Innovation in Policing: Hyper Wins 2025 Pitch to the Chief™ Competition
The V13 Policetech Accelerator is pleased to announce that, yesterday, Hyper was named the winner of the 2025 Pitch to the Chief™ competition, following an exceptional morning of live pitches at Venture13 in Cobourg.
Pitch to the Chief™ is a flagship event hosted by the V13 Policetech Accelerator, an innovative partnership between Nventure and the Cobourg Police Service, funded in part by the Government of Ontario. The event is designed to connect early-stage companies with policing leaders across Ontario. This year’s call focused on enhancing policing efficiency through Canadian-made solutions that reduce administrative burdens, optimize resource deployment, and support frontline officers.
Prequalified by Cobourg Police Service Deputy Chief Jeff Haskins and his selection committee, six finalists were invited to present their technology live to a panel of Ontario police chiefs. Each finalist had 10 minutes to pitch, followed by a 10-minute Q & A session with the judges.
The 2025 Pitch to the Chief™ finalists included:
Rubicon – RubiFEEDBACK, an automated, multi-channel service feedback system that integrates directly with CAD systems to gather real-time community sentiment and support evidence-based decision-making.
Hyper – A voice AI solution that manages non-emergency calls for service, alleviating pressure on overburdened communications departments and reducing wait times for urgent calls.
Monerus – A transformative AI-enhanced light bar system that consolidates multiple policing tools into a single unit—integrating license plate recognition, HD video, and real-time threat detection.
Spectra Plasmonics – Amplifi ID, a portable chemical analysis system capable of detecting unknown drug mixtures, including fentanyl, in under two minutes with plain language reporting and secure data logging.
Standard Field Systems – Evidex, a mobile platform that digitizes standardized field sobriety test results, improving reporting accuracy and significantly reducing administrative workload.
Invisguard – A multimodal, privacy-preserving radar-based system that monitors inmate vital signs and behaviors without cameras, enabling real-time detection of medical distress and self-harm through AI-powered alerts and a customizable dashboard.
Manu Agnihotri, Chief of Staff at Hyper, delivered the winning pitch and was awarded the opportunity of a $30,000 Grand Prize Package, which includes cash, investment consideration, workspace at Venture13, and a potential pilot project in collaboration with the V13 Policetech Accelerator. Hyper’s technology was selected for its demonstrated ability to increase operational efficiency and alleviate pressure on communications teams.
“This year’s finalists presented a powerful set of solutions that reflect the growing importance of innovation in policing,” said Paul VandeGraaf, Chief of Police, Cobourg Police Service. “The winning solution by Hyper stood out for its immediate potential to improve frontline operations and community trust. We’re excited to see how this technology evolves with the support of the V13 Policetech Accelerator.”
Chief VandeGraaf was joined on the judging panel by Chief Stuart Betts (Peterborough Police Service), Chief Michael Pearce (LaSalle Police Service), and Chief Derek Davis (Sarnia Police Service), who echoed his sentiments about the exceptional caliber of this year’s pitches.
“This event showcases the incredible value of bringing policing systems and entrepreneurs together,” said Wendy Curtis, CEO of Nventure. “Our goal is to empower scalable, real-world solutions that benefit the entrepreneurs, police services and the communities they serve. We are so proud of every entrepreneur who stepped on stage today.”
About the V13 Policetech Accelerator
The V13 Policetech Accelerator is a joint initiative of the Cobourg Police Service and Nventure, committed to excellence in policing operations and leadership in community safety innovation. Located at Venture13, this unique collaboration offers competitively selected researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators the opportunity to validate new approaches to twenty-first century policing in a controlled and defined small-town, pilot-scale environment. The V13 Policetech Accelerator is funded in part by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Rural Affairs’ Rural Economic Development Program.
About Nventure
Nventure is an innovation organization based at Venture13, focused on funding, financing, and strategy services for entrepreneurs. Nventure drives economic advancement by investing in entrepreneur and industry-led growth in Northumberland, southern Ontario, and across the country, through numerous initiatives such as the Community Futures Program (CFP), thriveFORWARD, DELIA, and StrikeUP Canada.
About the Cobourg Police Service
Formed in 1834, the Cobourg Police Service (CPS) is an innovative force committed to community safety and operational excellence. CPS Corporate Services division (located at Venture13 in Cobourg) is Canada’s leading national wholesale provider of online criminal records checks. Under the leadership of Paul VandeGraaf, Cobourg’s thirteenth Chief of Police, CPS is at the forefront of creative and collaborative approaches to policing and innovation.
