App that reduces hospital wait times wins top prize at Hamilton innovation competition, Lions Lair

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Published September 30, 2021 at 3:55 pm

Ron Galaev, Founder and CEO of EmergConnect presented to the panel at 2021 Lions Lair, Hamilton's leading pitch competition.

EmergConnect took home the top prize at the 2021 Lions Lair.

The GTA-based start-up uses cutting-edge AI and machine learning to improve emergency room patient wait times, enhance patient care, and save hospitals money.

“For us at EmergConnect to win at Lions Lair 2021 – it will make a big difference in the future growth of our company,” said Ron Galaev, Founder and CEO of EmergConnect. “Lions Lair has been a phenomenal and unique experience from which we have received great value, connections, and amazing feedback.”

The application allows users to register at a hospital at home before going to the ER.

EmergConnect took home the top prize of $30,000 and earned several other perks to help the company grow.

Innovation Factory’s Lions Lair event showcases the region’s innovative start-up community and gives up-and-coming entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business to a panel of Hamilton’s top business experts and potential investors.

This is the 11th year of Lions Lair, which received over 500 registrations and handed out a total of $45,000 in cash prizes to winners.

The runner-up this year was Requity Homes, a tech-enabled real estate platform that helps transition renters into homeowners through a modernized rent-to-own program.

The People’s Choice Award, a $2,500 cash prize, went to Dirt Market, which provides a digital platform to users looking to move and receive soil based on their location.

“Every year, we’re impressed by the talent and creativity of the entrepreneurs who compete in the Lions Lair. This year’s virtual pitch competition was no different,” said Dave Carter, Executive Director of Innovation Factory.  “These are the people who drive innovation and sustain prosperity in our region, Lion’s Lair creates a whole environment that is so conducive to these companies succeeding, putting them through pitch training, the media coverage we get, is all integral to these businesses growing.”

For the second year in a row, the Lions Lair organizers at Innovation Factory planned and executed a pitch competition in an online bracket-style tournament, featuring head-to-head pitch match-ups.

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