The second annual OKGN Angel Summit was well-attended in Kelowna on Thursday night (Mar. 12) despite multiple event cancellations throughout the day due to growing COVID-19 concerns.
After ten weeks of hard work, six finalists had the chance to pitch their ideas to 35 Okanagan investors.
In all, the participating investors created $155,000 in funding for the summit’s top startup.
This year’s winner was Minga, a school messaging platform designed to consolidate the numerous school, extracurricular, and school district-wide announcements. Jason Richards, the app’s founder and CEO, said he saw a need for a better communication platform between teachers and students that would ensure students were safe, but also make it easier for both parties to keep track of messages.
The other finalists were:
-Levity, a dating app that lets an individual’s friends and family set them up on dates
-Vinstream, a retail membership management platform
-Walletcard, a platform that tracks professional certification to reduce paper use
-LiveNao, a platform that collects data to detect changes in mental health
-TasteAdvisor, a system that delivers alcohol recommendations
Arlene Dickinson, the night’s keynote speaker, wasn’t able to attend. Accelerate Okanagan CEO Brea Lake said Dickinson didn’t see it fit to travel amid event cancellations and the province’s ban on gatherings of over 250 people.
READ MORE: Accelerate Okanagan announces Arlene Dickinson as keynote speaker for 2020 OKGN Angel Summit
READ MORE: Coronavirus concerns prompt event cancellations across the Okanagan
