Winners of Slaight New Venture Competition pay it forward

For 19 years, the Slaight New Venture Competition at the Ted Rogers School, generously supported by the Slaight Family Foundation, has fostered student entrepreneurship by awarding $25,000 prizes of startup seed money to two Ted Rogers School students annually — one female and one male. Both options are open to everyone who identifies as a woman; identifies as a man and everyone who identifies as trans+ or non-binary. This year the competition was conducted entirely online because of COVID-19 restrictions.

This year’s winners are Bersabel Ogbazghi (Marketing Management) for NAIJ Hair, (external link)  an online human hair extensions brand, and Eric Muellejans (Business Technology Management) for KUMO-LIFT, (external link)  the first inflatable and adjustable leg-lift on the market.

NAIJ Hair (external link)  is an online human hair extensions brand that provides black women with premium quality hair and access to a curated stylist near them. Ogbazghi says that it is a business that started out of a true need.

Ogbazghi and her team surveyed black women and found that despite being top consumers in the human hair market, it was difficult to find a reliable stylist and a reliable human hair extensions vendor. NAIJ Hair works hard to ethically source high-quality products and provides the perfect style and a stylist all on one platform.

“Our mission is to integrate black women into the DNA of our business — from the team to the stylists to the consumers. We strive to have representation on all levels,” Ogbazghi explains. NAIJ Hair aims to be the industry leader of human hair extensions in Canada by 2021, and to continuously support independent black beauty entrepreneurs.

Ogbazghi was worried that this year’s Slaight New Venture Competition would be cancelled because of COVID-19, but was thankful that the organizing team for the event quickly pivoted to continue the competition online. Her team was able to change course and did their best to deliver their pitch digitally.

“Having the opportunity to participate in the Slaight New Venture Competition has been an absolute milestone for NAIJ Hair Company,” says Ogbazghi. “As a team, we feel immense gratitude for the chance to invest in and greatly propel our business forward. We are so thankful to the donors and will continue to grow our business.”

KUMO-LIFT (external link) , the signature product from Muellejans’ company Kumovate, was also created out of a real need after Muellejans suffered an ankle injury while playing football. During his recovery, he had to keep his leg elevated for several hours a day. Elevating legs on top of pillows is an archaic industry-standard in need of innovation, so Muellejans came up with the idea for an inflatable and adjustable leg-lift — the first of its kind on the market.

The cushions for the KUMO-LIFT inflate with a patent-pending, multi-layer waterfall design so your foot is at the proper height for elevation and comfort for all sizes. You can even use it to elevate your leg under your desk while you are sitting at work. The product can easily be sanitized with a single alcohol wipe, is hydrophobic and inflates in seconds for easy portability. 

"Winning the Slaight New Venture Competition is about more than money; it is a testament to the hard work and commitment of my team,” says Muellejans. “Being able to be recognized for this work with a top place finish is exactly the morale boost we need during these turbulent times. This grant encourages young entrepreneurs to be risk-takers and develop the skills they need to be business leaders and change-makers for today and tomorrow.”

Muellejans and his team plan to use the funds from this competition to develop the next iteration of their product to fill the demand with his B2B partners. They will also hire two students part-time who have lost their summer internships due to COVID-19.

Muellejans says making your pitch through video rather than in person for this year’s competition presented both challenges and opportunities. “As entrepreneurs though, one of the core skills for success is the ability to adapt to change and navigate uncertainty,” he explains. “Competing during COVID-19 tested these exact skills and I think all the finalists stepped up to the plate to deliver unique pitches.”

The judges for this year’s event were Michelle McBane, co-founder and Managing Director of StandUp Ventures, Matt Saunders, President of Ryerson Futures and Zone Startups, and Razi Syed, part of the team that won the 2019 Slaight New Venture Competition.

"In these uncertain times, The Slaight Family Foundation is pleased to continue supporting student entrepreneurs at the Ted Rogers School of Management," says Gary Slaight, President & CEO, The Slaight Family Foundation. "We were very pleased to see how the school, its students and faculty and these entrepreneurs responded and adapted quickly to the changing environment we are all facing as the unique challenges of COVID-19 continue to evolve. Congratulations to NAIJ Hair and KUMO-LIFT for their innovative products." 

Other finalists that competed in the 2020 Slaight New Venture Competition included Ceyrina Craig (Sun-Sourced Solutions), Elizabeth Lo Serro (Circle Shop), Jesse Amdur (Amdur Bicycles) and Jordan Katz (The Marijuana Group).

The competition was hosted by Dr. Sean Wise (Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Ted Rogers School), Start Me Up (external link)  and Enactus Ryerson. (external link) 

This story was originally published on May 4, 2020 on the news and events page on the Ted Rogers School of Management website.