THE 2013 STUDENT STARTUP CHALLENGE: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

  We had some amazing success stories emerge from our 2013 Student Startup Challenge.  Today, both Cognilab and HelpHub have grown from simple ideas to viable businesses, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in seed funding and becoming some of Canada’s top up-and-coming startups in the tech industry. So, what have they been up to since they finished with Launch Academy? Check out their latest milestones below!

HelpHub

Founded by Miguel Kudry in early 2013, HelpHub is an instant tutoring platform that allows students to connect with tutors immediately over interactive messaging features, video, and phone tutoring calls at any time.  In the past year, HelpHub has raised $250,000 from Sora Capital Corp, and has been featured in publications like Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, Business In Vancouver, BetaKit, Techvibes, Vancity Buzz, and more. Today, HelpHub has grown to include tutors and students at over fifty schools across North America, and they’re in the prime position to disrupt the supplemental educational services industry (which is estimated to surpass $10B in North America by 2017) by offering instant help, anytime, anywhere. Check out their site at https://helphub.me and follow them on Twitter @GetHelpHub.

Cognilab

Co-founded by JoséBarrios and Kelsey Hannan, Cognilab is the world’s first online laboratory for psychology research, providing services that are 10x cheaper, faster and easier than using a physical lab for experiments. Post-SSC, Cognilab was accepted into GrowLab, one of the top accelerators in the country after turning down an offer to join Plug ‘N Play in Silicon Valley. Named one of the “Top 25 Most Innovative Technology Companies in BC” by NextBC (alongside powerhouses HootSuite, BuildDirect, EA Games, and more), Cognilab has been highlighted on CBC Radio, The Globe and Mail, BetaKit, and Techvibes, and recently made the finals for VIATeC’s “Startup of the Year” and “Executive of the Year” awards. Currently Cognilab resides in Victoria and has grown from ideation to a million dollar company in just over a year. Visit their site at http://www.cognilab.com and follow them on Twitter @cognilab.

Think you’re the next Cognilab or HelpHub? Only two days left to submit your 1-minute pitch video to www.tellusyouridea.ca and win three months of mentorship, networking, office space, and access to over $900,000 in resources at Launch Academy! Don’t miss out on your chance to take your startup idea to new heights, enter our 2014 Student Startup Challenge today!