Startup skills-building

Cieran O’Hara and Daniel Belokurov say they have the solution for getting through long days — no cups of coffee needed.

The pair of University of Manitoba business students will pitch their holistic daily supplement blend — the flagship product of their startup business Amani Health and Wellness — and faceoff against student entrepreneurs from across North America at the Stu Clark New Venture Championships from Thursday to Saturday in Winnipeg.

They’ve got what they say is a win-worthy proposition: a herbal option for busy people experiencing burnout who want relief without resorting to caffeine or medical stimulants. The capsules contain adaptogens and nootropics — found in plants such as ashwagandha, lion’s mane and reishi mushroom — purported to improve stress responses and mental clarity.

“People are coming back to nature and back to themselves, and at the end of the day, I think what’s so important is being able to improve your general health, and I think that’s why we do it,” O’Hara, 25, said Tuesday.

Judges will hear their pitch, along with 31 other student teams from across North America set to compete for more than $72,000 in cash prizes, awarded by a team of 45 judges, including leadership from Manitoba businesses, economic organizations and Crown corporations. Those judges will also give feedback and offer suggestions.

That face-to-face time, especially for a new company that focuses on community involvement through hosting events and taking part in farmers markets, is crucial, said Belokurov.

“Winnipeg does have an incredible community that already exists here, so we try to get attention and meet people in-person, understand what they need,” said Belokurov, 20.

“Winnipeg does have an incredible community that already exists here, so we try to get attention and meet people in-person, understand what they need.”

The competition has been a mainstay of the Asper School of Business’s Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship for more than 20 years and has grown to one of the largest of its kind in North America. The 32 teams were chosen from more than 150 applications.

What students bring to the table often finds creative ways to engage with new, growing tech trends, said Amy Jones, the event’s manager.

“I remember when software started to be the thing and all of a sudden it was software as a service and then it went into apps and now it’s a lot more heavily AI-focused,” she said.

“Not all of them, there’s still a few products and services, old-school ones, I guess you could say, but absolutely, you see the trend.”

The list of pitches this year range from everyday products (a Red River College Polytechnic team is presenting a tech platform that presents targeted ads to customers in real time) to medical marvels such as an AI-driven tool a team at Washington University in St. Louis says can detect Parkinson’s disease in its early stages.

This weekend is a chance for students with life-changing ideas to build the skills needed to move them forward, said Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship director Debra Jonasson-Young

“They really learn the process of business development from the planning perspective, coupled with the fact that many students never get the chance to really practice public speaking skills, the competencies that you require to stand in front of experts and talk about your product, to be resilient, to be able to take their key questions and answers. Those are real life-competency skill sets,” she said.

The championships will be held at the Fairmont Winnipeg hotel. Winners will be announced Saturday.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca