UBC Enterprize Case Competition awards innovative pipeline leak detectors

Vancouver’s business future is looking alive and well, with hundreds of young entrepreneurs coming together at the Enterprize Canada Case Competition at UBC this past weekend to showcase their ideas in a Dragon’s Den-type platform.

Agile Monitoring Equipment (AME) took first place this year, with their technology aimed at solving the problem of leaks in oil pipelines. Through expertise in nano-technology, the young scientists and engineers at AME managed to develop tiny devices with hair-line sensors that traverse along pipelines that spot pinhole leaks.

Their business plan noted that leaks are often only noticed when workers physically inspect the pipeline. AME is reportedly in talks with Enbridge, Transcanada, and Shell Oil, and may provide a way for oil development to becoming more environmentally responsible and prevent future spills. 

The finalists were judged by an exciting panel of industry professionals who judged the business plans of five teams that made it through stiff competition at the event finale. The other finalists included start-ups to produce a more efficient retail stock system (T5 Analytics), and a cheaper alternative to competitive swimwear (Aasith), the winner of the bunch offered a new solution to pipeline spills. 

Enterprize Canada is an organization was set up in 2001 to connect students and their business ideas with established industry professionals through offering workshops, high-profile lectures, and networking opportunities. Twelve years later, Canada’s premier case competition conference remains student-run.