TiEQuest Prize for Innovative LED Display

The future is bright for a group of three McMaster engineers. Nimesh Bahl, Cristian Nunez and Adrian Kitai, co-founders of Liquid Fiber Displays Inc., finished first in the TiEQuest 2008 Business Venture Competition and were awarded the coveted Ontario Entrepreneurship Trophy.

Aside from $50,000 in cash, the winners will also receive expression of interest offers from venture capital and private equity funds of up to $1,000,000, and in-kind services from event sponsors. As a premier sponsor of the competition, MaRS is providing $25,000 worth of business advisory services, market intelligence, and the use of the MaRS Collaboration Centre as a venue for meetings and presentations.

The trio outshined 200 other eager entrepreneurs pitching over 90 different ventures to a panel of judges ranging from successful global entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and business leaders. Their company produces high-resolution indoor LED displays that are less expensive, more vibrant and more reliable than traditional LEDs, while also being more energy efficient. This is accomplished by integrating a woven array of optical fibers with traditional LCD and LED technology. A prototype can be found at McMaster University’s Student Centre.

Now in its fourth year of operation, the TiEQuest competition continues to serve as a bridge between entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and has assisted a number of businesses ranging from online services to medical devices. The competition is administered by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global not-for-profit network of entrepreneurs and professionals dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship.

“TiEQuest connects entrepreneurs with investors. Through networking with experts in the industry they gain the tools and skills required to develop a business venture,” said Hari Venkatacharya, President of TiE Toronto.

For more information on TiE, please visit www.tie.org.

• Email Page
• Print Page
• Increase Font
• Decrease Font

MaRS FACTS

MaRS provides advisory services to entrepreneurs – from market intelligence and financing, to partnership building, sales and PR advice – through its team of Venture Group advisors.