Mary Goudy, an Ilderton, ON Commerce student with a minor in economics recently took top spot in the undergraduate category at the BMO Apex Startup Challenge, a national pitch competition hosted by the University of New Brunswick. Competing against undergraduate students from across Canada, Goudy walked away with an $8,500 award for her early-stage venture, Seline. 

But the win, she says, was about much more than prize money. 

“I entered mostly for validation,” Goudy says. “I wanted to know if this idea resonated — and I also set a personal goal this year to become a better presenter. Pitching puts you outside your comfort zone very quickly.

Seline is a reproductive health clinic concept aimed at improving how hormonal contraception is prescribed. The idea grew out of Goudy’s own experiences, conversations with friends, and watching family members navigate years of trial-and-error treatment for conditions like endometriosis and other endocrine disorders. 

“So many people live with side effects or unmanaged or mismanaged symptoms for years,” she says. “I'm focused on developing Canada's first clinical contraceptive matching platform. So, using real diagnostics and specialised physicians, we'd be supporting patients and making better informed decisions when it comes to hormonal birth control...replacing the historical trial and error process.” 

Her answer was to rethink the consultation process itself. Rather than rushed appointments with an often one-size-fits-all philosophy, Seline proposes longer, more personalized consultations supported by diagnostics and emerging research, helping patients make more informed decisions about hormonal birth control. 

At the Apex pitch competition, judges responded strongly to both the idea itself and the clear and impactful purpose. While many undergraduate competitors pitched concepts still in the idea phase, Goudy’s project stood out for a few reasons: it proposes a real answer to a known gap in women’s health, it is grounded in lived experience, and it has a long-term vision for public impact. 

That vision has been shaped in part by Mount Allison’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and alumni network. Through campus pitch events and business programming, Goudy connected with alumni mentors Brian Jeffers (‘90), Tara Wickwire (‘94), and her boyfriend Matt Kaul (‘25), a recent Mount Allison graduate, who helped refine her business model and sharpen her delivery — guidance she credits as instrumental in her success. 

As she prepares to graduate this spring, Goudy plans to return to Ontario and pursue opportunities in the growing femtech sector, while continuing to develop Seline and explore partnerships with researchers and health organizations. 

“I originally thought I’d follow a very traditional accounting path,” she says. “This project completely changed that. It showed me where my passion really is — and what kind of impact I want to make.” 

For Goudy, this award marked a turning point — the moment an idea stopped being hypothetical and started feeling possible. 

“It feels like the beginning of something and I’m excited to see where it leads.”