PITCH COMPETITION
BIDC x BIOTEC PITCH COMPETITION
OFICIALLY PARTNERED WITH
IT STARTS WITH AN IDEA...
Win up to $1,500 in cash prizes!
Do you have an idea in med-tech, bio-tech, health-tech, med-tech? Biocatalyst is an innovative pitch competition hosted in collaboration with the University of Waterloo's BioTEC Conference, and the University of Toronto's Biotechnology Innovation & Development Club (BIDC). Participation involves an open-poster style presentation of your team's idea, presented to a series of industry professional judges, where teams will compete for prizes valued up to $1,500 and special entry into
PITCH COMPETITION FORMAT
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Poster Style Pitch
Instead of standing on a stage, you will pitch to audience and judge in front of poster much like a research poster fair
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Team Members
Pitch in teams of 1-5,
undergrad, grad, recent alumni, pitch teams of all education level are welcome
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Pitch Length
5 minutes pitching, 3 minutes Q&A in front of judges
BIOCATALYST 2026 PRIZES
1st Place
$1500, and Train ticket + Hotel at Cooperathon if the team achieved Finalist Status within the Cooperathon program
2nd Place
$1000 Cash Prize
3rd Place
$500 Cash Prize
APPLICATION INFO
BioCatalyst is open to undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students—or recent alumni (within one year). This competition welcomes individuals and teams from all backgrounds. Startups are not required to be university-affiliated to be eligible. Applicants will deliver a pitch of approximately 5 minutes, followed by a 3-minute Q&A session with judges.
Teams may consist of up to 5 members maximum — or you may apply individually. Please submit only ONE interest form per team or individual applicant, and be sure to include the information of all team members if applying as a group.
BIOCATALYST DIAMOND SPONSORS
BIOCATALYST PLATINUM SPONSOR
Powered by Desjardins, Cooperathon is a Canada-wide entrepreneurial program that supports participants in developing innovative ideas to help launch their business ideas.
The program culminates in a national competition offering cash prizes with a prize pool of more than $80,000 and personalized support to help bring high-potential social, environmental, or economic impact projects to life.
Registration for Cooperathon starts January 7th and the official program calendar is posted on:
Eligibility
Open to anyone 18 years or older, Canadian citizen or resident, who is an aspiring entrepreneur, whether or not they have a business idea, and without a functioning prototype at the time of registration.
Participants in Cooperathon can:
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Submit an idea that addresses one or more of the proposed challenges, or
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Join a team working to develop a solution to one or more of the challenges.
As a BioTec Conference participant, you may be automatically eligible to take part in Cooperathon 2026 at no cost.
You may also enter the Cooperathon challenge using theidea and pitch you submitted for the conference.
For more information, please see:
2025 PITCH WINNERS
1st
PatientCompanion
$2000
3rd
EyeMove
$1000 - Sponsored by Lumira Adventures
2nd
Revyn Medical Technologies Inc.
$1000
2026 Judges
