USask students who participated in SIGMA this summer.

Student entrepreneurs ready to showcase their startups

USask students in the SIGMA program will pitch their companies at the program's 'Demo Day.'

By USask Engineering Communications

The summer edition of SIGMA (Saskatchewan Innovation Growth & Market Acceleration) launched in May 2022 and the culmination of the program - Demo Day - will happen Friday, Sept 9.  

Demo Day showcases SIGMA's passionate and talented student start-up founders. Since May, they have devoted their time and effort to solve specific problems through their companies. They'll share stories about their journeys, and these will be followed by mini tradeshow sessions. 

Everyone is welcome. You can register here. It starts at 5 pm on Friday, Sept. 9, in Health Sciences 1150.

What kind of coaching do students get in SIGMA?

Since May 2022, SIGMA participants have worked closely each week with managing faculty member Tate Cao and Executive-in-Residence David Yee to validate their opportunities and design their entrepreneurship journeys.

They've attended focused skill-building sessions, guest lectures and team sessions, along with monthly advisory board meetings where senior executives, faculty members and industry experts have provided their entrepreneurship advice and expertise to the student entrepreneurs.

Who are the 2022 SIGMA teams?

SENIOR TECH

  • Concept: Providing easy, accessible solutions for senior citizens who may have difficulties with technology
  • Team Members: Adesumbo Qadiri, Namya Jain, Ahmad Karimi, Javad Azizkhani and Parastoo Soori

SOIL DOCTOR

  • Concept: Commercializing a soil health scoring system based on the research coming out of the College of Agriculture
  • Team Members: Dillion Vu, Owen Kinch, Le Thein Nam Nguyen, Alec Vista, and Promita Das

Who else is speaking at Demo Day?

Amit Gupta is the keynote speaker for Demo Day 2022. He is a serial entrepreneur with successful venture back companies that have raised more than $50 million from venture capital. 

SIGMA's Executive-in-Residence David Yee will also speak. He is an operation and sales manager with more than 15 years experience in technical engineering and design. 

I'm interested in entrepreneurship. Are there other programs besides SIGMA?

At Demo Day, you can learn about the workshops and academic courses in the Technological Innovation Program, based in the College of Engineering, that you can take part in during the year. 

By participating in these courses and workshops, you will be able to invest eight months of time developing your start-up idea and your company's team - all while working toward your degree!