Two entrepreneurial teams will share a $50,000 prize in the BioVenture business plan challenge at the University of Saskatchewan.
Karthikeyan Narayanan and Zafer Dallal Bashi, through their company Eco-Oil, are developing a process to convert waste vegetable oils into biodiesel. They are building a collection network in communities.
The other winner, Patrick Mah, is targeting municipalities and companies in creating a remediation process intended for use at oil fields and mining sites.
The challenge is a joint venture of the university’s industry liaison office and Saskatchewan Agriculture aimed at accelerating opportunities in the bioeconomy. In its second year, it received submissions from U of S graduates younger than 35 years.
Five finalists, named during a presentation in Saskatoon Sept. 12, spent the fall creating business plans and working with coaches and mentors.
