Fifteen students from across disciplines gathered recently to pitch twelve entrepreneurial ventures to a team of judges in the 8th annual The Pitch competition. The Pitch, organized by the Office of Experiential Learning and Career Development was funded by the TD Ready Commitment. 
 
“The Pitch competition was an ideal way to close out Entrepreneurship Week. Students clearly applied the skills and insights they gained, delivering thoughtful, well-developed pitches that demonstrated both effort and growth,” says Manager of Experiential Learning Ellie Sheppard.  
 
The judging panel included: 
    •    André Zanoti, Manager of Start up and Partnership Development at Venn Innovation 
    •    Brian Jeffers (’90), Chief Executive Officer Best Buy Medical Supplies Inc. 
    •    Elyse Surette-DiMuzio, Founder, ESD Communications 
    •    Paris Malenfant, MtA Entrepreneur-in-Residence and President & CEO LUXkbs 
 
“This competition provides Mount A students with such a valuable opportunity to stretch their thinking, collaborate, and step into an entrepreneurial mindset,” says MtA Entrepreneur-in-Residence Paris Malenfant. “Every student showed heart, effort, and authenticity — congratulations to each of them. The winning teams distinguished themselves through their confidence, polished delivery, and the strong research that grounded their ideas.” 
 
First prize winners ($2,000) 

Ainaz Giahi  
Honours Chemistry 
Moncton, NB 
 
Pitch: Medsolve — a hospital pill-waste reduction system 
 
MedSolve is a hospital pill-waste reduction system designed to keep thousands of unopened, perfectly usable medications from being discarded each year. By integrating predictive analytics with a streamlined workflow for identifying, sorting, and safely re-allocating returned doses, MedSolve helps hospitals cut waste, lower costs, and reduce environmental impact—without adding extra work for frontline staff. It is a practical, scalable step toward more sustainable healthcare. 
 
“I want to work in healthcare innovation, sustainability, and system improvement. The Pitch has given me the confidence, experience, and mentorship to take MedSolve to larger competitions, national platforms, and eventually into real healthcare settings. This competition did more than give me a prize — it gave me validation, motivation, and the confidence to reach for much bigger stages.” 

Chinenye (Jessica) Okponwa  
Lagos, Nigeria 
Psychology 
 
Pitch: Rate-o-life — a micro-journaling app 
 
Rate-o-Life is a micro-journaling app that turns self-reflection into something you can do in two seconds. Instead of writing long entries, users simply rate different parts of their day with quick 1–5 taps. At the end of each month, the app transforms those micro-ratings into clear, personalized insights and one guided AI reflection, helping people understand their habits, identify patterns, and make realistic changes that move them toward their goals. 
 
“The Pitch has given me both the confidence and the foundation I need to continue building Rate-o-Life after graduation. It pushed me to develop my entrepreneurial skills, strengthened my public-speaking abilities, and showed me that I can pursue ideas that feel bigger than me. I hope to continue developing this project, and the experience from this competition has prepared me to take the next steps beyond Mount Allison.” 
  

Second prize winners ($1,000) 

Farouk Abanikannda  
Computer Science  
Lagelu, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria 
 
Pitch: Terra — A Game Trading Platform 
 
Gamers spend billions every year on skins and in-game items and players never get real ownership. Terra is a gaming marketplace where every item, skin, or upgrade is easily tradeable; players just swipe their cards like normal. Terra converts everything in the background. Our business model is simple — small fees on item purchases and trades, subscriptions, and payment processing. We provide a browser game hub, seamless payments, a marketplace for item trading, and a developer portal where studios upload games, mint assets, and earn instantly. 
 
“This has strengthened my belief in the viability of my idea. The encouraging feedback from the judges has made me even more determined to bring this initiative to life. After school, I plan to keep developing my ideas and building on what I’ve started.” 

Kellie Mattatall  
Bachelor of Fine Arts, minor in museum and curatorial studies 
Sackville, NB 
 
Pitch: Heron Hall Art — Arts Programming and Kits 
 
Heron Hall Art blends creative wellness, local landscape, and meaningful experiences. I offer place-based art kits and on-location virtual workshops. It’s part travel show, part guided art session, designed to feel like a small creative escape — rooted in the Maritimes and created with intention. Alongside this, Heron Hall hosts a curated online gallery of works from Maritime artists and creative services that help people and organizations bring more art, calm, and a little bit of magic into their spaces and their lives. 
 
“It’s validating to have a panel of professionals see real potential in the vision I’ve been building. Heron Hall Art started as a dream during the pandemic and placing in The Pitch makes it feel tangible — like this really can become something meaningful for our community and for visitors to the Maritimes. It’s encouragement, momentum, and a reminder that I’m on the right path. My biggest takeaway is that clarity, storytelling, and confidence matter just as much as the business plan. The Pitch didn’t just help me improve my presentation — it helped me see the next steps for Heron Hall in a much clearer way.” 

Mary Goudy 
Commerce (Accounting, Finance) 
Ilderton, ON 
 
Pitch: Seline — A new way to prescribe birth control 
 
Hormonal birth control in Canada is still prescribed the same way it was in the 1960s: a five-minute doctor’s appointment and a guess. That guesswork leaves 97% of women experiencing avoidable side effects—bleeding, nausea, weight gain, depression—and drives up to 60% to discontinue within six months. Women end up cycling through multiple prescriptions, spending thousands and often a third of their reproductive lives using the wrong method for their biology.  

Seline eliminates the guesswork. We’re building Canada’s first clinical contraceptive-matching platform, integrating a specialty reproductive health clinic with an onsite lab. Using multi-point hormonal testing across a full menstrual cycle, we help women get on the right birth control on the first try.  

Beyond contraception, Seline supports the millions of Canadian women whose endocrinological conditions — PCOS, endometriosis— are managed primarily through hormonal contraceptives. We provide real diagnostic visibility to guide more accurate, personalized treatment.  
Our mission is simple: give women a clinical pathway that treats their biology as data — not a guess — and finally personalize women’s healthcare in Canada. 
 
“My biggest takeaways from this competition are the importance of clarity, validation, and delivery. I learned how essential it is to communicate a complex healthcare problem in a way that resonates immediately, especially with judges who come from different industries. The feedback reinforced that the issue Seline is solving is not only real but widely felt and that the model I’m building fills a true gap in women’s health. Most of all, I’m grateful for the connections and the mentorship offered by both the judges and my competitors.” 
 
Congratulations to this year’s prize winners and thank you to all the student entrepreneurs for participating in The Pitch!