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Student believes in the entrepreneurial spirit by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 27 | Thursday, June 9, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Though Oakville's Afif Bhimani didn't earn a spot in the Summer Company program, he won't give up on his dream to help homeowners find reliable repair services. The graduating White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) student was among 204 participants in this year's Young Entrepreneur, Make Your Pitch competition, which provides Ontario high school students an opportunity to pitch their business ideas in a two-minute video submission. Of the 204 entrants, Bhimani, 17, was one of 20 finalists, who pitched their concepts in-person in May at the OCE's Discovery, an innovation and entrepreneurship showcase, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The province-wide contest was presented by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. A panel of judges from the business community selected winners. "I've taken it this far, so I might as well continue with it. I will look towards entering other pitch contests and try to get some funds to start this idea. I will try to see what I can do with it," Bhimani told the Oakville Beaver. "Maybe in the future, I can develop a prototype by myself, do my own research and get people to help me." Bhimani's entry was a third-party, on-call home-repair service called Fixa, which pairs homeowners with service providers through a mobile app. Fixa has a four-step process -- the homeowner selects the date of the service, chooses a professional based on reviews and discloses specific job requirements, the service provider accepts the job, repairs are done and the user pays and confirms the transaction on the phone. "When you need a handyperson at home or if you need someone to paint your room or you need a plumber, any home repair service that requires a specialized person, you can go on the app," said Bhimani. "The idea is to make it quick, efficient and feasible for the home service provider, as well as the professionals giving the service. If you break something and you don't know how to repair it, you should be able to call someone right away and get that job done." Six Make Your Pitch winners were awarded a placement in the Ontario Summer Company Program and up to $3,000 each in start-up funds, entrepreneurial mentorship and gifts. The Oakville youth started looking into the competition two years ago, Bhimani said, noting he's entered business contests since Grade 10. "While I was doing my research, I found Make Your Pitch. When I found it, it was too late to enter it. The next year, I didn't have enough time Afif Bhimani was a teen finalist in the Ontario-wide Dragons' Den-style Young Entrepreneur, Make Your Pitch competition. His pitch was for a mobile app called `Fixa' -- an on-call home repair service. to do it, I let that go. In Grade 12, I had to do it because this is my last chance," said Bhimani. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) The idea for Fixa came to Bhimani after his parents needed to repair their sink. "We realized there should be an easier way to connect service providers with homeowners... (service providers) who are reliable and you can actually check the ratings of someone good or who fits your exact description." He said Fixa would help homeowners because it's a quick "Uber-style app," which provides everything they need to find a local provider. Bhimani plans to make the app available to download on iOS and Android devices. "There isn't really anyone currently doing this in our region or the Greater Toronto Area. I tried to research other similar companies and what they've done. From that, I tried to develop this idea," said Bhimani. "I actually made a prototype using Photoshop, with what the layout should be. It shows distance and the actual profile of the person with their rating, previous jobs they've done and testimony." For more information or to view Bhimani's twominute video pitch, visit www.makeyourpitch. ca. For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com. ON NOW AT THE BRICK! SAVING YOU MORE Compression soCks... Your legs will thank You! Oakville Burlington 380 Dundas St. E. 3350 Fairview St. T: 905.257.4335 T: 905.637.4335 2376 Parkhaven Blvd, Oakville 2376 Parkhaven Blvd, Oakville · 905-257-5880 905-257-5880 maximekitchens.ca maximekitchens.ca