Brampton, Canada – The Entrepreneurship World Cup Canada National Finals held virtually on December 1 was organized by Startup Peel in partnership with Brampton Innovation District and OneValley. Seven top startups pitched virtually from various locations across the globe. An audience of investors, incubators and accelerator experts watched while a judging panel of four experts evaluated the startups and mutually selected the top four who would continue their journey to the global finals. The event was covered globally through various digital media channels.
The top four finalists are PragmaClin, Opalia, Hollo Medical and Marlow.
PragmaClin, an ideation startup developed PRIMS (Parkinson's Remote Interactive Monitoring System), an out-of-the-box, fully integrated remote patient monitoring system. PRIMS will rate the severity of a full range of symptoms by collecting movement and quality of life data which will improve connectivity and outcomes, by enabling clinicians to tailor treatment based on individual patient profiles.
“PragmaClin is so excited to be able to showcase our solution on the global stage. Although we are in the early days, we are just getting started! Thank you so much to the organizers for the opportunity to show off what we have been working on!” - Bronwyn Bridges, Co-Founder & CEO, PragmaClin
Opalia, an ideation startup is the first and only Canadian company to make whole milk with mammary cells. By leveraging mammary cells' natural ability to make milk, they can make dairy products that taste and function just like traditional milk.
“It’s an honor to represent Canada at the Entrepreneurship World Cup Finals at Riyadh. I am so excited that Opalia has the opportunity to share our solution, to make our food system more sustainable, globally.” - Jennifer Côté Co-Founder & CEO, Opalia
Hollo Medical Inc, an early stage startup was founded to reduce the burden of chronic respiratory disease. Its first product, the Hollo Chamber, transforms the current cumbersome, standard of care inhaler valved holding chamber into a device that achieves optimal drug deposition and can easily fit into a pocket.
“It’s truly a privilege to share Hollo’s mission on the global stage next to these other inspiring Canadian companies. This is not just a massive sign of support for Hollo, but for all those living with chronic respiratory illness.” - David Hodgson, Co-Founder & CEO, Hollo Medical
Marlow, a growth stage startup, is the newest menstrual health brand that has created the first-ever lubricated tampon delivered through a direct-to-consumer model.
"We are honoured to be representing Canada on the world stage. Entrepreneurs truly are working on the world's to do list and we are excited to meet other passionate entrepreneurs that are creating an impact. We are so grateful to Startup Canada and all of its community for all of their support so far!" - Nadia Ladak, Co-Founder & CEO, Marlow
The finalists emerged victorious from a pool of hundreds of contestants who applied – each receiving access to free virtual training services and up to $25,000 in perks to help them take their venture to the next level.
In preparation for the EWC Global Finals, the finalists will participate in a bootcamp which features virtual training and mentoring sessions targeted to their company’s current stage and growth trajectory.
The top 100 Global Finalists will receive $100,000 worth of in-kind services and support from service providers such as AWS, Freshworks, Oracle, Hubspot, Stripe and Segment.
Global finalists also gain automatic entry into the GEN Starters Club, an invitation-only community of talented founders from around the world.
Other finalists in the EWC Canada National Finals included:
- Algi from Calgary, Alberta, a startup that is the first company in Canada creating delicious, purpose-driven food products centered around algae. Our introductory product is the IMPACT Bar, a plant-based endurance bar made with clean, real food ingredients. The bar is high in protein, iron, and omegas, and offers sustaining energy.
- Responsibli from Toronto, Ontario, a startup that uses cutting-edge AI to structure the world's information for responsible investors, so they never miss an ESG risk or opportunity.
- MOC Biotechnologies from Halifax, Nova Scotia, a startup that offers a cutting-edge 4D bioprinting platform for researchers aiming to accelerate their research efforts in the life sciences and drug research spaces.
Judges for the competition were:
- Liberty White, Creative Director, CHOZEN MEDIA
- Neha Bahl, Partner, Renew Venture Capital
- Juan, Scarlett, Head of Ventures, OneValley
The EWC Canada National Finals were organized by Startup Peel in partnership with Brampton Innovation District and sponsored by OneValley.
Since launching in 2019, the competition has attracted 400,000 registrations from 200 countries and connected founders with over US$3M in cash prizes and another US$256M worth of perks and free support and services.
Global Finalists will face off against one another in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in March 2023.
EWC is an initiative led by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and Monsha’at, with support from a collection of national and global partners including One Valley, The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF), Entrepreneurs’ Organization, KAUST and Startup Genome.