Victory Square Partner Alex Chieng Wins World's Largest AI Hackathon - from Pet Tech to Times Square

Rhea-AI Summary

Victory Square Technologies (OTC:VSQTF) announced that Alex Chieng, CEO of their portfolio company Pawsible Ventures, has won the world's largest AI hackathon hosted by Bolt.New. The competition featured over 100,000 participants from 150+ countries.

Chieng's winning project, Loafie, is an AI-powered emotional support app developed in under two weeks and will be featured on Times Square billboards. Previously, Chieng founded Vetsie, a leading digital veterinary care platform, establishing partnerships with Mars Petcare, Merck Animal Health, and Antech Diagnostics.

Through Pawsible Ventures, launched in partnership with Victory Square, Chieng now focuses on supporting entrepreneurs in the $300+ billion global pet industry, specifically in pet wellness, AI, and health-tech sectors.

Positive

• Portfolio company CEO wins major global AI hackathon among 100,000+ participants
• Expansion into pet wellness and AI sectors through Pawsible Ventures
• Strategic positioning in the $300+ billion global pet industry

Negative

• None.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 14, 2025) - Victory Square Technologies Inc. (CSE:VST) (OTC Pink: VSQTF) ("Victory Square" or the "Company") proudly announces that Alex Chieng, CEO of Pawsible Ventures and Victory Square portfolio company, has been named one of the winners of the world's largest AI hackathon, hosted by Bolt.New — a global platform at the forefront of AI innovation.

More than 100,000 builders from over 150 countries competed in the Bolt Hackathon, submitting AI-powered products across verticals like health, wellness, creator tools, and finance. Backed by leading voices from OpenAI, Hugging Face, Notion, Stripe, GitHub, Stability AI, Replit, Founders Inc., and a16z, the competition is one of the most competitive and future-facing showcases of real-world AI talent.

Loafie: A Hug in Digital Form

Chieng's winning project, Loafie, was co-founded with Hyejee Bae and designed as a gentle emotional support app that feels like a warm hug in digital form. Created for founders, creatives, and high-performers navigating burnout, stress, and self-doubt, Loafie delivers soft, AI-powered encouragement to help users reset and recharge. Built and shipped end-to-end in under two weeks, the app is already live on the App Store — and will soon appear on digital billboards in Times Square alongside other global winners.

"Loafie was a creative reset — something kind, calming, and personal I could build quickly," said Chieng. "After years in fast-paced pet health tech, I wanted to test how intentionally I could go from idea to reality. That same speed and empathy are now at the heart of what we're building with Pawsible Ventures."

From Vetsie to Victory

Prior to launching Pawsible, Chieng served as founder and CEO of Vetsie, one of North America's leading platforms in digital veterinary care. Over five years, he developed deep partnerships with Mars Petcare, Merck Animal Health, and Antech Diagnostics, giving him a front-row seat to the evolving needs of pet owners, veterinary professionals, and the $300+ billion global pet industry.

Now, with Pawsible Ventures — launched in partnership with Victory Square — Chieng is channeling his experience into a launchpad for entrepreneurs building the future of pet wellness, AI, and health-tech. The venture equips founders with capital, product mentorship, rapid prototyping support, and deep operational expertise to help them move fast and build boldly.

"Alex is the kind of founder who doesn't just see the future — he builds it, fast," said Shafin Diamond Tejani, CEO of Victory Square Technologies. "Winning the Bolt hackathon proves what we already knew: that Alex is world-class. And with Pawsible Ventures, we're backing his mission to find and empower the next generation of visionary builders in pet health and beyond."

About Bolt

Bolt is a global platform for AI builders — home to the world's largest AI hackathon and a vibrant ecosystem of developers, designers, and product creators. Backed by top-tier investors including GV (Google Ventures), Emergence Capital, Madrona, and Mantis VC (The Chainsmokers), Bolt's mission is to identify and elevate the most promising new AI products in the world.

The Bolt Awards recognize the top projects across various categories, chosen from tens of thousands of submissions. Winners receive cash prizes, global exposure, and startup support — and are celebrated with digital features in Times Square and across the AI community.

Learn more: https://bolt.new/awards

About Pawsible Ventures

Pawsible Ventures is a Victory Square-backed company investing in the future of pet wellness. Led by Alex Chieng, Pawsible focuses on launching and scaling startups that improve the lives of pets and their humans through AI, diagnostics, mental health, behavior tools, and platform technology.

With demand for smarter, more accessible pet care at an all-time high, Pawsible is uniquely positioned to lead innovation in the $300B+ global pet market — backed by real founder experience, tech velocity, and the full support of Victory Square's venture studio model.

Learn more: http://www.pawsible.vc/

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Shafin Diamond Tejani"
Chairman & CEO, Victory Square Technologies Inc.
www.victorysquare.com

For further information about Victory Square, please contact:

Investor Relations Contact - Abbey Vogt
Email: ir@victorysquare.com
Telephone: 604 283-9166

Peter Smyrniotis - Director
Telephone: 604 283-9166

ABOUT VICTORY SQUARE TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Victory Square is a Venture Builder that provides investors a liquid way to invest in early-stage technology companies without buying a venture fund that requires accredited investor status or multi-year commitments.

• A diverse portfolio of 25+ innovative companies from around the world (founders come from: Ireland, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Australia, India, Brazil, the Middle East and North America)
• Sectors include: Digital Health, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain/Web3, Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR/AR), Gaming, Climate Tech
• Owner-operated (approx. 15% Management Ownership)

Business Model:

The Victory Square business model is to buy, build and invest in early stage tech companies. We spend upwards of 48 months with those companies until they're ready to spin-off or stand on their own. There are a couple of unique elements to our business model…

1. We have unparalleled access to startups through our internal incubator and International network with over 250+ founders, investors, tech accelerators and venture capital firms from more than 60 countries.
2. Second, our management team and advisors are actively involved in our investments from incubation through monetization, providing them with financial, operational, and strategic support to scale globally.
3. We drive value by monetizing investments and reinvesting the gains in new innovations. The strategy was to build a self-sustaining business.

VST is a publicly-traded company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, and listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (VST), Frankfurt Exchange (6F6) and the OTC Pink (VSQTF).

For more information, please visit www.victorysquare.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "may," "plans," "will," "anticipates," "intends," "could," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "projects" and similar expressions, and the negative of such expressions. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this news release are forward looking statements. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company, execution of business strategy, future performance and future growth, business prospects, synergies and opportunities of the Company and its related subsidiaries, and other factors beyond the Company's control.

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made, including, but not limited to the Company being able to capitalize on the acquired assets, the ability of acquired assets to maintain its value as presently contemplated, the synergies of the acquired assets with the Company's operations, and such other assumptions presented in the Company's disclosure record. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and GameOn disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/262455

FAQ

What did Victory Square (VSQTF) announce about the Bolt.New AI hackathon?

Victory Square announced that Alex Chieng, CEO of their portfolio company Pawsible Ventures, won the Bolt.New AI hackathon, competing against 100,000+ participants from over 150 countries.

What is Loafie and how did it win the Bolt.New hackathon?

Loafie is an AI-powered emotional support app developed by Alex Chieng and Hyejee Bae in under two weeks. It provides gentle encouragement for founders and creatives dealing with burnout and stress, earning recognition as one of the hackathon winners.

What is Pawsible Ventures' role in Victory Square's portfolio?

Pawsible Ventures is a launchpad for entrepreneurs in pet wellness, AI, and health-tech, providing capital, mentorship, and operational expertise to founders in the $300+ billion global pet industry.

What is Alex Chieng's background in the pet care industry?

Alex Chieng previously founded and served as CEO of Vetsie, a leading digital veterinary care platform, where he developed partnerships with major companies like Mars Petcare, Merck Animal Health, and Antech Diagnostics.