The Queen’s Innovation Connector Summer Initiative (QICSI), a 17-week paid internship program where students collaborate to launch their own business, concludes on Aug. 18 with a pitch competition.  Eight teams will vie for up to $30,000 in seed funding for their company or venture.

The pitch competition shifts to the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts for the first time this year. Tickets are available on the Isabel website. The venture presentations will begin at 1 pm and wrap-up at 5:30 pm. The awards reception will follow from 5:30-7 pm.

Last week, the Gazette introduced four of the teams and the ventures they are developing. Below are descriptions of the other teams contending for the title of “Best QICSI Venture.”

Venture profiles

• OneSpecies is stylish and sustainable apparel fighting to stop extinction, one species at a time. Every two months OneSpecies releases a new collection of clothing dedicated to one of the planet’s most at-risk animals – from the blue whale to the grasshopper sparrow. Collections are beautifully designed to represent the selected endangered species, and are made from bamboo fabrics. As a fabric, bamboo has a lower environmental impact than conventional materials and is also soft, moisture wicking and anti-bacterial.

• Paperweight Technologies is tackling some of the major issues with the home printing experience. They hope to create a product or products that will be dependable, easy to use, and are innovative in design at a price the consumer is willing to pay.

• Rockmass Technologies enhances the process of geotechnical surveying and data acquisition by improving safety, efficiency and accuracy. The device automatically maps a rock face while the software analyses the data and breaks it down into key information that is used to determine the structural stability of a tunnel, mine shaft and/or rock face.

• Tandem Therapy is a software platform that will support the relationship between therapists and their patients with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. By tracking data and cognitive exercises throughout the week, Tandem wants to help therapists monitor and improve their patients’ treatment.