Velocity Fund Finals today

Velocity will host its Velocity Fund Finals (VFF) today as startups and students prepare to pitch their ideas for prizes totalling more than $100,000.

The event starts with the Velocity Fund Finals $5K, where Waterloo students of any discipline who qualified at one of the $5K Qualifiers will present their ideas for a chance to win.

In the afternoon, 10 software, hardware and life sciences startups will compete for the chance to win one of four $25,000 prizes plus workspace at either the Velocity Garage or Velocity Foundry. One hardware company could also win an extra $10,000.

Both pitch competitions will take place in the Student Life Centre's Great Hall. The $5K competition begins at 11:00 a.m., and the $25K competition gets underway at 1:00 p.m.

Companies competing in the $25K competition include:

• Cardinote, whose Tabophone solution automatically writes finger-accurate tablature while you play guitar;
• Doppel, which can precisely quantify movement patterns with a smart garment for athletes;
• Fotofox, which connects customers with photographers for high-quality, professional photos;
• HealthIM, which has developed a mental health reporting system for police officers responding to mental health calls;
• Lani, a payment and management system for 3D print centres;
• OneSet, which bills itself as the “Vine” for fitness, allowing users to capture 15-second videos of their exercises;
• Pout, a beauty and fashion industry online community;
• Site2Site, an automated office solution for construction workers;
• Suncayr, developers of a UV-responsive marker ink that tells you when it’s time to reapply sunscreen; and
• Vitameter, a health supplement management system

Each competition will be judged by a panel of entrepreneurial experts. The judges for the Winter 2015 Velocity Fund Finals are:

Velocity Fund $5K

• Wayne Chang, Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre, University of Waterloo;
• Katherine Hague, The Blueprint, PCH International; and
• Prof. Sanjeev Bedi, University of Waterloo

Velocity Fund $25K

• Boris Wertz, Vision One Ventures
• Shivon Zilis, Bloomberg Beta
• Ted Livingston, Kik Interactive

The event will be livestreamed beginning at 11:00 a.m.

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Generational generalizations on housing

People tend to think of housing issues as affecting mostly young adults when it actually impacts seniors, those new to Canada, young families and others. Community members will have an opportunity to voice their concerns about housing and inform public policy at a discussion at the University of Waterloo next week entitled "Telling stories: An intergenerational dialogue on housing."

Faculty of Environment Professor Markus Moos will lead a panel consisting of community members of all ages in a dialogue that aims to build new common ground among different generations to push for positive change and solutions.

“We want people to come out, share their story, and listen to what others have experienced over their lifetime in this intergenerational dialogue,” said Professor Moos. “We are going to try something innovative at this event — the audience will be asked to complete an empathy map, something I have not personally seen done in the context of housing. An empathy map draws on people’s various sense to help recall details from the last time they were looking for housing. The technique is well suited to help identify barriers and obstacles, and its application in the context of affordable housing should help us develop real solutions.”

The dialogue aims to bring together secondary students, university students, and community residents of all ages to foster inter-generational dialogue and learn about past and current housing issues in the community and beyond. Economists and banks point to a growing affordability crisis in Canada that is having a profound effect on young people.

“The discussion will lead toward solutions and policy recommendations that will be made public after the event,” Professor Moos says. “These solutions will be critical to the long term success of our community. Affordable housing is important as a social service but it is also critical to the health of our local economy. If people can’t afford housing, they are not going to be productive, or may decide to move away. High housing costs can be a deterrent to employment growth."

The event begins at 2:00 p.m. with coffee and cookies in the Hagey Hall Atrium, followed by an introductory lecture by Professor Moors entitled "What do you mean you don't have running water? A 'contemporary' history of housing in Canada" in Hagey Hall Room 1101 at 2:30 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., panellists will engage in a discussion entitled "What's your housing story?" and at 3:40 p.m., an open forum will provide audience members with the opportunity to share their own housing challenges. At 4:20 p.m., Professor Moos will give concluding remarks on the future of housing.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

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3 Waterloo students in the Top 30 Under 30

Corporate Knights magazine has published a list of the Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders, and three entrants on the list have strong University of Waterloo connections.

The Waterloo winners are:

• Jillian Rodak, 26, a graduate student in Environment and Business who works at the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation;
• Dominique Souris, 22, an Environment & Resource Studies student currently interning with United Nations Environment Programme who has racked up a number of awards while studying at Waterloo including the Federation of Students Engagement Award in 2014 and the Co-op Student of the Year Award in 2012; and
• Sean Campbell, 27, program co-ordinator at St. Paul's GreenHouse.

Corporate Knights is a Canadian-based publication that positions itself as the "world's largest circulation magazine with an explicit focus on corporate responsibility."

Nominations were opened in February and the final list was drawn from 90 candidates, who demonstrated leadership as entrepreneurs, activists, corporate professionals and students.

Full citations for each winner can be found on the Corporate Knights website.

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Thursday's notes

A group of University of Waterloo students are the organizers behind Syrians Need You (SNU), an organization in the Waterloo community that is "highly committed and passionate about raising awareness of the ongoing conflict in Syria, and helping alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people." The group is holding its first fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 4 at RIM Park from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to raise funds for "clothing, food, and other basic necessities to improve the living conditions of the Syrian refugees located in Lebanon." The dinner will include a meal from Al-Madina, authentic entertainment and guest speaker Majed Al-Azrak, a Syrian activities and co-founder of Save Our Syria, who will "expatiate on the ongoing state of the Syrian refugees that are in dire need of our help and resources." Tickets are available for purchase through the group's website, or by contacting the group via email.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "Myth vs. fact" supplied by Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth:  Superfoods will keep you super-healthy.

Truth:  No food has special powers to keep you healthy on its own. Even if a food is loaded with an essential nutrient, your body needs more than that to be healthy. There is no official “superfood” definition, but this term is sometimes used to market trendy foods that change from year to year. While foods like kale, pomegranates, berries and other “superfoods” are full of antioxidants and nutrients that contribute to good health, any “superpowers” attributed to single foods play a prominent role in food marketing that is not backed by scientific evidence at this point. Enjoying a diet that is rich in a variety of healthy foods, not just the trendiest, is the key to good health.

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