PulseMedica won twice at the YEG Startup Community Awards, with the company winning the prize for Most Edmonton Startup of the Year, while business operations lead Dom Beaupre was named the Best Supporting Actor of the Year. Born out of founder Nir Katchinskiy's research at the University of Alberta, PulseMedica's non-invasive treatment uses laser innovation to target eye diseases, focusing first on the treatment of persistent eye floaters. "PulseMedica is laser-focused on improving the quality of life for millions of people," its website reads, noting that 52% of adults experience floaters with no option for treatment. The company's investors include Accelerate Fund, UA Innovation Fund, Startup TNT, and ScaleGood Fund.
The annual awards for Edmonton's startup community, presented at The Standard on May 7, also recognized Polymorph as Disruptor of the Year. It's the company behind Ronin, a humanoid robot that learns and improves over time by mirroring movements. Aqtiva, which makes "plasma-activated water" to grow stronger, healthier crops, was named New Startup of the Year. The award for Community Initiative of the Year went to Messed Up Mondays, a networking event featuring speakers who focus on parlaying failure into success. It's set to celebrate its second anniversary with an event on July 13.
In addition to those organizations, the awards also recognized individual efforts to lift up the startup community. Janice Baskin of the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network was named the Community Champion of the Year. The year's MVP was Dawn Osland, founder of Osland Medical Billing Tools, who organized a pitch competition for primary care providers. Shauna Woo, program lead for the ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service at the U of A, was named the Connector of the Year. And Kamaru Beyan received the award for Rising Star of the Year for her work in femtech.