2017 Stu Clark Investment Competition Results

The Asper School of Business was the battleground for 15 graduate student teams from across North America vying for top honours at the 13th annual Stu Clark Investment Competition on March 10 and 11.

Hosted by the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, the competition awarded over $50,000 in prizes to teams presenting the best idea pitch, company logo and business plan. The competition’s judges include 25 local business professionals from a broad range of public and private sector organizations.

Grox Industries, LLC from the University of Arkansas won best business plan for their product, a cost-effective surface coating that helps to better insulate windows and exterior surfaces.

The University of Waterloo’s Curiato was named top Canadian team. MedConnect from Johns Hopkins University won the top idea pitch, and TherapyOS from Northwestern University won top logo.

The Stu Clark Centre added a new category this year called the People’s Choice Award, which went to AleMail from the University of Oregon. Jump to full list of present and past winners »

The University of Manitoba’s own team, Paramergent, placed fourth in the business plan competition.

Team Paramergent at Cardinal: Warren Abrey, Adita Kedya, Keya Gaglani, Chau Tu

Paramergent has enjoyed amazing success on this year’s international competition circuit. Team member Aditya Kedia won second place overall in the fast pitch competition at the Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge at the University of Louisville. The team also placed a close second in their division at Cardinal’s business plan competition. Earlier this year, Paramergent scored third overall at the Georgia Bowl in Atlanta.

Paramergent is pitching a business plan for the first all-in-one mobile software application paramedics can use to track and report a patient’s pre-hospital journey and transmit the relevant information directly into a hospital’s records.

2017 Stu Clark Investment Competition Winners

Business Plan Competition

• 1st Place: Grox Industries, LLC, University of Arkansas
• 2nd Place: Curiato, University of Waterloo
• 3rd Place: Kaleyedos, Johns Hopkins University
• 4th Place: Paramergent, University of Manitoba
• Top Canadian Team, Curiato, University of Waterloo

Idea Pitch Competition

• 1st Place: MedConnect, Johns Hopkins University
• 2nd Place: TherapyOS, Northwestern University
• 3rd Place: Grox Industries, LLC, University of Arkansas

Logo Competition

• 1st Place: TherapyOS, Northwestern University
• 2nd Place: Grox Industries, LLC, University of Arkansas
• 3rd Place: Sidekick, Northwestern University
• People’s Choice Award: AleMail, University of Oregon

Championship Round Judges

STU CLARK
Philanthropist & Entrepreneur

Stu Clark is a Calgary oil and gas entrepreneur. He is the Chairman of Storm Resources Ltd. as well as the Director of Chinook Energy Inc. Mr. Clark is also the Chairman of Alliance Trust Company, a private trust and shareholder services firm, servicing public and private entities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Mr. Clark was born and raised in Manitoba and educated in Brandon and Winnipeg, before beginning his entrepreneurial career in the oil and gas industry in Calgary.

Mr. Clark earned his B. Comm. (Hons.) from the University of Manitoba in 1976, and in 2011 was recognized by the University of Manitoba with an honorary Doctor of Laws for his contributions of time and resources to the University, the I.H. Asper School of Business, and the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Over three decades, Mr. Clark translated his education into starting, running and then selling several oil and gas exploration companies. Mr. Clark moved to Calgary in 1984 with the Northland Bank. In 1986 he founded Pinnacle Resources Ltd. and raised $2 million of shareholder capital. In 1998, Pinnacle was sold for over $1 billion. Mr. Clark has been involved in the start-up and reorganization of a number of Calgary-based public and private entities during his career.

A renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist and volunteer, Stu Clark is recognized for his tireless dedication to supporting a variety of charities and educational institutions in Canada. His donation to the University of Manitoba enabled the establishment of the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship in the I.H. Asper School of Business. Mr. Clark has been a strong supporter of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Stu Clark remains active in the Calgary business community and continues to support his philanthropic interests in Alberta and Manitoba.

MK MARSDEN
Founder, Touchpoint Strategies, NYC

As the founder of Touchpoint Strategies MK helps clients accelerate their corporate performance through data driven marketing, challenger sales and by unleashing the potential of their human capital.

Over her career MK has created and/or led 8 different companies in 5 different countries always on the bleeding edge of technology. She has held leadership roles in both public and private companies including: Novell, Acxiom, Epsilon, Fujitsu Japan with operating positions in: London, Paris, Tokyo, and Austin. She has participated in over 30 M & A transactions, created the strategies to increase value and execute on successful “liquidity events”. She has also helped raise over $100MM of venture capital for early stage companies.   MK is a frequent speaker at technology conferences in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia. She is fluent in English and French and has 4 years of on-air experience. She is regularly interviewed about: Technology, Digital Marketing, Global Entrepreneurship and Female Leadership. MK is Canadian and resides in New York City. MK is the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship`s Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

CHARLES (CHUCK) LAFLÈCHE, CPA, CMA, FCMA,
President & CEO, St. Boniface Hospital Foundation

Chuck LaFlèche is the President and CEO of St. Boniface Hospital Foundation. Before joining the Foundation Chuck worked as a controller at a large credit union, a professor at a business college, and he founded Momentum Healthware in 1995, a health informatics company with sales in Canada, the U.S., Asia and Europe. Chuck holds a B.A. from the   University of Saint-Boniface (a University of Manitoba affiliate), and a B. Comm. from the University of Manitoba. He became a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) in 1986, and was named a Fellow (FCMA) in 2001. Chuck serves on a number of IT and health related boards. In 2013 he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Chuck co-hosts The Health Report, a weekly radio show on CJOB.

CHRIS WATSON
Vice President, TD Commercial Banking

Chris Watson is the Vice President at TD Commercial Banking and is responsible for the Province of Manitoba. Prior to this position Chris was the District Vice President at TD Commercial Banking in south west Ontario. The Canadian Retail segment of Toronto-Dominion Bank provides a range of financial products and services to customers in the Canadian personal and Commercial Banking businesses. Chris has now been with TD Bank for 16 years. Chris holds a B.A (Hons) from the University of Windsor and an MBA, Finance from The Schulich School of Business, York University. Chris is a Board Member for the Health Science Centre Foundation, a Member of the Business Council of Manitoba, and a Member of The Associates.

SILVIA DE SOUSA
Partner, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, LLP

Silvia de Sousa is a partner at TDS Law. Her practice is concentrated in the area of business law with an emphasis on intellectual property law, life sciences law and technology law. Her practice also includes intellectual property transactions, commercial law, financings and licensing matters. Silvia is also a seasonal lecturer for the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law. Silvia holds a B.A. and an LLB from the University of Manitoba, and is also the Chair of the Transactional IP Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, is a Member of the Associates amongst many other positions in the community.

Paramergent Pitch at Cardinal

Begins at 6:57

Asper Staff