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Susan White

Student-led companies offering solutions to health-care problems topped the ninth annual Mel Woodward Cup last night.

, founded by Samuel Adeniyi, won the top prize of $25,000 for his job search app that helps assess certifications for personal care workers and speed up the hiring process for care agencies.

Mr. Adeniyi is an international student from Nigeria in his final semester of the Master of Environmental Science Co-operative Education Program at ������Ƶ University.

“I’m grateful to the Woodward family for their generous support,” he said. “It greatly helps students on their entrepreneurial journey.”

This is Mr. Adeniyi’s second attempt at the competition, as he made it to the semi-finals in 2024. Feedback from the judges in that preliminary round was a factor in this year’s success, he says.

“The feedback we got was around scaling and the peculiarities of what the business process looks like for agencies in different regions,” he said. “So, to learn more, we travelled to Halifax and Toronto last year, which became very helpful in drafting a road map for our potential expansion and product build.”

Mr. Adeniyi was inspired to create Kierep after working as a personal care worker and hearing about the importance of the work from clients. He recognized a need for greater efficiency in hiring processes so clients can get the help they need more quickly.

He’ll use his winnings to leverage other funding sources to support planned expansion to Halifax, Toronto and eventually the U.S.

The Mel Woodward Cup is a startup pitch competition for ������Ƶ University students.

Hosted by the ������Ƶ Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE), the competition was created through a donation to the Faculty of Business Administration by the family of the late Dr. Mel Woodward, founder of the Woodward Group of Companies.

Runner-up: NutraForge

The $15,000 runner-up was , a nutrition intelligence and optimization platform for health practitioners and their clients.

Co-founder Garreth Kippenhuck, a PhD student at the Faculty of Medicine, was inspired to create the company after it took him over a year to determine an appropriate diet to manage his Crohn’s disease.

“It has since put us on a mission to solve a problem for gastroenterologists and their supporting practitioners, like dietitians and nutritionists,” Mr. Kippenhuck said, adding that no product currently exists that quickly generates meal plans based on specific individual needs.

NutraForge was created in January 2024 and launched in app stores last week. The company is already generating revenue.

Mr. Kippenhuck co-founded the company with Jager Cooper, a master’s student in computer science, who is NutraForge’s chief technology officer.

Mr. Kippenhuck is from Charlottetown, Labrador, and Mr. Cooper is from Hodge’s Cove, N.L.

“We’re incredibly thankful to be the runner-up,” said Mr. Kippenhuck. “We gain far more insight beyond what the money can provide. The feedback alone is paramount to future business directives.

“Even though we’re happy with the result, we’re keen to improve upon our result at the next pitch opportunity,” he added. “Our company is laser-focused on getting our product to market for practitioners in the next month or so.”

Entrepreneurial ecosystem

Both Kierep and NutraForge are products of the entrepreneurial ecosystem at ������Ƶ.

Mr. Adeniyi took part in ’ Evolution Program in 2023 and Kierep is currently part of VOLTA, a startup hub for Atlantic Canadian companies.

NutraForge was part of Genesis’ incubator Enterprise Program as well as , which supports entrepreneurs in the health innovation sector.

The top two teams also receive a variety of in-kind prizes from Altitude Media, Atlantic IP Advantage, Gardiner Centre, Genesis, KPMG, Perfect Day and techNL.

The other companies making the top five are listed below.

• Myovine uses sensors and an app to track muscle activation remotely, improving physiotherapy compliance through data-driven progress tracking and feedback (CEO Anna Behm and developers Prince Authoy Singha, Jubaira Abedin Ayeshe and Alan Kochukalam George, all engineering students)
• Notable is an AI agent that records, summarizes and extracts action items from meetings, helping teams and professionals stay organized and execute tasks (CEO Lumi Oyelowo, a business student; co-founder Samuel Ayomide Adeoye, a computer science graduate; and chief marketer Chidinma Okpalaeke, a political science student)
• Storelx Inc. is an online marketplace connecting people with extra space to those who need storage space (co-founder/CEO Selim Fahmy, a business student, and co-founder/CTO Nour ElDeen Fahmy, a science student)

Fry Family Foundation awards

Two additional awards valued at $2,500 each were also presented.

Myovine won the Fry Family Foundation Entrepreneurship Award for Women or Non-binary Leadership.

BracedMind Wellness took home the Fry Family Foundation Entrepreneurship Award for an Early-stage Idea. The semi-finalist company founded by Oyedolapo Oyesiji, a graduate student at the Marine Institute, offers an AI-powered journal that transforms digital distractions into self-growth.

The 2025 Mel Woodward Cup received 47 applicants from 30 companies.

Amy Burridge, the ������Ƶ Centre for Entrepreneurship’s interim director, was pleased with the diversity in this year’s competition.

Applications were received from eight faculties, three campuses and across all degree levels, she says, adding that 33 per cent of all applicants and semi-finalists were women.

“Diversity in entrepreneurship is an important priority for the ������Ƶ Centre for Entrepreneurship, and we’re very pleased to see the impact our strategies and collaborations have had on the students we serve,” Ms. Burridge said. “The Mel Woodward Cup is a springboard for all of the companies who applied, and we’re thrilled to be in our ninth year and getting stronger and more impactful every year.”

The centre aims to inspire and support aspiring student entrepreneurs by offering foundational training, guidance and access to funding and connections to create high-growth businesses.

It’s supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, and private donors.