Harry W. MacLauchlan (1926–2002) combined his entrepreneurial initiative, work ethic, business judgment, and people skills, with a deep commitment to his family, community, and province. The MacLauchlan family has endowed an award to help advance and encourage entrepreneurial students at UPEI to build innovative ventures that will grow and benefit Prince Edward Island communities.   

The Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program - Panther Pitch

The Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program is dedicated to the development of students having an entrepreneurial outlook who will create and lead new ventures on PEI.

Participants on 2023–2024 competed for a chance to win part of the $62,000 in prize money, and through being a part of the program gained invaluable experience, mentorship, and networking opportunities within the PEI startup ecosystem. The Panther Pitch program enabled them to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

2024 MacLauchlan Panther Pitch Results

$62,000 in prize money was available to support and propel Panther Pitch participants' entrepreneurial ventures. Students received prize money through three main channels:

Entrepreneurial Awards ($15,000)

Written awards focused on specific concepts within startups. Each entrepreneurial award had a 1st place prize of $2,000 and a 2nd place prize of $1,000. Students could apply for up to three of the awards:

Best Financial Plan

• 1st Place: Breathe Clean Heat Pump Solutions
• 2nd Place: ToGo Services

Best Market Research

• 1st Place: Breathe Clean Heat Pump Solutions
• 2nd Place: Truly Motivated

Most Innovative Venture

• 1st Place: EyeQ Tech
• 2nd Place: Duck Power Thermal Energy Storage

Positive Impact Award

• 1st Place: Digital Tech Care
• 2nd Place: Collabrix AI

Scalability Excellence Award

• 1st Place: ToGo Services
• 2nd Place: Digital Tech Care

Funding through Pitching ($41,000)

Students were able to apply to pitch for funding to help develop their projects. This funding aimed to provide tangible support for the development and growth of their entrepreneurial endeavours. Teams that received funding based on their pitches are:

• ToGo Services: $15,000
• Digital Tech Care: $10,000
• Breathe Clean Heat Pump Solutions: $8,500
• Pastelle: $2,500
• Senior Services: $2,500
• Duck Power Thermal Energy Storage: $2,500

Pitching Awards ($6,000)

While students pitched for a portion of the $41,000 main prize pool, they also competed for one of three pitching awards. Each pitching award was valued at $2,000:

• Most Effective Slide Deck Award - Pastelle
• Questionnaire Extraordinaire Award - Breathe Clean Heat Pump Solutions
• Dynamic Pitch Delivery Award - ToGo Services

We celebrate the students and companies that received support through the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program this year and look forward to its return in 2024–2025!

For any inquiries, please reach out to us at hwm_startups@upei.ca.