2017 Winners

RBC EPIC 1st Prize $10,000

RBC EPIC 2nd Prize $2,500

Postmedia People's Choice Award $2,000 in kind advertising

2017 Finalists

Each semi-finalist was given an opportunity to pitch their businesses with the top five teams advancing to the finals. Below are the five finalists for the 2017 RBC EPIC Business Model Canvas Competition.

2017 Semi-Finalists

Boro is a peer-to-peer marketplace for women to borrow and lend clothing. We offer designer dresses, jumpers, handbags, accessories, and outerwear for a fraction of the price, allowing you to own moments, not things and to help reduce textile waste in the process.

Hair by Lassa is a one-stop shop for all-natural hair products, afro-centric hair-styling and kinky/curly hair care consultation. Hair by Lassa enables men and women to feel confident in their hair and focuses on providing high quality, convenient services and products.

Liscena is a smart parking management company that automates every aspect of the parking experience using license plate recognition and AI. No more looking for parking, waiting in lines, or paying at a machine ever again.

Tabnex is an AI-powered recruitment suite of products and data APIs to streamline and scale your recruitment process as you grow your business!

Ani & Fabi is Canada’s first baking kit service – purchased online or subscribed and then prepared and delivered right to your doorstep. We develop gourmet easy-to-follow recipes, source high-quality ingredients, and pre-package everything conveniently for you, to create a fun baking experience for you to enjoy with your family and friends. 

Bidlet Logo

Bidlet is a housing bidding platform bringing fair and transparent housing prices to students and empowering them to search, bid, and post sublets.

BottleBot Logo

BOTTLEBOT is an innovative approach to plastic recycling which empowers environmental entrepreneurs and globally conscious citizens to take recycling into their own hands in a new and powerful way!

Fr8 Living Solutions Logo

Fr8 Living Solutions is a net-zero energy modular building company that uses shipping containers, modular technology, and off-grid systems to produce highly efficient and affordable housing for the environmentalist mindset of the future. By vertically integrating the construction process and utilizing prefabrication technology like those seen in factories, Fr8 aims to revolutionize a slow and stagnant construction industry while reducing economic and social risk, thereby making home ownership feasible for upcoming generations.

Growing Green Logo

Growing Green manufactures and distributes cutting edge hydroponic growing systems to combat food insecurity and bring greenery back to urban life.

Ventr Logo

Ventr is an online communication platform designed to relieve stress and promote empathy through direct and anonymous conversation. The website and mobile app will pair random users together to provide a mutual outlet and seek/offer advice. At any point, the users can either add one another to their friend’s lists or leave the chat to initiate another random connection.

HYC is all about hybridizing the present cars on the road in order to reduce fuel consumption and save the planet from undue pollution. It also increases the power supplied to car wheels for faster 0-60 kmph acceleration. This provides a very environment-friendly sports car performance to the people who cannot afford expensive sports cars and electric cars but would love to enjoy the benefits at a lower price along with their share of contribution to saving our future generations.

Midnight Raven Studios is dedicated to making mental wellness accessible for women through creating an online platform that combines fashion, entertainment, and social media in order to help women stay mindful of their goals and purpose throughout the day.

TrunkSpaces: Disrupting the way we ship.

SannTek Logo

SannTek is developing a quantitative, nanotechnology-enabled sensor to determine marijuana impairment through breath.

Snippt is a shopping platform that’s driven by videos. With a central focus on storytelling of small to mid-sized brands and their products, we provide an engaging experience for today’s millennial shopper.

SWTCH Logo

SWTCH provides electric vehicle (EV) charging management solutions for commercial, residential, and workplace settings. Our patented software product is universally compatible, integrating with EV supply equipment (EVSE) to enable scheduling, payment, enforcement, and energy management functionality.

HanDIY is the fastest way to get real-time advice from established professionals and teachers. Our software suite aims to empower individuals by providing live-video sessions to gain assistance and advice anywhere you need it, anytime you need it.

Using partnerships with industry experts and our innovative algorithm, ReDeal offers homeowners personalized recommendations about the renovations they should undertake to help maximize the value of their real estate.