The Grandmothers’ Choice Award

At first blush, a panel of grandmother judges at a startup competition may inspire a notion of, “Well if a grandmother can understand it, anyone can.”
But that would be a wrongful assumption. Blessed with the experience only decades of seeing right through BS can grant a person, Startupfest’s grandmother judges can destroy a bad pitch. And this year, they’re back and better than ever.

You may remember them as the judges who picked Onavo — the company that went on to be acquired by Facebook for a cool $150 million — as the clear winner of the grandmother prize in 2012. And last year’s Grandmothers’ Choice award went to Revols, the custom-earphone maker that recently raised $2.5 million in Kickstarter preorders.

As one of the most popular pitch contests at Startupfest, countless entrepreneurs line up each summer to make their cases to the grandmothers — and for good reason. These ladies can see a good idea (or a bad one) from a mile away, and they certainly have no qualms about calling it as they see it.

The winner of the (non-cash) grandmother prize may not walk away with newfound riches; they will, however, leave with a treasure-trove of good advice. So, come and test you and your startup’s mettle at the grandmothers’ judging tent in Startupfest’s Tent Village.

Meet this year’s grandmother judges:

BRENDA

Grandmother is a title Brenda wears with pride. She says she has finally come to the stage where she is almost always right! Brenda’s journey has been long and arduous. First, she had to complete her schooling- BA and B’Ed from McGill. After graduation, she realized she wouldn’t be doing children any favours by pursuing teaching, so she morphed into a Real Estate Entrepreneur. First as a developer and administrator and later as a Real Estate Broker specializing in properties in the west end and downtown core of Montreal. Brenda LOVES to travel, and especially loves her winters away from the cold. She’s also working on getting her fourth hole-in-one! Brenda feels that she can spot a good new Startup and is excited about the forthcoming festival.

DOREEN

Doreen Rouse Croll was born in England. She has an Honours Degree in Zoology with a Special Honours in Parasitology from Imperial College, London University and a Diploma in Education form McGill.

Before retirement, Doreen taught in England, California and Montreal.

Her two greatest achievements are here at Startupfest!

SONIA

Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sonia obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Concordia University and a Masters in Industrial Relations from l’Université de Montréal. For years she’s owned and operated a special events company in Montreal. In her spare time, Sonia enjoys playing bridge, completing crossword puzzles and swimming. Sonia is proud grandmother of 5!