Splitchase was founded by Hussain Jalaluddin, a Master of Business Administration graduate from York University, with a background in product management and digital marketing. The challenge was to create a platform that allows users to share their shopping carts, deals, discounts, and trips to outlets with others who have similar needs. The goal was to create a matching app for the transactional needs of tangible goods, allowing users to save on shipping costs. The platform needed to be user-friendly, allowing customers to create listings, specify details about the deal, and connect with others who want to share the costs.

Adam Parish, a longtime member of the Spokane startup scene, identified a gap in the local tech job market. He noticed that global sites like LinkedIn and Indeed made it challenging for job seekers to learn about their local tech scene and discover who was hiring. The lack of a dedicated platform for local tech job listings was hindering the growth of the tech community in Spokane. Additionally, Parish wanted to create a more open and knowledgeable community, but he didn't have the coding skills to develop a traditional app. He needed a solution that would allow him to create a user-friendly app without having to learn to code.

Staft Toronto was founded by Brian Meadows, Jesse Brito, and Brent McClenahan with the aim of connecting students and recent graduates in the hospitality industry to server and bartender jobs in Toronto. The founders also wanted to provide a platform for small and large event venues to find servers or bartenders. However, they faced challenges in creating a user-friendly platform that could handle the complex functions required for such a service. They needed a solution that would allow them to control the user experience, user interface, and back-end logic of their app, while also enabling fast creation and testing.

Starlity was founded by Edward Li and Kelvin Cheng with the aim of providing a platform for sellers to manage their sales and reach a global audience. The challenge was to create a platform that could react quickly to customer needs and adapt to changes rapidly. The founders wanted to leverage their combined experiences and skills to create a solution that would streamline the sales process for sellers and optimize their product listings. The need for a platform that could handle the complexities of global sales management and provide a seamless user experience was evident.

Startly, a startup management platform, was founded with the aim of helping new entrepreneurs turn their ideas into fully funded companies. The platform was designed to offer a gamified, all-in-one approach to entrepreneurship, with modules for learning, concept development, and community building. However, the challenge lay in creating a fully functional web app without having to write a single line of code. The founder, David Griffin, had a background in IT and Project & Product Management roles, but he needed a low-cost solution that could offer all the necessary features and tools for building the app.

StowShare, a startup aiming to become the 'Airbnb of storage', faced the challenge of creating a platform that would allow users to easily find and rent storage spaces in their vicinity at a lower cost. The founder, Tristan Bietsch, had a vision to create a company that would serve over a million people and make a significant difference in the world. However, the main obstacle was the lack of coding skills to develop a marketplace website MVP. Traditional storage units were often expensive, far away, too small, and came with contracts, making them inconvenient for many users. The challenge was to create a platform that would allow people to find storage in their area from hosts or become hosts themselves, making storage and parking more accessible, convenient, and affordable.

StringTheories, an online marketplace for guitar tutors, was founded by Alex Cooney, a former finance professional. The platform was designed to connect guitar students with suitable instructors in Dublin, Ireland. However, the initial development of the platform posed a significant challenge. Alex initially attempted to build the site using a traditional CMS platform, but found it inadequate for his vision. The challenge was to find a platform that could provide the flexibility and comprehensiveness required to bring his vision to life.

SubSocket was founded by Thimo Waanders, a web application designer with no coding background. He was passionate about designing web applications but faced challenges in adding advanced functionalities due to his limited coding ability. He was also frustrated with the time-consuming process of setting up PayPal payments, which required going through extensive PayPal documentation. This process was not only complex but also took away valuable time that could be spent on developing other aspects of a project. The challenge was to find a solution that could simplify the process of setting up PayPal payments and make it accessible to users without a coding background.

Nick Hutton, the founder of Suite Books, had a vision to create an online book community that would allow users to keep track of their reading habits, share reviews, and connect with other readers. However, he faced the challenge of developing a digital product that could scale quickly and efficiently. Having previously run an e-commerce business in Australia, Nick understood the potential reach of a digital product. However, he also knew that traditional coding could be time-consuming and complex. He needed a solution that would allow him to build a robust, user-friendly app without the need for extensive coding knowledge.

Tara Homes was founded by Madeline Li to address a significant financial challenge faced by homeowners in Germany. Many homeowners were struggling with financial difficulties and needed a way to access the equity in their homes without resorting to traditional loans, which often come with high interest rates and monthly repayments. Li, with her background in finance and law, recognized the need for a solution that would allow homeowners to convert a portion of their home equity into cash, providing them with immediate financial relief. However, as someone with limited coding experience, Li faced the challenge of developing a user-friendly app that could facilitate this process.

TasteJury, a restaurant review app, was founded by Aaron Taylor with the aim of providing a bias-free platform for users to find the best food in different cities. The challenge was to create an app that focuses solely on the quality of food, disregarding factors such as service, ambiance, or cost. The app was designed to be particularly useful for food enthusiasts traveling to a city for a few days and wanting to experience the best food. Traditional review platforms like Yelp, Trip Advisor, or food/travel blogs often contain biased or paid reviews, and their focus is not solely on the food. Therefore, there was a need for a platform that could provide reliable and unbiased information about the best food in a city.

Tech and the City, an initiative aimed at bridging the gap between universities and innovation, faced a significant challenge in its early stages. The team, led by founder Marios Kontis, wanted to create an app that would allow users to create and watch events about innovation. However, they lacked the technical expertise required to build such an app. They initially hired a team of tech experts to work on the app's Minimum Viable Product (MVP), but the process was time-consuming and the final product did not meet their expectations. The team needed a quick, affordable, and efficient solution to build their app without having to delve into the complexities of coding.