On Feb. 24, the NAIT Mawji Centre held the annual Innovation Challenge, where NAIT students presented solutions in the form of products, services or ideas to a panel of real entrepreneurs. This year, students were asked to come up with innovative ideas to “boost wellness.”

More than 20 student teams submitted their ideas, and five finalists were chosen to present their ideas in front of the Innovation Challenge panel in the Dow Theatre on Feb. 24. The contest provided cash prizes of $1500 for first place, $1000 for second and $500 for third.

Craig Harder, a member of NAIT’s Board of Governors and the founder of Raptor Mining, which sponsored the events’ prizes, gave a powerful, inspiring speech before the students presented.

Many other well-dressed entrepreneurs and “bigwigs” at NAIT were in attendance — but the energy was strong and the environment was supportive. When the first presenter tripped over his words, the crowd clapped and encouraged him to continue.

The presentations included Aura Alarm, an AI software that sets an alarm for users, waking them up at an optimal time; Move Along, a coworking classroom model that integrates exercise into classrooms; GymCred, an innovation targeting tax returns, suggesting exercise should be tax deductible; Guided Start Program, QR codes with exercises for people new to gyms; and Freeflow, geodesic domes for winter athletic events around Edmonton. 

The five students were scored on their presentation skills and the “feasibility, novelty and impact of their ideas.”

GymCred, which was presented by Bachelor of Business Administration student Gunjan Panchal, won third place. Panchal, an accounting and analytics major, found that reducing the “sedentary lifestyles” of remote workers by 10 per cent through tax deductions for attending the gym could save the Canadian government “up to $219 million a year.”

Ben St Jean, a Business Administration student studying entrepreneurship, won second place for his Guided Start Program idea. St Jean suggests beginners to the gym feel intimidated or struggle with motivation, and a QR code with a simple 30-minute workout could help solve onboarding.

The first place winner, Mary Pal, is a first year student in Open Studies. Her pitch, Freeflow, presented the idea of setting up climate-controlled geodesic domes around Edmonton to encourage exercise and community in an accessible way.

Pal’s initial idea involved outdoor events to bring people together, and she came up with the idea for Freeflow in a conversation.

“We were talking about our experiences of times that we enjoyed being with people, but one barrier I said was, ‘Well, it’s quite cold out,’” she told the Nugget.

Her Freeflow presentation was clear and charismatic, and when the judges asked her questions, Pal remained undaunted, answering precisely.

When Pal started at NAIT, she was intrigued by the Mawji Centre’s problem solution contest — she had done entrepreneurship programs and pitches before, so she entered.

“It was great to know that something like this existed at school,” says Pal.

Colin Macdonald, an entrepreneurship advisor at the Mawji Centre, explained that the students were given only a few days to come up with a three-minute video, then had Reading Week to prepare for the in-person presentations.

“It was quite a whirlwind thing and I thought they did amazing,” Macdonald says.

Macdonald stresses that the Mawji Centre is not just for School of Business students.

“The Mawji Centre is for every NAIT student,” he says. “We’re all about entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, that side hustle that you might be exploring. Really, we just want to help students explore entrepreneurship in their own way.”

Macdonald encourages students to check out the many events happening at the Mawji Centre. NAIT students can also participate in the Blue Book program, a self-paced program that helps aspiring entrepreneurs work on their business ideas through online modules. 

Students can keep up with the Mawji Centre by following @NAITMawjiCentre on Instagram or by visiting the Centre in-person at CAT309A. “We would love to see each and every one of you,” says Macdonald.  

Maybe you’ll come up with the winning Innovation Challenge idea next year.