Airbrushed By Olivia and VolTrack win 2026 Slaight New Venture Competition
A mobile spray tanning service and an anti-theft technology company are the two winners in the 24th annual Slaight New Venture Competition at the Ted Rogers School of Management.
For over two decades, the Slaight New Venture Competition at the Ted Rogers School, generously supported by The Slaight Family Foundation, has fostered student entrepreneurship by awarding a $25,000 prize of startup seed money to a Ted Rogers School student. This increased over time to two $25,000 prizes – one for a startup led by a student founder who identifies as female and one for a student founder who identifies as male – to encourage more women to participate.
The 2026 Slaight New Venture Competition winners are Olivia Starks (Law and Business) for Airbrushed By Olivia: Mobile Spray Tanning (external link, opens in new window) , a service that brings luxury custom spray tans right to you, and Naseem Khatol (Business Technology Management) for VolTrack (external link, opens in new window) , a company that is developing next-generation anti-theft technology.
"The Slaight Family Foundation is proud to serve as a catalyst for the next generation of entrepreneurs at the Ted Rogers School," says Gary Slaight, President & CEO, The Slaight Family Foundation. "For over two decades, we’ve watched this competition evolve, and we continue to be amazed by the level of innovation and creativity that Ted Rogers School students bring."
"Supporting young founders like Olivia and Naseem is about more than just seed money; it’s about providing the support they need to grow their business," he adds. "We are thrilled to see how Airbrushed By Olivia and VolTrack will use these prizes to grow their venture. Congratulations to both winners on their hard work and well-deserved success."
The competition is hosted by Enactus TMU (external link) (organized by Alex Nicholov and Mustafa Jamaly this year) and Ryan Wilock (Lecturer, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Ted Rogers School and Start-up Advisor, Zone Learning). The six finalists (three male-led and three female-led ventures) made their presentations to judges on March 25, 2026 at TMU’s Centre for Urban Innovation Atrium.
“Leading this competition as Chair is a huge honour for me, especially getting to watch the Enactus team work diligently to make it all happen,” says Wilock.
“We’re in such a unique position to see raw student ambition meet the incredible generosity of the Slaight family,” he adds. “Their commitment of two $25,000 prizes is a game-changer; it gives these students the kind of real-world runway that can turn a venture into a powerhouse. Every year, the ideas get bolder and the judging gets tougher—which just proves we aren't just holding a competition, we're fueling real change in our community.”
“As the Dean of Canada's leading diverse, entrepreneurial business school, one of (PDF file) my goals is to support student entrepreneurs with education inside and outside the classroom, business service programs and funding initiatives,” says Cynthia Holmes.
“I take pride in seeing the innovative start-ups our students create, and I’m thankful for initiatives like the annual Slaight New Venture Competition for providing generous and substantial financial support to our students for 24 years to help further their businesses,” she says. “Congratulations to Olivia and Naseem on your winning ventures!”
Airbrushed By Olivia: Mobile Spray Tanning
Convenience is the ultimate luxury for any modern woman, and Airbrushed By Olivia: Mobile Spray Tanning offers luxury custom spray tans delivered to your door. Whether you’re a mom who needs an appointment during nap time, or a busy nurse who wants to feel good after a 12-hour shift, the company offers quick and easy appointments that are completed within 30 minutes for a single tan.
By bringing the service to the client’s home, they can get the same luxury salon results without extra driving time or childcare costs during a time that fits their schedule. With booking times available online, clients can book a tan with as little as 12 hours before they need it. All of the company’s work is custom, which means they provide a consultation before choosing the best option from their five spray tan solutions based on your skin type, skin tone and ethnicity. The mobile service area currently includes Oakville, Burlington and the General Hamilton Area.
Starks was thrilled to win this year’s Slaight New Venture Competition, noting that it proved concept validation from the judges and increased confidence in her presentation skills.
She says that her company is in the process of planning one of its biggest content marketing campaigns ever, and she plans to use the prize money from the competition to double-down on their successful marketing initiatives to scale the business.
“I really appreciate the generous prize offered through the Slaight New Venture Competition,” says Starks. “This money will allow the business to scale more efficiently going into our busy summer season. Thank you for your support!”
VolTrack
VolTrack is an automotive cybersecurity company developing next-generation anti-theft technology designed to prevent modern vehicle theft before it occurs. As vehicles become increasingly digitized, organized theft groups have adapted by exploiting vulnerabilities within vehicle electronics, including relay attacks and controller area network (CAN)-bus injection. These techniques allow criminals to unlock and start vehicles in seconds without access to the physical key.
Traditional vehicle security systems focus primarily on recovery after a vehicle has already been stolen, typically through GPS tracking or insurance claims. However, recovery solutions do little to address the root problem: the ability for thieves to gain unauthorized access to a vehicle’s internal electronic systems.
VolTrack addresses this gap by introducing a proactive security platform that integrates directly with a vehicle’s electronic architecture. By combining CAN-bus immobilization technology with dual-factor authentication, VolTrack creates an additional layer of cybersecurity that prevents unauthorized vehicle operation, even when criminals gain physical access to the car.
“Winning the competition is validation that what we’re building truly matters,” says Khatol. “It’s proof that VolTrack isn’t just an idea, but a real solution to a growing problem. It gives us momentum, confidence and the resources to move faster and turn this into something that can make a real impact.”
Khatol says that this win will allow his company to accelerate both compliance and commercialization. “It supports pursuing key certifications and security standards required by enterprise partners and insurers, while also funding pilot deployments and early production,” he explains. “With this momentum, we can move from prototype to a market-ready solution and begin scaling into real-world use.”
Khatol is extremely grateful for the generous support of The Slaight Family Foundation. “Your commitment to empowering entrepreneurs continues the remarkable legacy of Allan Slaight, whose impact on Canadian innovation and philanthropy is truly inspiring,” he says. “We’re incredibly grateful to carry that forward as we build.”
Judging panel and other finalists
The judges for this year’s competition were:
- Yauheni Baldziusau (Co-founder, Managing Partner for Odyssey 3D; Ted Rogers School graduate)
- Swaraj Bhowmick (Founder of RecAbility; 2025 Slaight New Venture Competition winner; Ted Rogers School graduate and MBA candidate)
- Armin Faraji (CEO and Co-Founder of Node; Ted Rogers School Retail Management graduate)
- Steve Gedeon (Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department; Chair, Toronto Met Entrepreneur Institute; Faculty Advisor, Enactus TMU)
- Wintta Ghebreiyesus (Founder and CEO of Moon Trades Technologies; Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD in Aerospace Engineering, TMU)
- Zeeanna Ibrahim (National Marketing Manager, Lab2Market; Digital Marketing Strategy, Office of Zone Learning; TMU Master of Digital Media graduate)
- Yuri Navarro (Managing Partner, Kanata Ventures; Managing Director at Sunnyside group of companies; Ted Rogers School graduate)
- Dan Shaikh (Co-founder of Speaker Slam, TMU; Ted Rogers School Business Technology Management graduate)
Other finalists who competed in the 2026 Slaight New Venture Competition included Ashwini Gamage (Sonora Safety), Tiana Lim (_MATTER Women’s Only Kickboxing), Kevin Noureldin (Students Sealing ) and Zain Malik (Atlas Bio).