Fourth-year history student Nikki Layson is Simon Fraser University’s 2014 Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Layson won the distinction for his role as part of a collaborative team behind UMI (Urinary Metabolite Indicator), a device that uses metabolites found in the body to help prevent muscle injury.

The UMI team, whose members are from across Canada—B.C., Alberta, Nunavut and Ontario—came together at the June 2014 U.S. Embassy Startup Weekend, where Layson was among participants. He says: “After 56 hours of working together over the weekend, we turned an idea into a viable business.”

A research team at the University of Alberta and the National High Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Centre (NANUC) is developing UMI’s technology. Layson's role is to market its potential. The group’s goal is to design a test to allow both professional and amateur athletes to remain at their peak level of performance, and limit injuries associated with training.

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