Startups
Over $750,000
worth of prizes
and investment
up for grabs
Startupfest is
An event built for founders.
Besides world class content across 8 stages, the event is designed to offer concrete investments and networking opportunities throughout the entirety of the Tent Village.
Garner Attention
Top tier media in attendance
Acquire Knowledge
Over 125 speakers across 12 stages
Secure Funding
Prizes and Investment opportunities
Build Connections
Over 7,000 attendees from 20+ countries
“I was here and pitched Onavo, my company, we picked up one of the top prizes and later we get picked up by Facebook. It’s awesome.”
– Guy Rosen, Facebook
Over $750K worth of prizes and investments up for grabs
From a $100K investment prize, to our panel of Grandmother judges- there’s no shortage of pitching opportunities. Our Accelerator Lounge is home to top tier Accelerator/Incubator programs looking for outstanding startups. Meet with Chief Innovation Officers from fortune 500 companies in our CIO lounge!
The Prizes
$100K Prize
A group of angel investors comes together to award $100k+ to one startup. Open to: ANY startup in attendance.
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Where can I pitch? The $100k Prize tent or to any of the 10 investors found wearing a BLUE lanyard.
When can I pitch? You have until EOD Thursday, July 12th to pitch. If shortlisted, you will be contacted and invited to a breakfast Friday, July 13th.
Grandmothers’ Choice
Our esteemed panel of Grandmother Judges have become a Startupfest favourite, and have an unbeatable track record.
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Open to: ANY startup in attendance.
Where can I pitch? The Grandmothers’ tent.
When can I pitch? Thursday or Friday from 12-5pm.
Best Onstage Pitch
7 startups will be selected to pitch on our Keynote stage, to our mainstage audience, vying for the title of Best Onstage Pitch! Watch them pitch on July 13th!
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Open to: Applications are open to ANY startup from around the world. If selected, you’ll receive an all-access pass to Startupfest and 1 of 7 pitching slots. The Application process is now closed for 2018.
Where can I pitch? Keynote stage IF SELECTED.
When can I pitch? Friday, July 13th IF SELECTED.
Next 36 Young Entrepreneur Award
Pitch to Next 36 alumni and mentor judges for your chance to win an exclusive founder spot in the 2019 Cohort of Next 36
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– Canada’s premiere program for developing young entrepreneurs delivered by NEXT Canada. Next 36 ventures receive dedicated mentorship, founder development and up to $80K in seed funding.
Open to: Any senior post-secondary student or recent grad.
Where can I pitch: Find them in the Accelerator tent in the Tent Village and roaming the Festival at large (in their red and gray “Whats Now, What’s NEXT t-shirts).
When can I pitch: Thursday afternoon in the Accelerator tent OR you can schedule a meet up.
CBC’s Best Media Pitch
The top media pitcher to get CBC’s attention will be featured on CBC Montreal.
Open to: Any startup in attendance.
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Where can I pitch: Find them in the Media tent in the Tent Village.
When can I pitch: 12-5pm, Thursday, July 12th, and Friday, July 13th. Sign up for your time slot at the tent as of noon Thursday- they fill up fast!
NextAI Top Startup Award
Pitch to NextAI alumni and mentor judges for your chance to win an exclusive spot in the 2019 Cohort of NextAI – Montreal.
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– Canada’s first accelerator for AI-first startups, now delivered in both Montreal and Toronto by NEXT Canada. NextAI ventures receive founder development education from top faculty, entrepreneurs and scientists, plus dedicated workspace and up to $200K in seed funding.
Open to: The founders of any pre-seed AI-enabled venture or individuals with domain expertise looking to launch a new startup.
Where can I pitch: Find them in the AI tent and roaming the Festival at large (in their light blue NextAI t-shirts).
When can I pitch: Thursday afternoon in the AI tent OR you can schedule a meet up.
Startup Embassy stay in Silicon Valley
Startup Embassy, the oldest entrepreneurial community of Silicon Valley located at the heart of Palo Alto is offering 14 nights free for the best founder!
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The winning founder will be able to share 2 weeks of experiences and learning with our community of worldwide founders, mentors and investors.
You’ll have a shared place to sleep and work plus access to our network of contacts.
How to win? This prize will be awarded to the winner of the Grandmothers’ Choice Award!
Creative Destruction Lab Montreal Acceptance
CDL-Montreal is offering up a spot in their upcoming cohort! This comes with deep links into Montreal’s AI Ecosystem, opportunities to raise funding, objectives-based mentorship, Biz Dev Support, access to Silicon Valley, 1:1 meetings with mentors like Patrick Pitchette, ex-CFO of Google and more.
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CDL takes no equity in the ventures that are admitted and charges no fees; it operates entirely from philanthropic donations. We are complementary to incubator and accelerator programs, but as the only science-focused program of it’s kind, we provide a type of support unmatched outside of Silicon Valley. You can find them in the Accelerator Zone!
Diagram Fintech Innovation Open
The ideal candidate for this prize is a working professional or solo entrepreneur in the ideation phase!
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Diagram Ventures wants to award you a prize worth $50,000 to leave your desk job and come join us on our quest to find the next Canadian global leader in fintech. Whether you are a seasoned professional or an aspiring entrepreneur, we want to hear from you on how you think you can transform the financial services industry.
Apply now by filling out this brief application, brief one or two-page business plan (optional but recommended). Applicants will have scheduled meetings onsite at Startupfest!
Read more about this prize here.
National Bank
Elevate your project at Startupfest 2018!
You could win an exclusive invitation to pitch your business idea to a panel of reputable investors, as well as training, mentoring and coaching from National Bank and its partners.
Networking, Mentorship Opportunities, and Community Support
Investor Zone Powered by the DMZ
With the help of our partners at the DMZ, we’ve introduced the Investor Zone; a place for investors and startups to connect.
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Startups and Investors will be pre-selected and matched based on industry, type of funding you’re looking for, etc. All startups must pre-apply and a limited number will be chosen to have an afternoon of meetings with leading VC’s and angels on Friday, July 13th onsite at Startupfest. Apply here!
Braindates
Every participant has valuable knowledge that deserves to be uncovered, shared and tapped into. Braindate is a web platform that allows you to curate your event experience at Startupfest based on what you can learn from the collective genius around you.
Learn more
e180’s recommendation algorithm, named Freia, curates an individualized selection of braindate topics for each participant, based on their behaviour and interests.
It’s simple:
1. Explore the knowledge Offer and Requests –where all participants (including you!) post the knowledge they are willing to share.
2. Pick something you want to learn or create your own Offer or Request.
3. Book your braindates and meet in person at the Braindate Lounge!
CIO Lounge
Chief Innovation Officers from leading corporations take open office hours with startups.
Learn more
Check the schedule, note who you’d like to meet, and drop by during their “Office Hours”. First come, first served!
Service Provider Zone
New for 2018, from law and accounting firms, to government organizations offering thousands in grant dollars, come meet the service providers that can help bring your business to the next level.
Demo Space
In the heart of the Startupfest Tent Village, startups can reserve a demo table for the entirety of Thursday and Friday to showcase product, and have a homebase for the event. Interested?
Premium Content
This year, we’ve introduced even more Premium Festivals. From AI, to CannabisFest and ScaleupFest, there’s something for everyone.
See all and get a deep dive into the content best suited for your company.
Tent Village
Over 30 tents focused on showcasing different industry sectors, geographic locations, and facilitating real time connections. This is also home to the $100k Prize tent, Grandmother Judges, and more.
Onstage Content
Startupfest boasts five stages! Our Main Stage welcomes some of the biggest names in the startup world, our “How to” stage will give concrete takeaways to help you build your business, the “Future of” stage looks at how technology is going to affect our lives, the “Interactive” stage promotes dialogue between experts and attendees and our “VF” stage hosts content for the French speaking startup community!
Media Opportunities
Asides from the Media Prizes up for grabs at the event, Startupfest brings in the likes of TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine, BetaKit, VentureBeat, and more.
