation. About DMZ Ventures DMZ Ventures is the for-profit investment arm of Toronto Metropolitan University. From day one, DMZ Ventures supports startup founders by helping them build foundations, forge connections and fuel growth. DMZ Ventures' main areas of focus include: startup equity management for DMZ's portfolio companies, the oversight of Zone Startups Network and enabling Canada's startup investment landscape through DMZ's Angel Investor Program. SOURCE Rideau Hall Foundation View original content to download multimedia: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Canadian Youth Celebrated for Excellence in Innovation Français
OTTAWA, ON, May 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Young Canadian innovators take centre stage tomorrow as part of Canadian Innovation Week. The honourees, aged 14 to 18, are national winners and finalists of the Rideau Hall Foundation's (RHF) Ingenious+ youth innovation challenge, which provides young innovators with the opportunity to advance their projects through financial support, learning opportunities, and mentorship. "Now more than ever, we need homegrown solutions to everything from climate disasters to healthcare," says Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the RHF. "Ingenious+ is all about empowering today's young changemakers through wrap-around support that will help them grow their innovations and create positive impact in their communities. We are thrilled to be celebrating these outstanding young people during Canadian Innovation Week." The RHF will distribute awards to five national winners and eleven national finalists, all of whom moved on to the second stage of the challenge after winning regional awards. The national winners were chosen as the top entry in each of the five Ingenious+ categories: Community and Civic Engagement, Climate Change and the Environment, Equity and Inclusion, Health and Well-being, and Technology and Entrepreneurship. The national finalists were selected as the top entry in their province, regardless of category. This year's top projects range from point-of-care skin cancer detection software to banana-peel-powered batteries, to a predictive tool for wildfire outbreaks. Together, they receive over $70,000 in funding, in addition to learning and ongoing mentorship opportunities from industry experts. The award ceremony takes place at Carleton University and will be livestreamed at on Wednesday, May 28 beginning at 10 a.m. ET. About the Rideau Hall Foundation The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a non–partisan national charity that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada while working with partners to meaningfully improve the lives of Canadians. The RHF celebrates excellence while creating opportunities and connecting communities, all towards the shared purpose of a better Canada. Learn more: National Winners Warren Chen, National Winner: Naturacell: A Novel Biodegradable Cellulosic-Based Battery Cell British Columbia, Technology and Entrepreneurship Naturacell converts cellulosic fibres from agricultural waste into biodegradable batteries, delivering a 1.5V electrochemical performance. Scalable to AA/AAA formats and with potential applications in EVs and electronics, Naturacell offers a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries—cutting costs and solving disposal challenges. Anthony Efthimiadis: M-SCAHN: A Point-of-care Digital Dermoscopy Software System for Rapid Screening of Skin Cancers Ontario, Health and Wellbeing M-SCAHN is a point-of-care software tool for fast, accurate, and non-invasive skin cancer screening using computational image analysis. It addresses misdiagnosis, racial bias in AI, and clinical inefficiencies—reducing mortality, unnecessary biopsies, and healthcare costs. Jasmine Wang: Wildfire Monitoring and Prediction system Ontario, Climate and the Environment This innovation addresses the two key bottlenecks of today's wildfire systems through a custom data pipeline designed from the ground up to scale across geolocation, time, and features, and tailored transformer models that deliver a 15% improvement in detection and a 61% boost in prediction recall over existing ML approaches. Additionally, a web app was developed to showcase the practical, real-world application of these models. Célin e Zhang, National Winner: Student Innovation Lab Quebec, Community and Civic Engagement This social impact lab empowers marginalized youth by advancing accessibility, education, and civic engagement through scholarships, policy advocacy, and networking opportunities. Joti Gokaraju, TouchTalk: A Comprehensive Braille Communication Platform for the Deafblind Saskatchewan, Equity and Inclusion TouchTalk is a braille-based communication system for the Deafblind. Using a mobile app and a custom device with a refreshable braille display and keyboard, TouchTalk allows for two-way conversation between non-disabled and Deafblind persons. National Finalists Sara Agrawal and Rateb Ajamieh, Prints4Play: 3D Printing Waste into Toys Alberta, Climate Change and the Environment Prints4Play recycles 3D print waste into usable filament, creating toys for underprivileged children both locally and globally. Joy Akinkunmi, National Finalist: Pill Smart 2.0 Nova Scotia, Entrepreneurship and Technology The Pill Smart is an automatic pill dispenser for seniors with mild and moderate dementia completed with an app for a caregiver. With adaptive features, the Pill Smart aims to increase medication adherence in this demographic. Adaugo Alison-Ukonu, Flo-Oral Hygiene Network Inc. Saskatchewan, Equity and Inclusion Flo-Oral is a youth-led initiative focused on ending menstrual and oral hygiene poverty by providing essential items to underserved communities. Aaron Bai, Ecotrack British Columbia, Climate Change and the Environment EcoTrack is an AI-powered app that recognizes bird species, predicts migration patterns, and tracks routes affected by climate change. It also offers a platform for collecting observation data, supporting research, and encouraging wildlife conservation efforts. Eva Batal, Madeleine Siwick, Jiaqi Sun, and Julia Xing, Communicare Quebec, Equity and Inclusion Communicare is an app that connects people with healthcare professionals in Canada, by breaking down language barriers to improve access to care Casper Dong, Canada Youth Aerospace Team | Accessible STEM Opportunities For All Canadian Youth Ontario, Technology and Entrpreneurship This organization provides mentorship, collaborative projects, and competition opportunities for youth across Canada, advocating for inclusion and access to STEM opportunities in aerospace. Chinazam Igwe, Youth Innovation and Professional Empowerment New Brunswick, Equity and Inclusion This initiative empowers Black high school students through culturally relevant programs helping them be, become and belong with a focus on career development, entrepreneurship and STEM. By working with black professionals and collaborating with various public sector groups it provides hands-on training, resources, and mentorship. Olive Passmore and Lilou Lefebvre: AI Powered Early Skin Cancer Detection Yukon, Health and Wellbeing AI Powered Skin Cancer Detection is an app that rural healthcare providers would use, in addition to their expertise in medicine, to help identify suspicious lesions on patients. The app would then indicate the likelihood of malignacy, which would then prioritize patients to see specialized doctors from outside of the community and or the territory. Adam Peters, National Finalist: WindLab MB – Stratos: Manitoba's Educational Wind Tunnel Manitoba, Climate Change and the Environment Stratos is a small, affordable educational wind tunnel in Manitoba targeting 60 knots. It enables students to study aerodynamics, including lift, drag, and flow visualization with AI. The project promotes hands-on aerospace learning and supports sustainable design for greener transportation innovation Owen Whynot, A Flexible Future – Sustaining the North with Flexible solar panels Northwest Territories, Climate Change and Environment This innovation develops a cover for flexible solar panels designed to work in cold, uneven terrain. By replacing PET plastic with durable and recyclable ETFE plastic, it increases energy production, lifespan, and sustainability. Reducing costs for northern Canadian communities as well. Sophia Zhang, Flutter TENG Newfoundland and Labrador, Climate Change and the Environment Portable Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Everyday Wind Energy Harvesting TENGs is a portable device that uses power management to harvest wind energy supporting the transition to a greener future. SOURCE Rideau Hall Foundation
