RampUp 2024 kicked off with greetings from the Honourable Jamie Moses, Minister of Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources and His Worship Mayor Scott Gillingham. Following the opening remarks, Chris Johnson took the mic to inspire the participants by sharing his story of Permission Click and how it was born during RampUp Weekend 2012! 

The weekend had a record breaking number of attendees selling out the event at 250 registered and a resounding 52 start-ups were pitched to a room packed with excitement. Nine exceptional ideas moved forward into the Pitch Finale on Sunday. Witnessing these innovative ideas was truly inspiring and a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our community forward in Manitoba.

North Forge would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the incredible individuals who attended, participated, and supported this year’s RampUp Weekend. The event was fueled by incredible energy and excitement that lasted the entire weekend! 

Our esteemed judges (Chris Johnson, Noah Palansky, Martin Cash and Joelle Foster) faced a challenging decision, as the quality of ideas and pitches were extremely innovative. After careful consideration, the winners were announced.

🥇 First Place – Presented by North Forge & RRC: Patient Prime 

• $10,000 in cash
• 3-month membership to the North Forge FabLab, with $150 in training credits.
• Support through ACE Project Space – Red River College Polytechnic
• Entry to the North Forge Founders Program

Patient Prime impressed the judges with their pitch, about a tool to visualize your pain and improve communication with your doctor. Their solution would provide a user-friendly 3D interface, streamline patient intake and reduce a patient’s anxiety. Congratulations to the Patient Prime team!

🥈 Second Place – Presented by MTA: Song & Learn

• $5,000 in cash 
• 3-month membership to the North Forge FabLab, with $150 in training credits.
• Entry to the North Forge Founders Program

Song & Learn demonstrated potential with their unique approach to making learning fun by turning your favourite songs into study materials. Their passion and dedication to create an AI platform that swaps study material with your favourite song lyrics, creates an interactive study material experience. Well done, Song & Learn!

🎉 Fan Favourite – Presented by U of M, Faculty of Science: BridgeMatch

• $500 in cash 
• 3-month membership to the North Forge FabLab, with $150 in training credits.

BridgeMatch won the hearts of the attendees and emerged as the fan favourite of RampUp 2024. Their innovative and unique concept to create an AI-generated talent hub to increase visibility, collaboration and sponsorship all in one creative app. Congratulations, BridgeMatch!

None of this would have been possible without the support of our incredible event sponsors:

• 🌟Futurpreneur
  
• 🌟Neovation
  
• 🌟PCK Intellectual Property
  
• 🌟RRC Polytech
  
• 🌟University of Manitoba – Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation
  
• 🌟University of Manitoba – Smart Park
• 🌟University of Manitoba, Faculty of Science
• 🌟Manitoba Technology Accelerator
• 🌟Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship
• 🌟World Trade Centre Winnipeg
• 🌟Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology

We are grateful for your partnership and the valuable resources you provided to make RampUp Weekend 2024 a resounding success.

Once again, thank you to everyone who made RampUp 2024 an unforgettable experience. Your passion, ideas, and dedication to driving innovation continue to inspire us all. We look forward to seeing the achievements and milestones that lie ahead for the participating businesses!

#RampUp2024 # DareToDo #NorthForge

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this weekend and want to dive deeper into the first stages of business development or you’re an early stage start-up, North Forge’s Founders Program is now accepting applications for their June cohort. Deadline to apply is June 15th. Please visit our Programs page for more details.

 

 

 

North Forge is looking to grow their network of mentors. If you’ve ever felt that your journey, knowledge, and experiences could benefit others, here’s your sign. Dive into a fulfilling role as a mentor!

We are hoping to bring on mentors with experience in the following areas:

• Industrial Design
• Prototyping
• Development of AI tools
• Business Intelligence/Data Analysis
• Raising investment
• Navigating investor landscapes
• Pitching
• Marketing Strategy
• Sales/customer acquisition
• Go-To-Market strategy
• Software development
• HR/operations

If you have skills related to any of those topics and you’re looking to mentor up-and-coming entrepreneurs, please reach out to our Program Coordinator, Grace Gyolai: ggyolai@northforge.ca.