If you’re gearing up to raise a seed round in 2026, the playbook has changed. At a recent Startup Grind panel, a group of seed investors spelled out exactly what they’re looking for — and what’s getting founders passed over. Here’s what you need to know.

The bar has moved: come with traction, not just an idea

The cost to build has collapsed. AI tools mean a motivated founder can ship a working product in weeks, not months. Investors know this, and they’ve adjusted their expectations accordingly.

“The cost to build is almost zero these days”

That means showing up to a seed meeting with nothing but a deck and a vision is increasingly not enough. Investors now expect a working prototype at minimum — and if you have early customers, even better.

One investor pointed to a portfolio company called Nectar Social, an AI platform for community management, as an example of the new standard: they raised their seed round with a working product and actual paying customers already on board.

The market is both flush with cash and brutally concentrated

There’s a strange tension in seed markets right now. Capital is abundant — “tons of money in the system,” as one investor put it — but it’s flowing to a smaller and smaller number of companies. A handful of AI startups are vacuuming up enormous rounds, while the rest of the market fights for scraps.

One investor described this openly: “It’s a hard environment to be in where this much money is being concentrated in so few companies.” They also noted that early venture — the art of backing founders before outcomes are obvious — is getting squeezed out as the market turns more transactional.

The best investors still want to fund before things are known. That window exists. But it’s just narrowing.

What investors are actually looking for in founders

Credentials, pedigree, and even age matter far less than people assume. What investors are actually reading for is a specific set of signals.

A life mission, not just a startup idea

The bar isn’t “I have a good idea.” It’s “I am the person who was always going to build this.” Investors are betting on a 10–12 year relationship, and they need to believe the founder will survive the emotional ride that entails.

“If you have a vision and you feel so clear in your heart, in your gut that this is what is your life mission,” one investor said, “and you can articulate it and actually find the investor that sees it with you and can be your partner on this journey — I think it’s fascinating.” What they’re looking for is a missionary, not a mercenary.

Is there a real “why” behind what you’re building? That’s the question they’re asking themselves as you pitch.

Boldness and a contrarian point of view

Safe ideas don’t produce outlier returns, and investors know it. They’re drawn to founders who hold views that feel a little uncomfortable — people willing to bet on a future most haven’t seen yet. Being bold doesn’t mean being reckless; it means being willing to articulate a conviction clearly even when the room isn’t sure yet.

The ability to build and sell

One investor put it plainly: “The first thing I look for is: can you build and can you sell?” These are often treated as separate skill sets that get split across a founding team, but at the earliest stage, investors want to see that the lead founder can do both — or at least credibly lead both.

The selling piece matters especially for storytelling. “That narrative is so critical,” one panelist said, “because it defines how you’re going to hire people you shouldn’t have any business hiring, how you’re going to get funding you shouldn’t have any business getting, and how you win your first customers.” A founder who can build but can’t tell the story is leaving enormous leverage on the table.

Hands-on involvement in the product

The panel was clear: investors want founders who do the work, not just manage the people who do. They’re watching for the founder who is in the product details day in and day out, setting the standard by example rather than delegating from a distance.

One investor described an Uber leader as the model: deeply embedded in product decisions, going to Singapore to interview an intern to understand local market needs firsthand, still working alongside the team at midnight. That kind of operational presence signals both genuine commitment and the self-awareness to know where value actually gets created.

Relentlessness and speed, at any age

“That relentlessness, that speed” — one panelist repeated this phrase as if it’s the filter everything else runs through. The good news: this is a mindset trait, not a demographic one.

The panel was explicit that great founders come from all age groups. Younger founders tend to be more technical and carry fewer preconceived notions — which is part of why the panel sees a “renaissance of weird products” as building gets easier. But older founders are also coming off the sidelines in this moment, and investors welcome that. What they’re evaluating is drive and mental agility.

Consistent follow-through over time

A great first pitch is table stakes. What actually builds investor conviction is a pattern of doing what you said you’d do.

One investor described being a fan of founder updates for exactly this reason: “Meeting the same person multiple times and saying ‘I’m going to do a thing,’ and then you show up the next time and you did that thing — plus more.” If you’re building investor relationships before your raise, treat every interaction as a chance to demonstrate follow-through. It compounds.

A culture of relentlessness built around the mission

Finally, investors are looking at the team you’re assembling, not just you. Are the people around you bought into the mission? Do they want to win, or are they just taking a paycheck?

“You need to build a culture of relentlessness around hiring the right people that are really bought into the mission and really want to win,” one investor said. This ties directly to how you lead — whether intensity in your company comes from inspiration or from pressure. Investors can usually tell the difference.

Narrative is a competitive weapon

In a crowded market, your story is your differentiation. One investor described seeing five companies pitching in the same space, and then a sixth walked in with a completely different quality of insight: “They told the story in such an authentic way that they have an insight of what’s coming in the short term and what they see in the long term.”

Investors want to fund the company that will be big in three to five years, not the best version of what exists today. “We’re not looking for the incremental sixth player, even if the market’s very big,” one investor said. They’re looking for founders with a genuine, forward-looking viewpoint — not just pattern-matching on what’s already working.

On valuations: don’t optimize for the highest number

Seed valuations in AI are at all-time highs right now. The panel was clear: that’s a trap.

“You cannot optimize for the biggest valuation,” one investor said. The logic is simple — whatever you raise at, you have to grow into. Take an inflated seed valuation, and you’ve set a high bar for your Series A at a time when “if there is a correction, it can be very brutal.”

More importantly: the right investor is worth far more than a few extra million on the cap sheet. Choose partners who will actually help you, who believe in what you’re building, and who will be useful in hard moments.

On hustle culture: intensity from mission, not mandate

The panel pushed back firmly on the idea that founders need to work themselves into the ground. “996 is the output of culture, not the input point,” one investor said.

The key distinction: intensity that comes from believing in the mission is valuable and sustainable. Intensity that comes from mandated hours is neither. As one investor put it, “If AI is supposed to make you so much more productive, you don’t necessarily need to work like you’re burning out.”

Build a team that genuinely wants to win — not one that’s grinding out of fear. That’s the culture investors want to see.

The bottom line

The 2026 seed market rewards founders who show up with evidence: a product that works, a life mission, a narrative about the future that’s original, and a track record of doing what they said they would. The money is there. The bar is just higher, and the competition for the best investors is fierce.

The investors on this panel were clear: they’re still excited to back people before outcomes are certain. But they need to see enough signal to believe you’re the one.

About the Author

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Seed Fundraising in 2026: The Real Reasons VCs Fund or Pass appeared first on BYVI.

Toronto Tech Week 2026 kicks off May 25–29, and the calendar is wild: 500+ events spread across 30-something neighbourhoods, all happening at once. Great problem to have, tricky logistics. If you’re an early-stage founder, every hour is double-booked, half the rooms are noise, and the ones that actually matter aren’t always the loudest.

These are my top picks if I were running a pre-seed or seed-stage company this year. And this is the filter I was using: investor access, peer-founder density, useful fundraising intel, co-founder and hiring leverage, and the conversations actually worth showing up for.

TiEQuest Summit 2026: Building in Canada for the World

A morning of talks and panels on what it takes to build and scale Canadian companies globally, hosted by TechTO, the community where a surprising amount of Canadian tech quietly happens.

Why you should be there: If you’re an early-stage founder, this is the fastest way to get a read on what’s resonating with Canadian VCs and operators right now. The conversations you overhear in the room are worth more than the talks themselves, and a strong showing here sets up the entire rest of the week. Best for pre-pitch positioning and ecosystem mapping. Register →

Builder Sprint Toronto

Hosted by Highline Beta, a pre-seed VC and corporate venture studio, this is the closing demo + awards night of a week-long sprint where teams build working prototypes against real industry challenges.

Why you should be there: Even if you didn’t participate in the sprint, this is one of the highest-leverage rooms of the entire week for a pre-seed founder. The judging panel and audience are stacked with people who actually write first checks, and Highline’s whole reason for existing is finding 0-to-1 founders worth backing. Show up, ask smart questions, and you’ll be on their radar. Register →

Google for Startups Accelerator: Canada Demo Day

The polished demo day for Google’s Canadian accelerator cohort, investor-heavy audience, well-produced format.

Why you should be there: Two reasons. First, this is a free, no-pressure way to calibrate your own pitch against the cohort that just got picked over thousands of applications. Watch what they show, what they skip, and how they handle the hard questions. Second, the back of the room will be full of investors and program operators — exactly the people you want to be on the radar of when you start your raise. Register →

Reverse Pitch Night with Smart & Biggar

The format is inverted: instead of founders pitching VCs, the investors take the stage and pitch you. They share what they actually want, how they evaluate founders, and what gets a deal across the line.

Why you should be there: Most fundraising advice you read online is generic. This is investors saying out loud, to a specific room of Toronto founders, what they’re funding this year. If you’re 3–12 months away from a raise, this is the single most tactically useful evening of the week. Register →

MaRS Mornings — Hype vs. Reality: Valuation in the Age of AI

A panel of working investors — Brandon Zhao (Two Small Fish Ventures), Parinaz Sobhani (Sagard), Robbie Marks (MaRS IAF) — talking about how AI is reshaping risk and valuations.

Why you should be there: Valuations have moved dramatically in the last 18 months, and if you’re raising as an AI-adjacent company (which is most of you), you need to know what investors are actually willing to pay and why. The room is small enough to ask follow-up questions afterward, which is where the real intel lives. Register →

Toronto Tech Week 2026: Homecoming

The official main stage of the week, with a heavyweight speaker list: Tobi Lütke (Shopify), Nick Frosst (Cohere), Andrew Macdonald (Uber), Alex Danco (Andreessen Horowitz), Lulu Cheng Meservey (Rostra), Emily Hosie (Rebel), Rob Khazzam (Float), and more.

Why you should be there: This is the only day all year where the entire Canadian tech ecosystem is physically in one building. The talks are genuinely good, but the lobby is where you’ll meet the people who matter — fellow founders, investors, operators, future hires. Apply for in-person access if you can, the livestream is a fine plan B. Register →

OneEleven Pitch Showcase

Four standout Toronto startups, five minutes each, pitching to a packed room of investors and operators, followed by a VC-to-VC conversation about current market conditions.

Why you should be there: Watching peers pitch is the cheapest, fastest way to upgrade your own pitch. You’ll see exactly what’s working, what’s falling flat, and what investors actually lean forward for. The VC panel at the end is unusually candid because they’re talking to each other, not to a stage full of LPs. Register →

TTW 2026: Fundraising in 2026 — Panel & Mixer

The most explicitly fundraising-focused event on the entire calendar. Panel first, then a mixer.

Why you should be there: Go for the second half. The mixer is the highest concentration of founders-in-active-raises you’ll find all week, which means you’ll meet people in your exact stage and situation. Compare notes on which investors are responsive, which terms are reasonable, which intros are worth chasing. Founder-to-founder intel beats anything you’ll hear on the panel. Register →

9. Co-Founder Connect

An evening structured to help builders find or strengthen their founding teams.

Why you should be there: If you’re solo, or you have a skills gap on the team — usually technical when you’re business, business when you’re technical — this is worth six months of cold outreach. The format is built around matching complementary skills, not just networking, and the people who self-select into this room are serious about teaming up. Even if you don’t find your co-founder, you’ll find your first engineering hire or design partner. Register →

The Shortlist Founder Showcase: Toronto Edition (Presented by Boardy)

This is the talent room of the week. Six of Canada’s most consequential builders take the stage and each shares what they’re building plus the exact roles they’re hiring for right now. Then a curated mixer. Andrew Yeung and Boardy hand-pick the room: operators, builders, and executives who’ve actually shipped things.

Why you should be there: Two reasons. First, the operators in this room are exactly who you want as your first five hires — pre-vetted, job-curious, and the kind of people who pick a company based on the founder, not the comp band. Second, watching these outstanding founders pitch for talent is a masterclass in how to position your own company when you’re ready to recruit. Apply early, attendance is intentionally limited. Apply →

A Few Last Things

One piece of practical advice: register early. The best events fill up fast, the most popular ones already have waitlists, and others sold out weeks ago.

Once you’re in, two more things. The lobby usually beats the stage. Some of the best conversations of the week happen in the in-between moments, so leave room in your calendar for the unscheduled. And follow up within 48 hours, or it didn’t happen, everyone you meet is about to vanish back into their own busy week.

Tech Week pays off when you show up with a clear goal, not just a full calendar. Plan accordingly, and have fun out there.

About the Author

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Toronto Tech Week 2026: Must-Attend Events for Early-Stage Founders appeared first on BYVI.

A single visit and one honest story can stretch a runway, attract partners, and turn a quiet team into a city-wide conversation. That’s the power startups unlock when they throw their doors open, and why this announcement matters.

Startup Open House – Produced by TechTO, Powered by Elevate, In Partnership With ElanTech – is back in Toronto on Thursday, October 9, from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

It’s a city-wide backstage pass where Toronto startups are opening their doors to visitors. You can swing by to meet the teams behind Cohere, Clio, Wattpad, and many other disruptive companies. Or drop into accelerators like MaRS and NEXT Canada to meet founders. No velvet ropes or complicated RSVPs, only real conversations with the people actually building the future.

This event is for every hustler who believes one conversation can change their trajectory. Professionals looking for their next role. Investors chasing raw insight. Students trying to figure out where they fit in tech. And yes, all the bootstrapped, still-eating-ramen innovators who haven’t made it onto TechCrunch yet (my favorite kind of people).

Why Startup Open House Matters Right Now

Toronto’s startup engine is not hype – it’s numbers. The city hosts roughly 1,400 startups, more than a third of the country’s total. We’re ranked 1st in Canada and 23rd worldwide, but many of these founders still struggle for the spotlight.

Community events counter another worrying trend. A national BDC report shows Canada has about 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs than it did in 2000. Fewer new companies means fewer fresh ideas. Opening office doors and lowering the “warm-intro” barrier is one direct remedy.

Networking isn’t casual small talk. It’s how you survive. LinkedIn’s research reveals that 70% of hires happen where candidates already know someone. Customers, partners, and early employees follow the same rule.

Open House squeezes all that relationship-building into 4 high-energy hours. No gatekeepers. No inflated sponsorship packages. Just founders and the people who can help them level up.

How to Sign Up for Startup Open House

Make the Most of Startup Open House

Bring hustle, curiosity, and a portable charger – you’re good.

Set one micro-goal before each stop so every visit has purpose.

• Job seekers: aim to learn one role’s day-to-day and secure one follow-up contact.
• Founders: collect one actionable piece of feedback and one concrete next step.
• Investors/advisors: identify one thesis signal and one founder worth a quick coffee.

Face Time with Founders

This is not a trade-show floor stacked with junior reps. You’ll talk to the people who coded the first line, closed the first sale, and begged the first customer for feedback. Ask them why they pivoted twice before landing product-market fit. Extract the lesson for your own roadmap.

Experience the Office Culture with No Filter

Company culture pages rave about transparency. Walking into a stand-up tells you if that claim is real. Feel the room. Check the whiteboards. See whether team members speak up or sit silent. Culture clues hide in plain sight, all you have to do is look.

Join the Elevate Festival & Startup Open House Afterparty

After the Startup Open House, head to FUTURE for the afterparty. Celebrate, connect, and unwind among founders, creators, and startup supporters. There will be light snacks, fun surprises, and talks that turn quick intros into genuine connections. Come to relax and soak up the vibe.

Startups You Should Visit

These are the startups you absolutely need to visit, especially if you’re bootstrapped. Drop in, ask for a demo and listen to what’s keeping the team up at night.

Arima – Market Intelligence for Data-Driven Decisions

Founded in 2020, Arima offers an unlimited-use platform that overcomes the usual slow, costly, and hard-to-access limits of marketing mix modeling (MMM). It lets marketers measure how their omni-channel efforts drive business objectives.

Address: 123 Edward Street

Arima’s platform is built on Synthetic Society, a privacy-by-design database that statistically mirrors real consumers using over 10,000 attributes from trusted sources like census data, market research, mobility patterns, and purchase behavior. In a straightforward interactive UI, marketers can combine their data with ours to measure campaign performance, draw deep consumer insights, optimize cross-media plans, and visualize trends on interactive maps, all in one place.

Baseline – Loan Origination and Servicing Platform for Private Lenders

Baseline is a tech platform that helps teams who originate and service loans work faster, use data smarter, and foster better relationships with investors, borrowers, and partners.

Address: 507 King Street East

Baseline’s platform streamlines the day-to-day of private lenders – centralizing loan workflows, improving data quality, and tightening connections with investors and borrowers. The company’s north star is simple: reduce frictions in private lending so financing becomes faster, fairer, and more available to those who need it.

Cyder – Loyalty Platform for Credit Unions

Cyder helps credit unions and community banks compete on what makes them different: relationships. Built specifically for financial institutions that win on service over scale, they provide a loyalty and rewards platform that transforms everyday banking into opportunities for deeper member engagement and measurable growth.

Address: 64 Niagara Street

The Cyder platform gives credit unions 3 core capabilities:

• Co-design a loyalty program tailored to specific goals – whether that’s reducing churn, increasing product adoption, or deepening engagement.
• Automate reward campaigns with built-in targeting that eliminates manual tracking.
• Monitor real-time analytics on member behavior, engagement, and redemption to see what’s working and optimize the approach.

Ditto – Digital Twins That Live in the Real World

Address: 30 Adelaide East

Ditto builds detailed digital twins of real populations to run fast, reliable global market research. Their platform uses official data plus culture and behavior inputs to create simulated audiences tailored to specific markets and business needs.

This system provides real-time, always-on insights that update with current news and trends, letting companies test products and messages quickly with accurate, context-rich feedback across regions and segments. It replaces slow traditional research by offering direct dialogue with digital twins anytime.

Floqer – The CRM Data Engine

Floqer helps sales and marketing teams automate outbound growth by enriching CRM data and powering AI-driven outreach. Its mission is to remove manual research and admin work so go-to-market teams can focus on meaningful customer conversations.

Address: 75 Berkeley Street

The platform connects to CRMs and over 75 trusted data sources to enrich leads, update company info, and trigger personalized outreach. AI agents then automate research, message creation, and sequencing – turning complex manual workflows into smart, data-driven automation.

Impro.AI – Enhance Business Performance with Daily Human Guidance and AI Insights

Impro.AI pioneers performance technology by combining human coaching expertise with AI to boost employee and organizational performance. Their mission is to bridge the gap between learning and actual behavior change, empowering individuals through daily micro-coaching and delivering actionable insights to management.

Address: 460 Richmond Street West

The platform uses AI to analyze behavioral patterns and provides personalized guidance to employees while summarizing coaching sessions to help managers track progress and growth opportunities. This continuous, human-AI hybrid approach drives measurable business outcomes like revenue increases and cost savings.

Morphace – Personalized and Wearable Beauty Tech

Morphace develops data-driven, wearable skincare technology aimed at making anti-aging treatments personalized, automated, and convenient for busy individuals. Their mission is to bring clinical-grade skin health monitoring and treatment home, providing personalized insights and reducing guesswork in skincare.

Address: 20 Dundas Street West

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They accomplish this through a smart mask device that uses non-invasive electrodes to promote skin cell remodeling and tracks key skin health metrics such as deep hydration, barrier strength, and inflammation. The device pairs with an app that analyzes these metrics to deliver tailored skincare recommendations and treatment adjustments, backed by advanced data analytics and machine learning.

Next Unicorn – An all-in-one platform for startups and investors

Next Unicorn is a platform dedicated to connecting early-stage startups with reputable investors who are ready to fund promising ventures. Their mission is to help startups “raise smarter, not louder” by matching them with investors aligned to their vision and helping investors discover, evaluate, and co-invest in high-potential startups poised to disrupt industries and create global change.

Address: 450 Front Street West

They achieve this through an all-in-one digital marketplace offering curated deal flow, pitch battle competitions and access to mentorship and capital. This platform streamlines the fundraising process, giving startups strategic support and investors improved deal visibility and efficiency.

Penseum – Instantly Create AI Study Guides, Flashcards & Quizzes

Penseum is an AI-powered learning platform focused on making education personalized, accessible, and effective. Its mission is to support students and teachers by providing tools that simplify and enhance the learning process through innovative tech.

Address: 240 Richmond Street West

Penseum transforms study materials like notes, PDFs, videos, and slides into interactive flashcards, quizzes, bite-sized lessons, and step-by-step solutions. It offers real-time AI assistance, multi-language support, and community engagement through its Ambassador program and Discord, enabling students to study smarter and more efficiently from any device.

RenMobi – Pioneering Innovation in Electric Vehicles

RenMobi is a renewable energy and mobility company on a mission to make long-range electric vehicles affordable for everyone. They aim to reduce carbon footprints and promote sustainable transportation through innovative energy technologies.

Address: 44 Gerrard Street East, Ryerson Clean Energy Zone

They develop cutting-edge solutions including a Thermal Storage System that optimizes EV heating, AI-driven vision learning, and robotics to enhance manufacturing automation. RenMobi integrates renewable energy and advanced technology to improve efficiency and sustainability in the automotive and housing industries.

Ryzome – Better soil. Better Plants.

Ryzome is a Canadian company that transforms urban and construction waste into natural, nutrient-rich fertilizers and soils to support sustainable agriculture and gardening. Their products include chemical-free plant food, biochar, rock powder, and wood vinegar, all designed to improve soil health and plant growth by recycling nutrients found in organic waste.

Address: 90 Niagara Street

Their mission is to reconnect people with nature by closing the nutrient loop – recovering waste and returning it as living soil amendments that nourish plants, farms, and cities. Ryzome aims to build healthier ecosystems and communities through circular economy principles, offering solutions that are natural, clean, and impactful for farmers, industries, and plant enthusiasts alike.

SingleKey – Take the Risk Out of Renting

SingleKey offers an integrated platform for landlords and property managers in Canada to screen tenants, manage rental risks, and guarantee rental income. They combine full credit checks from Equifax, TransUnion, or Nova Credit with detailed employment and income verification to deliver comprehensive tenant reports.

Address: 276 Queen Street West

Their Rent Guarantee program protects landlords from missed rent payments, property damage, and eviction costs, providing financial and legal support. SingleKey also offers automated rent collection and a digital rental application process, simplifying leasing and reducing landlord risk while helping tenants build credit history and improve rental access.

eslTAGS – Smart Electronic Shelf Labels

eslTAGS offers smart electronic shelf labels that replace paper tags with digital displays for fast, remote price and product updates. Their battery-powered labels use e-ink and LCD screens with wireless connectivity like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, reducing labor costs and boosting accuracy.

Address: 101 College Street

The system integrates with retail POS and ERP systems for real-time updates and supports retail applications like dynamic pricing, inventory management, and foot traffic analysis using advanced radar tech. This helps retailers boost efficiency, improve pricing accuracy, and enhance customer trust.

The Final Say

A city is only as alive as the connections pulsing through it. On October 9, Toronto’s tech heartbeat will thunder. I’ll be around, phone in hand, capturing stories for BYVI and probably losing my voice from all the high-energy chats.

Will one of those chats be with you? I hope so. The next product pivot, career leap, or investor match can start with a single open door and a five-minute conversation.

See you out there!

About the Author

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Startup Open House: The Startups You Can’t Miss appeared first on BYVI.

If you’re debating whether to book that flight to Vancouver next spring, here are some numbers that might help. Web Summit Vancouver 2025 drew over 15,000 attendees, 600 investors, and 750 startups to the waterfront Convention Centre. And those aren’t just networking statistics – projections show the event will generate CA $172M in direct spending and CA $279M in total economic impact across BC over the next 3 years.

I know that you can find plenty of conferences promising inspiration, deal flow, and great coffee. But, in my experience, when a region already leads North America in high-tech job growth and then invites the Web Summit brand to throw its first full-scale North-American event there, you get a mash-up of ambition and opportunity that’s hard to replicate.

British Columbia also maintains a 30-year track record of commercializing world-class technologies. Put simply, if you care about product-market fit and global distribution, Vancouver offers you a living laboratory where climate tech collides with fintech, healthtech rubs shoulders with gaming, and new immigrant founders stand a realistic chance of acceleration without sacrificing identity.

Agriprix : Where Farm Meets Algorithm

Do farmers dislike software dashboards? Apparently not! Agriprix allows growers to provide inventory quantities and receive AI-generated price recommendations. Since margins in farming are razor thin, that few-hour head start means the difference between selling strawberries fresh or sending them to jam producers at a discount.

This vision of modernizing agriculture while respecting its traditions runs deep in Agriprix’s leadership DNA. CEO Enes Kaan Ozturk’s emphasis on “bridging traditional farming with modern solutions” isn’t just corporate speak – it reflects a nuanced understanding that farmers aren’t looking to abandon centuries of agricultural wisdom, but rather to augment it with smart technology. The platform doesn’t replace a grower’s intuition about market timing, instead it enhances it with data-driven insights that can make the difference between profit and loss.

The financial reality behind this technology-meets-tradition approach is what CFO Altug Ozaslan calls “financial sustainability and innovation going hand in hand.” In an industry where a single weather event can wipe out months of investment, Agriprix’s model of providing immediate, actionable pricing intelligence represents a fundamentally different approach to agricultural risk management. Rather than selling farmers expensive software licenses they might not fully utilize, the platform creates value that directly translates to revenue optimization – making the technology pay for itself through better market decisions.

Perhaps most intriguingly, CTO Samet Genc’s promise to provide “data from the future” hints at Agriprix’s predictive capabilities extending beyond simple price recommendations. By analyzing market trends, weather patterns, and consumer demand signals, the platform doesn’t just tell farmers what their strawberries are worth today- it helps them understand what they might be worth tomorrow, next week, or next season. This forward-looking approach transforms farming from a reactive business into a strategic one, where growers can make planting and harvesting decisions based on anticipated market conditions rather than historical guesswork.

TheAfterEve: Relationship Transition Guidance

Divorce and separation are universal human experiences, yet navigating them often feels isolating and overwhelming—even for those with significant resources and support systems. TheAfterEve was born from this exact realization when founder and CEO Dana Buckley, despite having a successful career at Indeed.com, excellent legal representation, and a PhD in political science, found herself crying over boiling pasta water during her own difficult divorce in 2021. That moment of feeling “utterly overwhelmed” and “deeply alone” crystallized a market gap: there was no single, comprehensive resource to help people navigate relationship transitions with both practical guidance and emotional support.

What makes TheAfterEve unique is its foundation in lived experience rather than theoretical expertise. Buckley’s journey from that overwhelming March evening to bootstrapping the company with her own post-divorce savings reflects the platform’s core philosophy—that people should be “the captain of their own ship and the architect of their own life.” The company doesn’t just offer expert-backed resources for emotional wellbeing and financial decisions; it provides the kind of comprehensive, compassionate guidance that Buckley wished she’d had access to during her darkest moments.

TheAfterEve’s approach recognizes that relationship transitions aren’t just legal or financial events—they’re deeply personal transformations that require both practical tools and emotional support. By combining content, tools, and services specifically designed for people navigating romantic relationship changes, the platform serves as both roadmap and companion for one of life’s most challenging journeys, helping users remember that “brighter days lie ahead.”

IcePanel: Collaborative Architecture Diagrams

IcePanel is a modeling and diagramming tool that helps software dev teams communicate and plan technical changes. You can create interactive maps of your software systems, zoom in and out of different detail levels, and link your diagrams directly to your code. It’s basically turning those static docs we all hate updating into something that actually feels alive and useful.

The tool uses the C4 model, so you can zoom from big-picture system context all the way down to detailed component views. What’s really helpful is that as your code changes, IcePanel automatically updates the diagrams for you. No more outdated architecture docs that everyone ignores because they’re three months behind reality.

With Y Combinator backing them, IcePanel’s got some early street cred in the dev tools space. They’ve nailed the balance between letting teams collaborate and keeping things from turning into a complete mess with their granular access controls. Users are calling it “Figma for backend blueprints,” which honestly captures the vibe pretty well – it makes complex system architecture feel way more approachable and less intimidating. They’re currently looking for software developers to join their team, which makes sense given how much traction they’re getting.

3DentAI: Dental Diagnostics from Your Smartphone

3DentAI is shaking up preventive dental care with AI-powered at-home diagnostics that actually make sense. Based in Vancouver, they’ve built a platform that lets you monitor your oral health using a compact smart camera and real-time AI analysis, basically bringing the dentist’s expertise to your bathroom mirror.

The idea is simple but powerful: catch problems earlier, get better outcomes, and make dental care way smarter than the current “wait until it hurts” approach. Their AI can instantly pre-screen dental images, and what’s really impressive is that their model was developed directly with experienced dental professionals, so it’s not just some generic AI trying to figure out teeth.

The platform goes beyond just taking pictures though. They’ve built intuitive annotation tools specifically for dentists to help train and continuously improve their diagnostic models, plus a full telemedicine module that makes it easy for patients and dentists to connect.

The team behind it is a solid mix of engineers, dentists, and AI researchers who are all focused on the same goal: making dental health more accessible, proactive, and data-driven instead of reactive and expensive.

Abili-Tech Systems:  AI That Listens With Its Eyes

Abili-Tech tackles a barrier that, in my experience, still stumps a surprising number of public service providers: seamless communication between sign-language users and hearing communities. Their flagship mobile app translates sign language to speech or text – and back again – while running mostly on-device.

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Their multi-dialect support can recognize regional ASL variations and adjust pronunciation for the voice output. The startup also aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 (quality education) and 10 (reduced inequalities), making it attractive to impact investors increasingly required to report ESG metrics.

Prompta AI: Making Change Manageable

Change management has always been more art than science – until Prompta AI brought data-driven precision to one of business’s most human challenges. Since 2020, the company has been proving that AI-enabled change management reduces costs by an average of 25% while delivering better outcomes. Their approach recognizes that successful organizational change requires both cutting-edge technology and deep human understanding.

What sets Prompta AI apart is making the invisible visible. While traditional change management relies on intuition and periodic surveys, Prompta AI provides real-time insights into workforce sentiment and organizational dynamics. This allows change leaders to spot resistance before it becomes rebellion and identify adoption opportunities before they’re missed—shifting from reactive to predictive change management.

The platform excels in the most challenging scenarios: digital transformations, M&A integrations, and culture shifts. Through user-friendly readiness assessments and progress tracking, Prompta AI enables leaders to maximize productivity while ensuring widespread adoption, mitigate resistance before it derails progress, and minimize the chaos that typically accompanies major organizational change.

This hybrid methodology – pairing data science with human connection – has turned transformation from a high-risk gamble into a manageable, measurable process that scales to each organization’s unique needs.

BuildCheck AI: Spotting Construction Plan Errors Before They Break Ground

This California-based team emerged from Stanford’s computer-vision lab to build an intelligent plan-review platform that performs over 200 automated checks across all disciplines and design documentation—from floor-plans and elevations to details, schedules and specifications.

For Alexander Michalatos, whose background spans the construction industry from bottom to top, the comprehensive technology represents a solution to a problem he’s wrestled with throughout his career. The son of a Greek-Canadian residential contractor, he grew up on job sites from houses to hospitals before earning a mechanical engineering degree at UBC, where he graduated top of his class. His career progression took him from building design to construction management at Honeywell Building Solutions and later EllisDon as a general contractor, followed by an MBA at Stanford while working in real estate development both domestically and abroad.

This diverse experience ultimately led him to co-found BUILDCHECK, driven by a persistent question: why can’t designs be perfect?

EyecareX: Eye care – Anytime, Anywhere.

EyecareX runs eye exams with nothing but a smartphone. Their software guides users through a self-administered scan and then leverages AI to flag markers of preventable diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Licensed optometrists review any anomalies, closing the loop between automation and professional oversight.

Many critics thought that tele-optometry would always require bulky peripherals or in-clinic imaging. EyeCareX challenges that assumption by pushing the cost of hardware down to a consumer-friendly range, creating a solution that benefits everyone in the eye care ecosystem.

For patients, the platform delivers accessible eye care directly to their homes through smartphone-guided tests—eliminating travel time, reducing barriers to screening, and making preventive care available regardless of location or mobility constraints.

For healthcare providers, EyecareX enhances clinical efficiency by handling initial screenings remotely, reducing appointment backlogs, and surfacing actionable diagnostic data—allowing practitioners to concentrate their expertise where it’s most valuable.

Trustful Clinical Budgeting: Getting Clinical Trials Off Excel

Clinical trial financial management remains surprisingly antiquated in an otherwise high-tech industry. Despite the billions invested in medical research annually, 82% of the market still relies on manual Excel tracking – an approach that leads to 20% budget overruns, project delays, and extended study timelines. Trustful Clinical Budgeting was built to solve this fundamental disconnect between the operational complexity of clinical trials and the financial precision they demand.

The platform serves as a comprehensive bridge between operations and finances through three integrated modules. The Client Module manages contracts and tracks the critical gaps between planned and actual work, ensuring milestone-based billing stays on track. The RFP Module automates budget estimation by allowing users to input key trial parameters – countries, sites, monitoring frequency – and generates accurate budgets using customizable templates. Meanwhile, the Vendor Module helps manage the complex web of contracts with vendors and freelancers across multiple countries, ensuring all costs are properly categorized and tracked.

What sets Trustful Clinical Budgeting apart is its focus on being a “simple budgeting tool for the operational team” rather than just another financial software. By providing automatic budget calculations, expenditure pattern analysis, and cost-saving opportunity identification, the platform empowers research teams to make informed financial decisions in real-time. This operational-finance integration transforms clinical trial budgeting from a reactive, Excel-based headache into a proactive, data-driven advantage that keeps studies on time and on budget.

Goose Insurance: A One Stop Shop for All Your Insurance Needs

FinTech North will buzz with plenty of neobanks and credit-builder apps, but you’ll notice Goose – or SmartBunny in the United States – because their cheerful bunny mascot bounces across the screen as if to say, “Insurance can be fun too.”

Goose now serves 750,000 customers, and churn sits dramatically below industry averages because the interface simplifies renewals into a tap rather than a dreaded email thread. The company’s strategy of rebranding for U.S. users shows a nuanced understanding of cultural positioning: Americans respond better to playful animals than to Canada’s avian metaphor. If you want a lesson in user-experience friction-slashing, study Goose’s onboarding flow end to end!

Goparity Canada: Crowdlending for Projects That Make an Impact

Goparity lets Canadians invest in sustainability projects with as little as CA $20, tracking both financial returns and environmental impact like carbon emission reductions. The platform focuses on storytelling as much as numbers, showing investors exactly what their money is funding and what kind of change it’s creating in the world.

The company has managed to get licensed as an Exempt Market Dealer across several Canadian provinces, giving it regulatory approval that many fintech startups struggle to obtain. This licensing allows Goparity to operate legally while balancing the need to tell compelling impact stories with the strict disclosure requirements that securities regulators demand.

What makes this particularly interesting is how this startup is democratizing sustainable finance – turning what used to be large-scale institutional investing into something ordinary people can participate in with small amounts of money. The platform shows how crowdfunding can drive real environmental and social change by connecting individual investors directly with projects that are making a measurable difference.

Reeltro: Video-First Professional Networking

The disconnect is obvious: while professionals spend hours scrolling through engaging video content on social platforms, they’re still stuck presenting themselves through outdated text resumes and static LinkedIn profiles. Reeltro believes this mismatch is holding back the next generation of professionals, so the platform reimagines professional networking by bringing the engaging, authentic format of TikTok to career development, allowing users to “be seen, be heard, be hired” through short-form professional videos rather than generic job descriptions and text-heavy profiles.

Reeltro’s mobile-first approach addresses a core problem in modern hiring: authentic representation. While traditional platforms rely on polished text and carefully curated achievements, Reeltro encourages users to “showcase your authentic self for the best first impression” through video resumes and customizable profiles. This format allows professionals to demonstrate the skills that “pay bills”—from technical expertise to creative prowess—in ways that static resumes simply cannot capture.

The platform’s innovation extends beyond individual profiles to reimagine the entire hiring ecosystem. Video job postings allow employers to showcase company culture and values dynamically, while giving job seekers genuine insight into potential roles and workplace environments. This two-way transparency helps create better matches and reduces hiring friction. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in its design, Reeltro isn’t just disrupting professional networking—it’s working to ensure that talent recognition isn’t limited by traditional formatting constraints or unconscious bias embedded in text-based screening processes.

Curie: Shop in 3D

Curie is a startup that creates incredibly detailed 3D versions of products for online shopping, focusing on making e-commerce feel less flat and more interactive. The company addresses a fundamental problem with online shopping: you can’t really understand what you’re buying from a few photos, especially for items where texture, shape, and feel matter. Using what they call “deterministic agents” to avoid the unreliable outputs that often come from AI systems, Curie builds accurate 3D digital twins of products without requiring any physical scanning of the actual items.

The technology works particularly well for products like sneakers, where buyers want to understand the shape, texture, and construction before making a purchase. Instead of just looking at flat images, shoppers can explore every detail of a product in three dimensions, getting a much better sense of what they’re actually buying.

Beyond just the visual technology, Curie operates as an e-commerce platform that brings together buying options from various partner merchants. They provide data-driven insights, product comparisons, and detailed descriptions alongside their immersive 3D catalog. The company’s goal is to bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping experiences, giving customers the confidence to make purchases by letting them virtually handle products before they arrive. For retailers, this could mean fewer returns and more satisfied customers who know exactly what they’re getting.

ComplyPilot: Next-Gen Compliance for Financial Institutions

ComplyPilot uses AI to help banks and financial institutions handle regulatory compliance more efficiently. The company tackles a problem that costs financial institutions enormous amounts of time and money: staying compliant with complex federal regulations like Reg Z, HMDA, and BSA requires teams of experts to manually review everything from marketing materials to social media posts. What used to take days or weeks of careful analysis, ComplyPilot can now do in hours, automatically flagging potential violations and providing specific guidance on how to fix them.

The platform works on several fronts simultaneously. It can review social media posts before they go live, catching content that might violate regulations while suggesting compliant alternatives that still sound like the company’s voice. It also analyzes internal policies to identify gaps between what companies are doing and what current regulations actually require. The system includes a smart document search that can quickly find relevant regulatory information from complex financial rules, plus collaboration tools that help compliance teams stay consistent across different departments.

Instead of just helping companies react to compliance issues after they arise, ComplyPilot is designed to spot potential problems early. The platform integrates with existing workflows without disrupting how teams already work, but adds an extra layer of automated checking that catches regulatory risks before they become violations. For financial institutions, this means less time spent on manual compliance reviews, fewer regulatory violations, and better documentation when examiners come calling. The system essentially creates a single source of truth for compliance knowledge that the entire organization can use.

APIHS: Next-Gen Protective Coatings

While most coating companies focus on incremental improvements to existing products, APIHS is fundamentally reimagining what protective coatings can achieve. The research and development company pushes the boundaries of material science to create next-generation formulations that deliver superior durability, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Their approach goes beyond traditional coating applications—they’re developing ecological liquid solutions that are simultaneously thermal, waterproof, fireproof, and environmentally protective.

What sets APIHS apart is their strategic focus on solving real-world challenges through advanced material science. Their liquid thermal insulation solutions directly address CO2 reduction goals by providing energy gains for buildings and industrial equipment, while their optimized formulations enhance both material efficiency and application processes. This isn’t just about better coatings—it’s about creating environmental solutions that help companies reduce their carbon footprint while improving operational performance.

APIHS thrives on strategic collaboration with industry experts and research institutions, recognizing that breakthrough innovations require collective expertise. Their rigorous approach combines advanced research into novel compounds with performance optimization and sustainable alternatives, ensuring each product undergoes extensive testing and refinement. By balancing cutting-edge technology with competitive pricing through reduced raw material and transport costs, APIHS is positioning itself to meet evolving market demands while making advanced coating solutions accessible to a broader range of industries.

Econsciousness: Transform Waste Into Resources

A Mexican startup Econsciousness has found a clever way to tackle environmental problems while making money: they literally turn waste into valuable resources. The company creates practical solutions like portable dry toilets, natural fertilizers made from waste, and clean energy systems for everyone from government offices to music festivals.

Econsciousness goes beyond just selling environmental products. The founders realized that many businesses want to go green but don’t know how to do it profitably, so they created a programs to help.

Their “Prisma Method” helps entrepreneurs build businesses that actually make money while helping the planet. Instead of generic business advice, they work with each startup to create custom strategies that balance profit with purpose. Think of it as business consulting with a conscience.

Unlike many startups that just talk about sustainability, this company is actually showing other businesses how to make it work financially. In a country where many startups struggle to balance doing good with staying profitable, they seem to have figured out a formula that works for both.

Airble: Private Aviation, Unlocked

Private aviation has long been synonymous with exclusivity and opaque pricing – until Airble decided to change the game. Their platform transforms what was once a convoluted process of broker calls and unclear costs into something as straightforward as booking a commercial flight. By providing transparent pricing and real-time availability, Airble eliminates the anxiety that comes with traditional charter bookings, where hidden fees can turn a $10,000 quote into a $15,000 surprise.

Perhaps most cleverly, Airble has turned the industry’s inefficiency into customer value through their “Empty Leg Deals” feature. These discounted one-way flights, aircraft returning to base or repositioning for another customer, have always existed but were largely inaccessible to most travelers. By making these flights easily discoverable and bookable, Airble opens up private aviation to a broader audience while helping operators fill otherwise empty seats.

The platform’s concierge services and real-time communication features complete the vision of what modern private aviation should look like: not just luxury travel, but complete control and confidence throughout the entire journey. From aircraft selection to catering preferences, Airble ensures that personalization extends to every aspect of the travel experience.

LitLife: AI Co-Pilot for Personal Trainers

LitLife is a startup that created Chiron, an AI Co-Pilot specifically built for personal trainers and gyms struggling to keep up with growing client lists. The problem is simple: as trainers get more popular, they spend less time actually training and more time doing paperwork, scheduling, and other administrative tasks. LitLife’s software handles much of that busywork automatically.

The main feature is Chiron’s ability to watch clients work out through computer vision and spot when they’re doing exercises incorrectly. It can correct their form in real-time and adjust workout plans based on how well someone is progressing. The platform also creates personalized workout and nutrition plans for each client and handles things like payment processing and new client setup without the trainer having to step in.

Instead of spending hours each week on administrative work, trainers can use LitLife to automate most of the behind-the-scenes operations. The software tracks each client’s progress, modifies their programs as needed, and keeps everything organized so trainers can focus on the actual coaching. For gym owners and independent trainers, this means they can take on more clients without burning out or losing the personal touch that clients expect.

Eagle Eyes: AI That Spots What Search Teams Miss

Eagle Eyes is a startup that builds software to help search and rescue teams find missing people faster using drones and artificial intelligence. The company’s technology tackles a fundamental problem in search operations: even with drones providing aerial views, human spotters can easily miss important details when scanning hours of footage or trying to process live video feeds. Eagle Eyes’ computer vision system automatically flags unusual colors and movements that rescue teams might otherwise overlook.

The company offers two main products that work together. Eagle Eyes Pilot is a mobile app that runs directly on drone controllers or Android devices, letting operators see potential anomalies in real-time while the drone is still flying. Eagle Eyes Scan is a desktop application that allows teams to analyze footage more thoroughly on larger screens, whether they’re reviewing recorded video after a flight or examining live feeds as they come in. Both apps can instantly share findings with the entire search team through CalTopo, a popular mapping platform used by rescue organizations.

The software works with commonly used DJI drones and can process imagery from other sources as well. Instead of relying solely on human eyes to spot a lost hiker’s bright jacket or unusual movement in dense forest, the AI flags anything that stands out from the surrounding environment. Search teams can filter these alerts by how unique the colours are or how close they are to the search area, helping them focus on the most promising leads while the drone is still in the air and can investigate further.

CircularPlace: A Platform for Professional Reuse

CircularPlace is an all-in-one platform that helps businesses make money from equipment and products they no longer need. This startup addresses a common problem: most businesses accumulate unused inventory, old equipment, and surplus materials that cost money to store but could actually generate revenue if handled properly. Their platform connects companies with buyers, charities, and other businesses that can use these items.

The platform offers several options depending on what businesses want to do with their surplus items. Companies can sell equipment they’re no longer using to get the best possible price, donate items to charities for tax benefits, or share resources between different locations within the same organization. The service also helps businesses manage renovations and office moves by finding new homes for furniture and equipment that would otherwise end up in landfills. Additionally, they offer a marketplace where companies can sell refurbished products to their own customers.

Instead of businesses having to figure out what to do with unused assets on their own, the platform centralizes everything in one place. Companies can reduce storage costs, generate revenue from items they thought were worthless, and even train their teams on corporate social responsibility through the platform’s educational content. The system includes over 5,000 training materials like quizzes, videos, and articles to help employees understand sustainability practices while the company turns its waste into profit.

Conscious Collective: Meaningful Corporate Gifting

Conscious Collective is a startup that helps businesses give better corporate gifts by focusing on storytelling and relationship building rather than generic branded items. The company addresses a problem many businesses face: corporate gifting often feels impersonal and wasteful, with recipients receiving items they don’t actually want or need. Instead of the typical approach of slapping a logo on random products, Conscious Collective creates gift experiences that are supposed to strengthen genuine connections between companies and their employees, clients, or partners.

The platform offers several ways for companies to handle their gifting needs. Businesses can use the “Build-a-Box” feature to create completely custom gift boxes for specific occasions and budgets, or they can choose from pre-curated gift boxes organized by price range or event type. For companies that want to give recipients more control, Conscious Collective can set up custom online shops where employees or clients can pick their own gifts from a selection the company has approved. They also offer bulk ordering for businesses that want to buy products directly without packaging them in boxes.

The service is designed to work for various business scenarios, from welcoming new employees and showing appreciation to existing staff, to thanking clients and creating branded items for events. As a B2B marketplace, they require minimum orders of 12 units per product, but companies can mix and match different items as long as they meet that threshold. This approach lets businesses move away from one-size-fits-all corporate gifts and instead create more thoughtful experiences that actually resonate with the recipients.

Hydram Research: Turning Industrial Waste Heat Into Usable Energy

Hydram Research, a startup based in Reykjavik, Iceland, is developing industrial heat pumps that can transform waste heat into high-temperature steam that companies can actually use. The company is tackling a massive inefficiency problem: industries like data centers, chemical plants, and oil refineries generate enormous amounts of waste heat through their normal operations, but most of that energy just gets thrown away instead of being captured and reused. Hydram’s technology claims to be significantly more efficient than traditional boilers and heat pumps, potentially reducing energy costs for heavy industrial operations.

Instead of using the typical condenser-evaporator systems found in most heat pumps, Hydram’s equipment works more like a gravity-powered engine that creates steam through rapid volume expansion, then compresses it back using what they call a “liquid piston.” The technical details are complex, but the basic idea is that their system can take low-grade waste heat—like cooling water or exhaust gases—and convert it into high-temperature steam that companies can use for their manufacturing processes. Early testing suggests their approach could be much more efficient than existing heat recovery technologies.

The company has built and tested prototypes at their facility in Reykjavik, demonstrating that the process works on a meaningful scale. They’ve also filed several patents covering different configurations of their equipment. While still in early stages, their computer simulations and laboratory tests indicate the technology could work at megawatt scale, potentially transforming how energy-intensive industries like chemical production, pulp and paper, and petroleum refining handle their waste heat. For companies in these sectors, that could mean turning one of their biggest operational inefficiencies into a source of usable energy.

Produce8: Getting Your Lost Work Hours Back

Produce8 is a work analytics platform that helps companies figure out why their employees seem busy all the time but aren’t getting much done. The startup addresses a problem most office workers know too well: people are losing about half their workday to inefficiencies like constant meetings, endless notifications, and jumping between different tasks. Instead of just telling employees to “be more productive,” Produce8 tracks how people actually spend their time and identifies the specific habits and workflows that are eating up their day.

The platform works by monitoring digital work patterns and providing personalized daily reports that show exactly where time is going. It tracks things like how much time people spend in meetings, how often they’re switching between different apps, and how various types of collaboration are affecting their focus. Teams get aggregated metrics that help managers understand broader patterns without micromanaging individual employees. The system also lets people set goals around reducing distractions and improving their work habits, then tracks progress over time.

Produce8 claims it can help organizations recover more than 90 minutes per day for each employee by making work patterns visible and actionable. The platform provides data on everything from meeting costs to team sentiment, helping companies understand not just how much time is being wasted, but what’s actually making people feel overwhelmed or unproductive. Rather than imposing top-down solutions, the system gives both individuals and teams the information they need to make better decisions about how they structure their workdays and collaborate with each other.

Goverly AI: Unlocking Government Contract 

Goverly is an AI-driven platform that helps businesses get government contracts without hiring expensive consultants. The company tackles a problem that has kept small and medium businesses out of a massive market: government contracting is notoriously complex, expensive, and usually requires specialized consultants who charge high fees. Goverly automates much of this work, creating government-ready business profiles, matching companies with relevant contracts and grants, and handling compliance checks that would normally cost thousands in consultant fees.

The platform opens up the $3 trillion global government procurement market to businesses that have traditionally been shut out by the high costs and complexity. Instead of needing a team of specialists to navigate government requirements, companies can use Goverly to streamline the entire process and focus on what they do best.

What makes Goverly particularly useful for startups is its ability to track regulatory changes in real-time. Government contract requirements change frequently, and outdated compliance language can kill deals overnight. The platform automatically updates proposals when regulations shift, ensuring businesses don’t lose out on contracts because their paperwork is using last month’s rules. For companies considering government sales, this addresses one of the biggest headaches in the entire process.

CX Hero: Human-Grade Digital Avatars in 73 Languages

As you weave through the Future of Work hall, look for a kiosk where a digital concierge greets visitors in Italian one minute and Korean the next without skipping a beat. That’s CX Hero’s flagship portal. In my experience, voice-activated avatars often flirt with the uncanny valley, but CX Hero nails an equilibrium between approachability and utility. Their secret sauce connects the portal to existing CRMs and knowledge bases so the avatar can pull context-aware data, meaning it knows your loyalty tier before you even finish the sentence: “I forgot my membership number.”

The demo feels less like sci-fi and more like a sensible evolution of self-service. If you’re building anything involving AI-driven customer engagement, ask the founders how they handle data privacy in multilingual setups – their engineering team is open and detailed when talking about GDPR and PIPEDA compliance.

Homebox: Household Bill Management for People Who Despise Hold Music

One of modern life’s most tedious chores: setting up utilities when you move. Homebox shrinks that chore to a single monthly payment. This UK-based startup handles all your utility transfers, account switches, and supplier contacts, consolidating everything into one predictable bill. Instead of spending moving day on hold with multiple companies, you can focus on actually settling into your new home.

Beyond eliminating utility hassles, Homebox offers Smart Payments that let you relax with one set monthly payment. The service also provides Homebox Perks that can save you over £1,000 per year on food, shopping, eating out, electronics and more. For students and shared households, bills are automatically split equally among residents, removing arguments about who owes what.

The financial benefits extend beyond convenience. Through CanopyGrow integration, you get free access to a service that links your rent payments to your credit score, helping enhance your credit rating simply by paying your monthly Homebox bill on time. For property professionals, the service transforms void periods and tenant transitions from administrative nightmares into automated processes, presenting landlords with consolidated billing rather than scattered utility accounts to track down.

Emerging Themes You’re Likely to Notice

Looking across all these startups, a few patterns emerge that say something bigger about where technology is headed. Here’s what stands out.

AI is Moving Beyond the Buzzword Phase

Nearly every startup in this list uses AI, but what’s interesting is how specific and practical their applications have become. Instead of generic “AI-powered” solutions, we’re seeing companies like Eagle Eyes using computer vision to spot missing hikers, ComplyPilot automatically reviewing social media posts for regulatory violations, and LitLife correcting workout form in real-time. The AI isn’t the product—it’s the engine that makes previously impossible services actually work.

Democratizing Previously Exclusive Markets

Several startups are taking services that used to require significant resources or expertise and making them accessible to ordinary people or smaller businesses. Goparity lets you invest in sustainability projects with just $20, Airble brings transparency to private aviation pricing, and Goverly AI opens up the $3 trillion government contracting market to small businesses. This isn’t just about lowering prices – it’s about removing the gatekeepers entirely.

The Great De-Excelification of Business

From Trustful Clinical Budgeting getting clinical trials off spreadsheets to Produce8 showing companies where their workday actually goes, there’s a clear trend toward replacing manual, error-prone processes with automated systems. These aren’t just digital versions of the same old workflows—they’re fundamentally reimagining how work gets done in industries that have been surprisingly resistant to change.

Sustainability as a Business Model, Not a Nice-to-Have

The sustainability startups here aren’t asking companies to sacrifice profits for the planet. Hydram Research turns waste heat into revenue, CircularPlace makes money from unused equipment, and Econsciousness shows other businesses how to be profitable while being green. Environmental benefits are the outcome, but financial benefits are the driver.

Physical-Digital Bridges Getting Stronger

The most compelling solutions aren’t purely digital—they’re using technology to enhance physical experiences. Curie lets you virtually handle products before buying them, 3DentAI brings dental diagnostics to your bathroom, and CX Hero creates digital avatars that feel natural to interact with. These companies understand that the future isn’t about replacing physical interactions, but making them better through technology.

What This All Means

What ties all these startups together isn’t just clever technology – it’s a fundamental shift toward making complex systems actually work for people instead of against them. Whether it’s turning waste into profit, catching problems before they become disasters, or opening up markets that used to be closed off, these companies are solving real problems that have been frustrating people for years. The technology is finally catching up to what we’ve always wanted it to do: make life easier, not more complicated.

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Web Summit 2025 Vancouver: Startup Spotlight appeared first on BYVI.

I know you might be wondering whether the trek is worth it, especially if you are bootstrapping your SaaS on ramen and runway anxiety Let me share one hard-to-ignore data point: the Vancouver tech sector is currently growing at twice the pace of the broader economy, and it now ranks number one for high-tech job growth across the continent. I can tell you that when a city adds that many engineers and product managers in such a short window, it becomes a magnet for fresh capital, new partnerships, and sharp talent – three ingredients you and I constantly chase.

In this series of Web Summit coverage articles, I will guide you through standout startups that deserve a spot on your personal conference roadmap.

BOAST  –  Turning R&D Tax Credits into Operating Cash

I do not need to remind you how mind-numbing it is to assemble receipts, code commits, and engineer hours for a research-and-development tax claim. At DeckLinks we used to shuffle between spreadsheets and government PDF guides until we realized we were burning founder time better spent with customers. BOAST blends an AI engine with in-house tax expertise so that you upload minimal data, and the platform extrapolates what qualifies under Canadian and U.S. R&D incentives. Their software identifies eligible projects, constructs audit-ready evidence, and keeps you constantly updated on claim status.

Why should you care? Government programs can extend your runway by months, sometimes quarters, but many startups leave that money unclaimed because the process feels too complex. BOAST tackles exactly that fear. The team even argues that their machine-learning models unlock larger credit amounts than you would retrieve through a traditional consulting firm, because algorithms spot claimable activities hidden in your ticket history or Git logs. If cash preservation is top of your 2025 agenda – and I know for most of us it is – stop by their booth for a chat.

Aida  –  WhatsApp Becomes Your Highest-Conversion Sales Channel

If your customers spend half their waking hours inside WhatsApp, why drag them to yet another checkout page? Aida’s founders pose that exact question and then answer it by embedding a full storefront, payment terminal, and AI sales agent directly within WhatsApp threads. In practical terms, you send a link. Your customer taps it. They browse, pay, and receive automated updates without ever launching a browser tab.

Aida grabs my attention for two reasons. First, the barrier to entry is almost zero: you sign up, import products, and switch on payments in minutes. Second, the roadmap aligns with what I see as the future of SME digital sales. Upcoming modules will handle bookings, shipping logistics, and advanced analytics. In fact, I would argue that any DTC brand serving Latin American, Indian, or European markets can achieve faster revenue validation through Aida than through a Shopify build that demands ad spend to drive traffic. If WhatsApp commerce has been parked in your “someday” column, 2025 might be the year to move it forward.

AIZEE  –  An AI Concierge Who Never Takes Coffee Breaks

At BYVI and DeckLinks, we continuously experiment with ways to catch prospect attention the moment someone lands on our website. Pop-ups irritate, and static chat widgets rarely delight. AIZEE rethinks that touchpoint by giving you a conversational AI agent capable of handling FAQs, qualifying leads, and pushing contextual product info while you focus on deeper calls.

What impressed me is how the agent can be trained in your brand voice. If your tone is casual and joke-friendly, it can reflect that; if you sell to regulated industries, the replies tighten up. The agent then pipes conversation insights straight into your CRM. I used to juggle handwritten notes after every discovery call. AIZEE automates that continuity for you. When you consider that early-stage founders often serve as both CEO and first BDR, the bandwidth savings alone justify a test run.

AllFly  –  Finally, Transparent Corporate Travel

I once missed a meeting because a budget booking platform bumped my seat at the last minute. AllFly aims to bulldoze those pain points. Rather than bury fees in small print, they publish clear pricing and assign you an account manager who is reachable 24/7 – no robo-menus. In addition, both your employee and your company earn loyalty points, a perk that helps nurture a still-scrappy team culture.

Where AllFly quietly shines is visa support. Any founder expanding into new markets knows that paperwork delays can derail product launches. AllFly integrates visa facilitation into its workflow, turning what is normally a swirling side quest into a check-box item. If you plan international fundraising or field-marketing trips post-Summit, a five-minute conversation with their rep could save you days of administrative back-and-forth later.

ALPHA-EL  –  Vision AI That Protects Land and Lives

ALPHA-EL is a Northern First Nations-owned company whose core product, CORAX VISION, leverages machine-learning cameras and large language models to track wildlife migration patterns and detect early signs of wildfire. In my experience, the best impact-driven startups tend to emerge when founders are intimately tied to the problem space. ALPHA-EL embodies that principle: their leadership team carries generational knowledge of the Canadian North, and they build technology to safeguard those same territories from climate threats.

Beyond its environmental mission, CORAX VISION offers commercial value. Think of pipeline operators, rail companies, and remote mining sites that must monitor vast areas with limited human staff. Real-time AI alerts can trigger rapid response teams, reducing liability and – more importantly – saving ecosystems. If your startup touches energy, logistics, or insurance, partner conversations with ALPHA-EL could open doors to joint deployments in 2026.

Amygo Biotechnologies  –  Gentle Vibrations Versus Alzheimer’s

I used to think the battle against Alzheimer’s belonged exclusively to pharmaceutical giants. Amygo proves otherwise. Co-founder Tiffany Kurland watched family members deteriorate from the disease and asked whether non-invasive vibration frequencies could dislodge amyloid plaque in the brain. She teamed with electrical engineer Max Zou, and together they built a headband-style device that emits carefully calibrated pulses.

What hooks me is the elegance of the analogy: the same way an electric toothbrush breaks down plaque on teeth, Amygo’s wearable aims to clear neural buildup. Early prototypes are undergoing trials, and if you run a digital health platform or an IoT data integrator, imagine the synergy between real-time cognitive monitoring and targeted therapy. Vancouver’s health-tech investors will undoubtedly swarm this booth; you might want to beat them to it.

Animikii  –  Powering Indigenous Data Sovereignty

Animikii’s platform, Niiwin, offers Indigenous governments and nonprofits an engine to build databases, education portals, and storytelling archives that honor traditional knowledge systems. The interface allows communities to choose language fields, narrative structures, and data governance policies that reflect their unique worldviews. That degree of customization stands in sharp contrast to the one-size-fits-all databases you probably see in municipal software.

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Niiwin currently underpins the Digital Witness Blanket, the Survivors’ Secretariat reconciliation project, and a bilingual registry for Nunavut nonprofits. Each deployment preserves cultural context rather than flattening it. As founders, we often talk about “inclusive design,” but Animikii executes that philosophy at the code level. Whether you operate in ed-tech, civic software, or ESG compliance, studying their approach can spark ideas for building ethical technology in your own arena.

AWESOME LAB  –  Sustainability in Everyday Hardware

AWESOME LAB’s water warmer device heats water far more efficiently than a kettle, making it indispensable for remote workers or travellers who despise hotel coffee makers. Second, the product’s shell is built from eco-friendly materials without feeling flimsy. That marriage of sustainability and durability is exactly where consumer expectations are heading, in my opinion.

Their second flagship device, the SafePack, folds into a compact triangle that unfolds into an LED tripod for runners, cyclists, or roadside emergencies. Both products have earned CES innovation nods. In fact, I’d argue that AWESOME LAB is quietly developing a “Zara for gadgets” model, where rapid concept-to-retail cycles let them fix overlooked household inconveniences before bigger competitors even identify the gap. If your startup curates perk boxes for remote teams or sells outdoor adventure packages, a distribution partnership might be a conversation worth having.

Beacon  –  A Super-App for Newcomers to Canada

When my mom immigrated to Canada decades years ago, opening a bank account felt like a bureaucratic relay race: each branch demanded new documents. Beacon solves that headache by letting future residents open Canadian accounts before boarding their flight. Once you land, you can transfer funds, pay bills back home, and remittances flow both directions through the same interface.

The founding team built the roadmap from firsthand frustration, which is why the user experience feels empathetic at every click. I can tell you that if your own startup recruits international talent, recommending Beacon to incoming hires will lower their stress and, by extension, accelerate their productivity. Investors eyeing the massive remittance corridors between Canada and South Asia will also want to preview Beacon’s FX engine and compliance safeguards.

Bravo  –  Rewarding Every Meal Out

With Bravo Rewards diners earn cashback and points each time they eat at a partner restaurant. Meanwhile, Bravo Merchant gives eateries analytics on voucher usage, top-selling menu items, and repeat traffic.

What sets Bravo apart is the dual-sided benefit loop. As more diners join, restaurants sign up to access the growing audience, which in turn enriches the customer perks – a virtuous cycle. From the founder’s perspective, launching a marketplace typically involves the classic “chicken-and-egg” conundrum.

Bravo sidestepped early inertia by tackling payments first. Once merchants relied on the voucher infrastructure, layering loyalty was a natural upsell. If you build two-sided networks, study their sequence of product priorities. It might spare you a few strategic detours.

Looking Ahead to Web Summit 2025 Startup Highlights

We have covered only a slice of what awaits you in Vancouver. In the next listicle, I’ll introduce you to more cool startups.

Until then, message me with any burning questions or flag a startup you think I should scout. I will be finalizing my Startup Highlights shortlist soon, and your tip could push a deserving team into the spotlight they need. Meanwhile, start mapping your meetings, sync your footwear strategy with your step counter, and rehearse that one-line intro that sparks curiosity. I know that if you invest the effort, Web Summit Vancouver 2025 will pay compound dividends for years down the road.

See you on the convention floor – comfy shoes, open mind, and coffee in hand.

About the Author

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Web Summit 2025 Vancouver: Startups You Can’t Miss appeared first on BYVI.

This year I jumped at the opportunity to attend the highly-anticipated Startup Grind Global Conference. However, this time around, I attended with a different purpose – to cover the event as a journalist and spot some interesting startups.

One of my top priorities was to connect with the exhibiting startups, including a few AI startups I had previously covered. It was an incredible experience to meet them in person after just writing about them. Additionally, I had the opportunity to connect with fellow startup founders from Canada. It’s always valuable to catch up with fellow Canadians, exchange ideas face-to-face, and have those personal interactions that virtual meetings cannot fully replicate.

You see, us entrepreneurs have this mutual understanding. We know the grind, the sacrifices, the relentless pursuit of turning an idea into reality. And when you get a group of us together, that shared experience sparks this electric energy. That’s the magic of events like these.

The keynote sessions and awards announcements were definitely highlight worthy. Hearing straight from entrepreneurial heavyweights and witnessing those thrilling “Startup of the Year” reveals gets you totally fired up.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’re a serial entrepreneur, events like Startup Grind are a must. The connections, the insights, the motivation – it’s a perfect mix of indispensable ingredient for startup success.

Now let me tell you how I spent those exhilarating 48 hours, sharing what I learned but, more importantly, who I met. Because as they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, right?

A lesson to founders from the Juice Shop Brothers

Let me begin by telling you about the delicious welcome that I received from the Juice Shop founders, who were sponsored by Mercury. It was, hands down, the best juice I have ever tasted. But beyond serving an incredibly delicious juice, there is a valuable lesson to be learned.

The founders of Juice Shop didn’t just wake up one day and decide to start a juice business. It was deeply personal. The three brothers – Charlie, Ben, and Jake Gulick – along with Charlie’s wife Lina, had seen firsthand how food could transform lives. After saving their youngest brother from a rare liver condition, they became true believers that juice packed with fresh, organic fruits and veggies was liquid nutrition that could heal and energize.

But they didn’t stop at having a powerful “why.” These founders had the entrepreneurial hustle too. They started small, juicing up batches in their own kitchen. Every drop was a labor of love using the best ingredients and extraction methods.

As the business grew, they never lost that obsession over quality and doing things the right way. And how do I know this? It’s the simple ingredients and the glass.

The Juice Shop team prioritizes sustainability by using glass bottles. Sure, it costs more upfront. But the founders know it preserves maximum flavor and nutrition without any plastic chemicals leaching in. It’s a solution that matches their principles.

As I was learning the founding story directly from one of the brothers at the juice stand, someone from the crowd made a good point:

The Juice Shop brothers essentially became the supply of their own necessity.

For startup founders reading this, the lessons are clear. Solve the problem you experience firsthand, lean into your purpose and become the solution for others. As I’ve seen, this is how you build something truly remarkable that can and will change lives.

Surprisingly enough, solving the problem firsthand was one of the biggest advice from Garry Tan, the CEO of Y Combinator.

What Garry Tan looks for in the YC application

If you are planning to apply to YC, or have applied before and are unsure why you were not accepted, then this advice from YC’s CEO Garry Tan could be incredibly useful. It’s actually quite straightforward and easy to follow:

Focus on solving a problem that you have experienced firsthand.

We all know that it’s easy to fall into the trap of following the latest tech trends or identifying a hot space and diving straight into building a solution. But successful founders have something in common, they truly understand the pain points. Why? Because they’re the ones who have experienced them firsthand.

Maybe you were tackling that problem as an employee and thought, “There has to be a better way.” Or perhaps you encountered frustrations as a consumer that opened your eyes to a massive opportunity. Whatever the case, being in those front-line trenches charges you up with a level of passion and determination that’s undeniable.

And let’s be real here – the startup world is often an uphill climb. You’ll face plenty of naysayers and obstacles. But when you’ve lived the problem yourself, it becomes so much harder to be deterred. The value proposition is crystal clear because you’ve been the person craving that solution.

That firsthand connection also helps you better understand your target audience from the get-go. You speak their language, know their quirks, and can validate ideas more efficiently.

So if you’re working on that Y Combinator application or agonizing over your big idea, pause for a second. Have you truly experienced the problem you’re setting out to crush? If not, maybe it’s time to get your hands dirty and live it. After all, the finest solutions are forged in the fires of real-life experience.

Garry Tan shared a lot more wisdom during that chat, and I recommend that you watch the entire video.

Startup Spotlight

Let me introduce some of the startups I had the pleasure of meeting on the exhibition floor. These companies were showcasing their solutions across a variety of fields, including robotics, neuroscience, and age-related technology (AgeTech).

Farseer – No-code platform for financial planning and analysis

Farseer offers business planning software that makes complex planning easy and rescues users from the depths of spreadsheet hell. I mean, sure, spreadsheets have been around for 40 years, but who’s counting? It’s not like they’ve caused any problems, right? Oh wait, they have.

Farseer also connects planning departments, automates processes, and saves you a few employees along the way. CFOs and FP&A teams can get their hands on complete and accurate data on a single screen, covering everything from sales to cash planning.

And for the sales teams, Farseer offers automated forecasting and collaboration. They’ll even predict your sales based on historical data, so you can spend more time taking clients out and less time crunching numbers.

Kiv Tech – Home Safety, Decluttering, and Downsizing for Seniors

As our parents and grandparents get older, maintaining independence and feeling comfortable in the living spaces becomes increasingly important. That’s where Kiv.tech comes in – a Toronto-based startup dedicated to supporting seniors through the process of downsizing and home management.

At the heart of Kiv.tech’s offerings is the “Kept in View” (KIV) app, a user-friendly tool designed to make home transitions seamless. With KIV app, seniors could easily declutter their physical spaces, connect with trusted realtors and storage solutions, and even receive personalized safety recommendations tailored to their needs.

What sets Kiv.tech apart is their commitment to empowering seniors and their families throughout the entire process. Rather than dictating a one-size-fits-all approach, they listen to the specific needs and provide tailored solutions that prioritize comfort, safety, and independence.

EpicMeets – Using science to enhance your meetings and workshops

EpicMeets is an innovative toolset created by Visentools to enhance the way we communicate at meetings. It facilitates seamless collaboration and communication between individuals and teams through visual elements and storytelling prompts. 

Are your meetings often unproductive, with some participants zoning out while others struggle to articulate their ideas? EpicMeets is here to change that. It uses neuroscience and psychology to activate visual thinking, enhance metaphor and storytelling, and boost memory capacity. But how does this translate into better meetings?

First, it empowers you to clearly define problems, find solutions, ideate, and co-develop ideas more effectively. No more confusion or misunderstandings – epicMeets ensures everyone is on the same page. Second, it fosters mutual understanding, better communication, and a more collaborative, democratic work environment. No more one-sided monologues, with EpicMeets, every voice is heard and valued.

“We are on a mission to help everyone become great communicators.”

EpicMeets Team

GITAI – Robotics Startup for Space Development

GITAI is doing impressive work in the field of space robotics. Their ambitious vision is to provide safe and affordable labor in space, reducing operational costs by a remarkable two orders of magnitude.

The company has been on quite the journey since its founding in 2016, raising funds from various investors and securing contracts with big names like JAXA and Toyota. They even completed a successful technology demonstration inside the ISS (International Space Station), which I think is remarkable!

This would be a case where a video is worth a thousand words, so allow me to share an impressive demo showing how the GITAI robot buddies work together to build a 5-meter-high communication tower in an environment simulating the lunar surface.

GovGPT / DragonFly – AI-powered threat detection for law enforcement

Envision a future where our police officers, the guardians of our communities, feel truly empowered and supported in their mission to keep us safe. That’s the vision behind DragonFly, an innovative AI-powered tactical vest designed to be a force multiplier for law enforcement.

DragonFly acts as a second pair of eyes and ears, using cutting-edge vision sensors and haptic feedback to alert officers of potential threats in their blind spots.

But DragonFly isn’t just about physical protection; it’s also a tool for fostering calm and control in high-stress situations. By reducing surprise and synchronizing vest vibrations with the heartbeat, the vest empowers officers to approach encounters with confidence, mitigating stress and promoting de-escalation tactics. This leads to safer interactions for everyone involved, strengthening the vital bond between police and community.

In the era plagued by recruitment struggles, DragonFly represents a powerful incentive for attracting top talent to law enforcement. After all, who wouldn’t want to be part of a force that prioritizes officer well-being and equips them with the most innovative technology?

Day Off – Tracker for your team’s PTO, vacations and absences

Day Off is this super handy app that takes the hassle out of managing time off for both employees and employers. It’s like a one-stop shop for anything related to leaves, PTO, and vacations.

The best part? The app is really easy to use. Employees can just fire off a leave request from their phones, and it’ll ping their manager instantly. No more back-and-forth slacks or emails. Managers can approve or deny requests with a couple of taps, keeping everyone in the loop.

But that’s not all! Day Off also comes packed with neat reporting tools that let managers keep tabs on who’s taking time off and when. They can spot patterns and make sure there’s enough coverage, so operations don’t grind to a halt when employees are out.

In a nutshell, Day Off streamlines the whole process, keeps everyone informed, and makes sure the show goes on – even when half the team is catching some rays on a beach somewhere.

Equalfeed: A New Social Network Sparking Real Change

Equalfeed is redefining how users, creators, and non-profits connect and engage on social media. At its core lies a powerful mission – harnessing collaboration to forge meaningful connections, inspire social impact, and drive positive change.

I strongly believe that we need more platforms that inspire us to be the change we wish to see. That’s why I absolutely love the execution behind Equalfeed. It makes getting involved in causes that genuinely matter super accessible for everyone.

Equalfeed is all about empowering creators to share inspiring, uplifting content that actually makes a difference. And for the users, it’s like a centralized place of awesome initiatives in which we can easily get involved.

So, whether you’re a creator looking to share your passion projects or just someone who wants to stay in the loop on awesome initiatives, Equalfeed is definitely worth checking out. It’s a social media, but with a whole lot of heart and purpose behind it.

Socialize Now, Connect Later

As I mingled with the incredible startup founders, my mind was buzzing with excitement over their vision. Amid our engaged conversations, I also met other interesting attendees who joined us for a chat. But you know how it goes – caught up in those sparking idea exchanges, the thought of swapping details completely slipped my mind. I’m sure this happened to all of us, we’re social beings after all and when we deeply engage in great conversations we often forget about anything else. Those potentially valuable connections are gone in an instant because we’re still relying on clunky conference apps and LinkedIn connects, assuming we remember to exchange contact information at all.

That’s when I met Dexus, one of Common’s co-founders, and everything clicked. His startup solves this age-old networking nightmare with a cool new solution. By leveraging proximity networking and AI, Common quietly logs your meaningful interactions at events, then serves up a neatly organized list of those new connections afterwards. No more scrolling through event apps or going over all your recent LinkedIn connections to find the person by the photo because you forgot their name. Just show up, tune in, and walk away with all those pivotal new contacts secured.

Common stands out because of its founding team. It was developed by individuals deeply entrenched in the events industry. Two of the co-founders gained extensive experience organizing large-scale events such as the Oscars and major sports tournaments. They are intimately familiar with the challenges and opportunities in the industry. The third co-founder previously managed marketing for MeetUp, a major player in the events space, providing a deep understanding of the DIY events market.

If you’re someone who runs events of any size, from local meetups to major conferences, you’ve got to check out Common. It lets you simply focus on creating awesome shared experiences. Isn’t that what events should really be about?

What founders often disregard – insights from Howie Liu, the founder of Airtable

I absolutely enjoyed the chat between Howie Liu, the founder of Airtable and Thomas Laffont, Co-Founder at Coatue Management. One critical insight struck me at my core – we founders often commit a fatal oversight in our pursuit of product and distribution. The misstep? Neglecting positioning, which is a critical vulnerability that can make or break a startup.

Don’t dismiss positioning.

Howie Liu, Airtable

Too frequently, we become so laser-focused on perfecting our product and scaling growth that we neglect to carefully craft our positioning, which is a foundation for all our sales and marketing initiatives. But as Liu’s wise words underscored, nailing that high-ground positioning is crucial for separating yourself from competitors.

The insightful dialogue was a potent wake-up call, reminding me that as a founder, I must prioritize positioning as more than an afterthought. It’s not just a tagline or elevator pitch – it’s the central narrative that teleports users into your vision and sells them on why your startup is the ultimate solution.

When it comes to mastering product positioning, two names should be at the top of every founder’s list – April Dunford and Ton Dobbe. These experts are positioning virtuosos whose teachings can utterly transform how you frame and sell your offering.

If you haven’t read April Dunford’s book on positioning, I highly recommend it. The book is titled ‘Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It’. It’s essentially the positioning bible, packed with frameworks to craft positioning that instantly resonates with customers.

And for those in the bootstrapped B2B realm, you’d be remiss not to follow Ton Dobbe. He’s the undisputed positioning sensei for B2B founders. I absolutely love his newsletter where he generously shares insights gathered from running masterminds with B2B founders. His B2B-specific lens is pure gold.

Startups of the Year

These are the three winners of Startup Grind 2024 in the following categories: AI Startup of the Year, Hardware Startup of the Year and SaaS Startup of the Year.

AI Startup of the Year – InSilicoTrials

In the pursuit of developing new, safe, and effective drugs, pharmaceutical companies have traditionally relied on extensive animal testing and clinical trials – processes that are costly, time-consuming, and ethically fraught. InSilicoTrials is pioneering a revolutionary approach that harnesses the power of computational models and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate drug development while significantly cutting R&D costs, reducing the need for animal testing and minimizes the risk to human participants in clinical trials.

Our aim is to democratize the healthcare industry, making Modeling & Simulation and AI accesible to big, small and mid-sized companies. 

TEAM AT InSilicoTrials

Here is how InSilicoTrials works:

At the core of Insilicotrials’ innovation is a cloud-based platform that integrates cutting-edge computational models developed by a team of professionals coming from the fields of Modeling & Simulation, AI, Healthcare, Regulatory, Simulation, IT and Cybersecurity. By leveraging computational models and AI algorithms, InSilicoTrials can simulate the behavior of potential drug, predict their efficacy and safety profiles, and get the outcomes – all before conducting physical experiments.

Hardware Startup of the Year – geCKo Materials

geCKo Materials is a pioneering hardware startup specializing in the development and application of ultra-strong Dry Adhesive. Inspired by the natural adhesive properties of gecko feet, the company has engineered a synthetic adhesive that mimics these capabilities, offering a versatile and robust solution for various industries.

The core technology behind geCKo Materials’ products is their ultra-strong dry adhesive, which does not rely on traditional sticky substances. Instead, it uses a unique microstructure that allows it to adhere to surfaces, similar to how geckos can climb walls and ceilings. This innovative approach results in an adhesive that is not only strong but also reusable and residue-free, making it ideal for applications where cleanliness and reusability are crucial.

What’s even more impressive is that geCKo Materials’ adhesive technology has a wide range of applications across different sectors. In the space industry, it can be used for securing equipment and tools in zero-gravity environments where traditional adhesives might fail. In manufacturing, it offers a reliable solution for temporary fixtures and assembly processes. The robotics field benefits from this technology by enabling robots to handle delicate objects or climb surfaces without leaving any residue. Additionally, the adhesive is useful in consumer products, medical devices, and other areas where strong, clean, and reusable adhesion is required.

SaaS Startup of the Year – SmartSuite

SmartSuite is a comprehensive SaaS platform designed to streamline and manage various aspects of work within an organization. It integrates a wide range of functionalities to support project management, workflow automation, and team collaboration, making it a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes.

One of the key features of SmartSuite is its ability to centralize work management. This platform allows users to create, track, and manage tasks and projects from a single interface. It supports customizable workflows, enabling teams to tailor processes to their specific needs. This flexibility ensures that SmartSuite can adapt to different industries and business models, providing a personalized experience for each user.

In addition to project management, SmartSuite offers robust collaboration tools. Teams can communicate in real-time, share files, and provide updates within the platform, reducing the need for external communication tools. This integrated approach helps to improve efficiency and ensures that all team members are on the same page.

SmartSuite also enhances team productivity by integrating AI into various workflows. For instance, product teams employ AI to categorize customer feedback and expedite feature development. HR and finance teams leverage AI for tasks such as creating job descriptions, categorizing spending, and drafting memos. Furthermore, risk and compliance teams utilize AI for assessing and generating reports. The potential applications of AI within SmartSuite and its workflows are limitless.

And That’s a wrap!

Thank you for reading through the entire article. The Startup Grind event was a fantastic experience, and it was all thanks to their incredible team who worked tirelessly to make the event a success.

About the Author

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Startup Grind 2024: Top Highlights & Key Takeaways appeared first on BYVI.

Electronic music production opened up the world of making music to basically anyone who wants to give it a try. Unlike traditional musical instruments that took forever to learn and master, these modern electronic tools like synths, drum machines, and those DAW software setups let you just dive right in and start creating music instantly. It’s crazy accessible compared to the past!

That openness and ease of entry has allowed so many new artists and musicians who may never have had a shot before to explore their creativity and artistic voices. People who might have been shut out of traditional music-making can now just fire up their gear and let their inspiration flow.

During our childhood, at least in mine for sure, we didn’t have toys that allowed us to compose and record music. Traditional musical instruments were the only option, but as I mentioned already they required a substantial learning curve and at least a few years of music school. The problem was that these music schools only accepted children who were 5 years old or older.

But in the colorful San Francisco workshop, a small team of inventive minds is about to change the childhoods and inspire the next generation of electronic musicians by making music production accessible to kids. This is the home of Playtime Engineering, founded by the husband-and-wife duo Troy and Kate Sheets. Their brainchild? Blipblox – a line of toy synthesizers that’s making waves in both the toy and music worlds.

We feel that if intrigued and entertained, children have the ability to understand the complexity of synthesis, inspiring them to create the music of tomorrow.

Troy Sheets – Co-Founder at Playtime Engineering

Blipblox synthesizers may seem like they are more suited for a playroom than a recording studio, with their chunky rainbow-colored knobs, levers, and flashing lights. However, you should not judge them by their Fisher-Price aesthetics, as these are actually fully functional, professional-grade synthesizers. The beauty of these synthesizers is that they have been optimized and simplified to cater to curious little hands and minds.

“I always thought synthesizers were not just amazing music production tools, but also great toys,” explains Troy Sheets, an electrical engineer who spent years researching and prototyping the concept before launching Playtime Engineering in 2018. “They have spaceship-like control panels, alien sounds and flashing lights, all the sort of things kids love. I was confident that we could create a product that kids could use to design their own sounds and create music in a whole new way.”

The key was stripping away the complexity and maximizing the fun factor. Blipblox synths come loaded with hundreds of preset melodies and beats that start playing as soon as they’re turned on. Big, tactile controls allow kids to immediately start shaping and warping the sounds. Labels are minimal, encouraging experimentation and discovery over rigid instructions.

While easy enough for a kid to pick up and play, Blipblox devices are far from mere toys. They pack an impressive variety of real synthesizer features, including multiple oscillators and modulation schemes, resonant filters, LFOs, and built-in drum machines.

A MIDI input allows the synths to be played with an external keyboard or connected to other gear like drum machines and DAWs. There’s also an audio output for plugging into speakers or recording.

Safety and Age Appropriateness

As highlighted by The Midium, Blipblox is one of the only synthesizers fully certified to international toy safety standards for ages 3 and up. It features durable construction, no sharp edges, and knobs that cannot be easily removed, ensuring a safe play environment. The battery compartment requires a screwdriver to open, preventing accidental access by young children. This focus on safety is a critical factor that distinguishes Blipblox from other electronic music toys, which may not adhere to the same rigorous standards.

What’s next for Playtime Engineering

As electronic music continues to dominate the cultural landscape, Playtime Engineering believes it’s vital to get music-making tools into the hands of the next generation. And they want to continue making the experience as fun and engaging as possible.

“When I started this 3-4 years ago we went with a certain chip technology which was good at the time, but when I look at what is available now and how affordable they are I can’t wait to start working on new products,” says Troy Sheets. “I have some ideas for higher end Blipbloxes, targeted to an older audience and a similar type of product targeted to a younger audience too.”

With Blipblox, kids are able to experience the thrill of producing their own sounds right out of the box, no skill required. But as they experiment and learn, they are building a foundation in electronics, signal flow, and the fundamentals of synthesis – knowledge that could one day help them excel with more advanced tools.

By all indications, Playtime Engineering is succeeding in their mission to bring the joy and power of electronic music-making to kids everywhere.

Blipblox is launching the instrument, sampler, sequencer and sound laboratory for all ages in April on Kickstarter. To support Playtime Engineering and get a notification on the launch day, visit their upcoming Kickstarter prelaunch page.

About the author

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

The post Blipblox: Bringing Professional Music Production to the Toy Aisle appeared first on BYVI.

I was recently invited to celebrate the first anniversary of ADAAWE, an Indigenous startup hub located in downtown Ottawa. It’s a unique co-working space and community hub that empowers Indigenous entrepreneurs, artists, creators, and business owners in the surrounding area.

First I want to say that I was honoured to have been invited to ADAAWE’s celebration as one of the few non-indigenous guests. This experience gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the oldest culture that has existed on this land longer than we can possibly imagine and to engage deeply with the proud representatives of the First Nations.

What is ADAAWE

ADAAWE Business Hub was established by The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA), which is a network of more than 50 Indigenous Financial Institutions dedicated to boosting economic growth for all Indigenous people in Canada.

The name ADAAWE, which means “to trade” in the Algonquin language, is a fitting choice considering the hub is located on the traditional unceded land of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

ADAAWE was given its name by Claudette Commanda, an Algonquin Anishinaabe Elder and Knowledge Keeper who is also a Canadian University professor, cultural advisor, and indigenous rights activist.

“The spirit and intent of this ADAAWE are to provide a welcoming, safe and invigorating space for Indigenous people in business to share ideas, seek support and offer assistance.”

Claudette Commanda

The main goal of ADAAWE is to give local Indigenous entrepreneurs a place to connect, collaborate, and support each other’s professional pursuits. Whether they are looking to launch a new business, work on their creative projects, or just bounce ideas off other like-minded people, ADAAWE wants to bring the Indigenous community together to learn, create, and thrive.

When you enter ADAAWE space, you are greeted by a reception area surrounded by a vibrant pop-up shop, showcasing products from Indigenous artists and business owners. This is such a wonderful gesture, as it allows visitors to get to know the other members of the hub.

ADAAWE hub has a co-working space, meeting rooms, an event area, and even a room with professional equipment to record podcasts – everything you’d expect in a modern co-working hub. But with an emphasis on community and embracing Algonquin culture and traditions.

ADAAWE’s Impact

Within just a year, ADAAWE has incubated more than 215 members and launched over 5 member-led initiatives. The hub also attracted 35 external partners and initiated mentorship support for all its members.

I absolutely love the idea of carving out a space just for Indigenous creatives and entrepreneurs in the heart of the city. It seems like a great stepping stone towards healing and reconciliation, while also empowering and celebrating local Algonquin talent and innovation.

However, I also think that for Indigenous entrepreneurs to become successful and thrive in the ecosystem, they should not be isolated from other startup founders. Perhaps ADAAWE can introduce workshops and social gatherings to facilitate collaborations and knowledge sharing with non-Indigenous participants in the future.

That was the thought that came to me when I was meeting one of the Indigenous founders at the event. As I learned more about their e-commerce business, I wished my e-commerce founder friends could have been there too. They could have shared their experience of running multiple successful e-commerce stores and offered helpful tips on setting up a local production facility that can create more job opportunities for indigenous people.

The Graduates of the ADAAWE Program

I’d love to highlight some of the members that I personally met at the event: Ashley Clark, founder of BOUGIE BIRCH, Marissa Dubé, founder of EIRALIZE LASHES, and Gavin Decontie, founder of DECONTIE CLEAN.

Ashley Clark – BOUGIE BIRCH

Ashley is an incredible craft maker who is also deeply committed to promoting reconciliation. She conducts workshops on Beadwork and Dreamcatchers to create immersive experiences that encourage understanding and healing. Under her guidance, she has created a secure and welcoming environment where people from different backgrounds can learn about the history, culture, and traditions of First Nations. Ashley actively encourages participation through open discussions to break down barriers and build bridges between communities.

After a brief conversation with Ashley, it’s clear that her dedication to raising awareness and promoting understanding is truly inspiring and has made a significant impact on many people’s lives.

To participate in the upcoming workshops or to place an order for authentic corporate gifts, visit Ashley’s official website.

Marissa Dubé – EIRALIZE LASHES

Marissa is an inspiring entrepreneur who has launched an online store that sells Premium False Lashes. Her passion for making people feel beautiful and confident led her to create a product that can be shipped worldwide. Marissa’s dedication to her craft is truly remarkable, and it shows in the stunning lashes that she applied to the guests at the event.

Currently, Marissa imports the lashes from overseas, but she has a much bigger goal in mind. She wants to move the production to the reserves in the Algonquin region and make the product local. This would be a significant step towards empowering her community and creating sustainable economic growth in the region.

To place an order or to get in touch with Marissa, visit her online shop here.

Gavin Decontie – DECONTIE CLEAN

Gavin is an entrepreneur with a heart for the community and a passion for promoting Indigenous values. He founded a service-based business that delivers premium upholstery cleaning services to clients in the National Capital Region. This includes workplaces, transportation, and public venues.

But what sets Gavin’s business apart from others is his unwavering commitment to making a lasting generational impact through his work. Gavin’s business not only offers exceptional upholstery cleaning services but also promotes Indigenous values.

Gavin aims to inspire others to follow in his footsteps to promote Indigenous values while creating successful businesses.

To learn more about Decontie Clean and arrange for a service, visit their official website here.

The Future with ADAAWE

Attending the first anniversary of ADAAWE was a profound experience that has left me with a deep desire to learn more about Indigenous rights and reconciliation in Canada. The establishment of the ADAAWE startup hub is a significant step towards a more inclusive and equitable society that Canada is known for.

The future of Canada is full of promise and opportunities for everyone who calls this great country home. And most importantly it belongs to those who have been here long before us, the inspiring dreamers who dare to imagine a better world, the determined doers who roll up their sleeves and get things done, and the innovative makers who create new solutions to old problems. ADAAWE is not just another startup hub, it’s a place that makes it possible for the entire indigenous community to be a part of this bright and promising future.

The post The Startup Hub for Indigenous Founders ADAAWE Turns One appeared first on BYVI.

Tech innovation in Africa is booming, with startups raising over $6.5 billion in venture capital in 2022 alone. Yet, there’s a lot more the global startup community can do to support African entrepreneurship.

This week, I was delighted to attend the “African Tech Founders Night” as a tech journalist. The event was hosted by Techstars Toronto and provided a platform for Africa’s most innovative tech founders to present their disruptive solutions to a room full of eager investors, mentors, and industry influencers. The energy in the room was electrifying as the African entrepreneurs took center stage, unveiling innovative solutions that are set to uplift and disrupt industries across Africa and beyond.

In this article, I’ll share highlights from the pitches I witnessed and key insights from my one-on-one discussions with the founders.

CutStruct: Digital Marketplace that Streamlines Construction in Africa

CutStruct is a Nigerian proptech startup aiming to transform the construction industry across Africa through technology. I had the opportunity to meet with John Oamen, Co-founder and CEO at CutStruct.

During the showcase, John explained how CutStruct streamlines the procurement of construction materials through the online marketplace.

What is CutStruct?

CutStruct essentially serves as a one-stop shop for handling all supply chain needs, from issuing RFQs to tracking budgets and payments. Their robust vendor management tools help construction firms improve efficiency and cost savings. On this digital platform, customers can easily source and purchase supplies from verified vendors who can deliver orders directly to project sites.

How CutStruct Works

For buyers, the platform reduces the time and effort spent on sourcing affordable materials from reliable suppliers. They get access to real-time price comparisons, bulk order discounts, and seamless delivery coordination. CutStruct’s dashboard also enables project owners to closely track budgets and material costs.

On the vendor side, CutStruct generates targeted leads by promoting suppliers to ideal buyers in the industry. Instead of going door-to-door, vendors can grow their business more efficiently on the platform. Useful sales metrics and streamlined order fulfillment make resource management easier.

CutStruct’s escrow system facilitates secure transactions between both parties and establishes trust. Payments are only released to vendors upon the customer receiving their order.

The Benefits of CutStruct

CutStruct delivers tangible improvements in the construction process to all stakeholders involved:

• Buyers get lower costs through competitive bidding, along with reduced headaches and delays during procurement. Projects stay on time and budget.
• Vendors gain increased visibility to high-intent customers in the industry. They see a notable uptick in sales volume and revenue growth.
• For Nigeria’s construction sector, optimizing operations unlocks economic potential. Easing the housing deficit will spur infrastructure development.

I have been thoroughly impressed by their remarkable traction and sustainable business model. And I am confident that CutStruct will thrive as part of Techstars Toronto’s accelerator program. Their innovative solution has enormous potential to transform the construction industry across the entire African continent.

Chimoney: A Trailblazer in Global Payout Solutions

After meeting with CEO and Founder Uchi Nick Uchibeke, it became apparent that Chimoney is trailblazing the global payout solutions space. As someone who regularly struggles with cumbersome international wire transfers, I was fascinated by Chimoney’s value proposition.

What is Chimoney?

Chimoney aims to make cross-border bulk payments easier for businesses paying out to large, distributed groups – think affiliates, contractors, and community members.

How Chimoney Works

At its core, Chimoney aims to simplify cross-border bulk payments. As Uchi explained, many businesses struggle with the complexities of paying contributors, affiliates, and collaborators across geographical borders. Legacy options like wire transfers or checks are slow, expensive, and require collecting sensitive account details.

Chimoney alleviates these pain points through its seamless global payout platform. Users can instantly pay out sums both big and small to over 100 countries. The recipient just needs an email or phone number – no lengthy bank forms are required.

Chimoney provides a faster, lower-cost alternative that also enhances payee privacy.

Chimoney is Empowering Users with Multi-Currency Wallets

Another cool aspect is Chimoney’s multi-currency digital wallets. The startup enables businesses to create branded wallets for users that support funds in different currencies. Wallets can be funded easily via cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and even crypto.

Once loaded, users have flexibility in storing value, sending payments, or spending balances. One nifty feature lets wallet holders directly shop on sites like Amazon using their funds, thanks to a Unispend integration.

The Benefits of Chimoney

Simpler and Faster Payments: Chimoney allows near instant payouts to global recipients without lengthy forms or manual bank details. This makes payroll, affiliate payouts, and collaboration rewards much smoother.

Lower Fees: Sending funds through Chimoney costs significantly less than traditional wire transfers or forex fees. This helps users save money.

Enhanced Security: Recipients don’t need to provide sensitive bank account information to receive payments. This improves privacy and security.

Multi-Currency Utility: The ability to hold funds in different currencies and spend globally provides unique financial flexibility.

As someone who regularly faces the headache of cross-border payments, I can see a huge value in Chimoney as it provides a frictionless experience both for sending and receiving money globally.

The multi-currency wallet also adds some unique benefits I haven’t seen elsewhere. Overall, I was very impressed with Chimoney’s product and can see it providing major value for businesses paying out to large, distributed groups.

For any business looking to optimize global payouts, streamline financial workflows, or explore embedded finance – Chimoney seems like a top-notch solution worth exploring.

Seso Global: Simplifying Real Estate Transactions in Africa

During African Tech Founders Night, I witnessed an engaging presentation by Seso Global. Kweku Essein, who is Seso’s CCO, provided everyone with an overview of the company. Seso Global has a mission to become “Africa’s trusted property marketplace.” The platform’s primary objective is to instill confidence in buyers by ensuring proper due diligence and title verification.

To revolutionize real estate transactions in Nigeria and beyond, Seso Global aims to bring property listings, service providers, and land registries together in one unified blockchain-based marketplace. By doing so, Seso Global makes the process more efficient and trustworthy for all involved.

How Seso Global Works

Here’s a quick rundown of how Seso Global works:

Search for Properties: Seso partners with verified developers to list properties on their platform. As a buyer, you can search for homes and even take virtual 3D tours.

Book Viewings: See a home you like. Seso’s agents can schedule in-person viewings and accompany you on visits.

Access Service Providers: Once you’ve found your dream home, Seso connects you with lawyers, insurers, etc. to finalize the purchase.

Seso’s innovative approach has left a lasting impression on me. The seamless integration of digital listings, in-person support, and blockchain technology culminates in a streamlined real estate transaction experience – a solution that is much needed in the African market.

The Benefits of Seso Global

Verified Properties: By partnering with developers directly, Seso ensures all listings are legitimate. No more worrying about scams or fake titles!

Convenience: The ability to search, view, and buy homes completely online makes the process far more convenient.

Trust and Security: Seso’s blockchain ledger provides immutable records of land titles, so buyers can trust properties are owned by sellers.

Guidance: Throughout the buying journey, Seso’s agents are there to provide support and expertise.

Cost Savings: By streamlining transactions, Seso reduces fees paid to middlemen and lawyers.

By integrating digital convenience with physical support, Seso Global aspires to make real estate transactions simple and secure across Africa. The company’s rapid growth since 2017 highlights the immense opportunities in proptech and blockchain-based innovations.

Oval: Bringing Breezy Simplicity to Business Finances

Running a business these days means juggling countless financial admin tasks. Between accounting, payroll, global clients, and vendors, it’s easy for things to become complicated fast. Many entrepreneurs find themselves wasting precious time managing finances when they could be building their companies.

But what if there was a way to simplify all that complexity?

What is Oval?

Oval offers an all-in-one finance operating system designed specifically for businesses. No matter the size or stage, Oval can adapt to meet a company’s needs.

The platform allows businesses to easily manage global payments, issue multi-currency accounts, provide virtual cards, and conduct secure global payouts to over 80 countries.

What sets Oval apart is its robust fraud detection and prevention system. This ensures complete security for all financial transactions and operations.

How Oval Works

While Oval’s technology sounds advanced, the company stresses that simplicity and ease of use are key. The platform is designed to be accessible to non-finance experts. For businesses focused on growth, Oval handles the financial heavy lifting in the background.

Getting started with the platform is straightforward:

1. Create a free account
2. Complete Oval’s Know Your Business (KYB) onboarding
3. Access the Oval dashboard to manage finances

Users can connect bank accounts to begin sending/receiving USD payments. Behind the scenes, Oval leverages monitoring and encryption to detect potential fraud and secure accounts.

For larger businesses, Oval provides an API for custom integrations with existing accounting, ERP, and CRM systems.

The Benefits of Oval

Oval aims to provide the following key benefits:

• Consolidation of financial tasks into one platform boosts efficiency.
• Enhanced security and fraud prevention for peace of mind.
• Global payments capabilities to support international business.
• Financial insights/tracking for better cash flow control.
• Scalability to grow along with a business’s needs.
• Custom integration via API for unique requirements.

Chris Mozie and Abdul Akubo, co-founders of Oval, aim to create a finance platform that business owners will enjoy using – even looking forward to logging into Oval’s dashboard!

MPost: Turning Phone Numbers Into Postal Addresses

MPost, which is part of the current Techstars Toronto Accelerator cohort, has an elegantly simple concept: turning your phone number into your postal address. For many people across Africa, formal postal addresses are complicated or nonexistent.

What is MPost?

MPost is an innovative startup that operates in Kenya and offers a unique solution to a significant challenge faced by Africans. The company converts mobile phone numbers into postal addresses, effectively making it easier for people to receive mail and packages. The lack of formal mailing addresses has long been a challenge for many Africans, and MPost’s solution is a game-changer. By using their mobile phone numbers as postal addresses, people can receive mail and packages without having to worry about the traditional addressing system, which can be unreliable and inconsistent. MPost’s goal is to make mail delivery more accessible to everyone in Kenya and beyond, helping to bridge the gap between the digital and physical world.

How MPost Works

Here’s an overview of how MPost works:

Grab Your Mail Your Way – MPost lets you choose how you access your mail. You can either pick it up yourself from your nearest post office location or have it delivered directly to your location.

Get Notified of New Mail – Whenever you have new mail or a package waiting for you at your designated post office, MPost sends you an SMS alert. No more making unnecessary trips or waiting in long lines!

Affordable and Convenient – For just 400 Kenyan Shillings (about US$3) per year, you get a complete postal address service linked to your phone number and choice of post office location. Considering the expense and complication of renting a P.O. box in many areas, MPost provides valuable accessibility.

Reliable Nationwide Network – With 42,000 active users and 230,000 registered users across Kenya and Uganda, MPost has built an extensive network of post office partnerships to receive and hold your mail.

The Benefits of MPost

I can certainly see the appeal of having a consistent postal address that works across regions and that I can access digitally from anywhere and get live delivery tracking.

MPost also provides end-to-end delivery services for e-commerce companies through its Tap a Delivery arm. By leveraging its network of motorcycle drivers and logistics partnerships, MPost can offer reliable same-day delivery.

After learning more about MPost’s unique approach from Twahir Mohammed (Founder, and CEO at MPost) to the persistent challenges of postal addresses in Africa, I’m excited to see it continue to scale and expand the possible. By blending mobile technology with real-world infrastructure, MPost unlocks simple but powerful mail access for millions of Africans.

Reeple: Financial Services for African Immigrants

Reeple caught my attention because of my own experiences as an immigrant to Canada over two decades ago. I remember how difficult it was for my mom to access even basic financial services without having an established Canadian credit history. Everything from getting a credit card to renting an apartment was a struggle until she slowly built up her credit score from scratch.

So Reeple’s mission to help African immigrants leverage their financial histories and records from back home really resonated with me. I wish a service like this had been around when my family was going through the challenging process of settling in Canada!

What is Reeple?

Reeple is a startup fintech company founded by Oluwatomisin Kolawole, Ayokunle Adesanya, and Olarinde Olokuntoye that aims to help African immigrants access financial services in their new countries. The company is focused on immigrants moving to Canada, the US, and the UK.

How Reeple Works

Reeple is using alternative data to evaluate creditworthiness in a fuller way. The idea is to provide immigrants access to loans, credit cards, and other services based on their previous financial records, not just their blank Canadian profiles.

As an immigrant entrepreneur myself, I’m also a big believer in the positive social and economic impacts that can come from empowering newcomers and refugees with financial access. The cycle of poverty is hard to break when you’re excluded from the financial system in your new home country.

The Benefits of Reeple

Reeple offers several key benefits:

• Credit building – Reeple helps immigrants carry their credit history from their homeland to their host country. This allows immigrants to demonstrate creditworthiness rather than starting from zero.
• Loan access – From student loans to cover tuition to rental loans for housing, Reeple expands immigrants’ access to affordable financial products.
• Money transfers – Reeple facilitates cross-border payments and remittances back home. This maintains connections.
• Financial education – Reeple provides guidance on managing finances and credit unique to the immigrant experience.
• Financial inclusion – By offering customized products, Reeple aims to provide financial access and participation for underserved immigrant groups.

The immigrant community faces many unique financial challenges that most Canadians take for granted. Hopefully, Reeple’s solutions can drive greater financial inclusion, because skilled, diverse newcomers are such an asset to our country when given the chance.

Payfi: A Buy Now Pay Later Platform for Africa

During the African Tech Founders Night, I got to meet Seun Sanni, a Co-Founder, COO/CPO of Payfi. Seun’s enthusiasm towards Payfi’s mission of providing Africans with an opportunity to obtain financing for purchases, whether online or in physical stores, was very evident.

What is Payfi?

Payfi allows customers to “buy now, pay later” when shopping from affiliated merchants online or in-store. Think of it like Afterpay or Affirm in the US, but tailored specifically for African consumers and businesses.

How Payfi Works

For consumers – Payfi offers installment plans from 2-6 months at low interest rates. Customers can easily sign up via the app, verify their identity, and then start shopping at supported merchants. At checkout, whether online or in-store, they select Payfi and spread payments over time.

For merchants – Businesses can partner with Payfi to offer flexible financing options. This gives them a competitive edge and boosts sales. Payfi handles the installment plans and settlements so merchants get paid upfront.

Payfi supports payments online via plugins, in-store through POS integration, and even offline via payment links.

The Benefits of Payfi

As both a consumer platform and a B2B solution, Payfi offers compelling benefits:

For consumers – Payfi makes it easy to finance bigger purchases over time. Customers can get approved quickly and repay on flexible schedules. Given the high upfront costs of items like electronics in Africa, Payfi opens up purchasing power.

For merchants – Payfi helps businesses attract more customers, convert more sales, and build loyalty. Offering payment plans brings in buyers who otherwise couldn’t afford big-ticket items. Merchants also get valuable insights into purchase behavior.

For the economy – By expanding consumer credit, Payfi stimulates local economies and enables growth. More sales help businesses thrive, while consumers get access to life-changing products, from solar panels to smartphones.

Currently, Payfi has 60,000+ active shoppers and has enabled a 50% sales boost for partners. But they have ambitious plans to scale much further across Africa.

The team wants to develop into the continent’s top buy now, pay later platform. They plan to sign up millions more users and integrate with many leading e-commerce sites.

Judging by their traction and the massive opportunity for installment financing in Africa, I think Payfi has huge potential. The team is leveraging technology to solve a real payment pain point and unlock economic prosperity.

Alternative credit options can empower a large underserved population. And Payfi’s seamless customer experience and merchant tools set them up for success.

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a content engineer focused on building in-house growth engines and training AI agents that help companies scale content and dominate brand visibility across traditional and AI search. She is also co-founder of DeckLinks, bringing firsthand founder experience in building and scaling technology products.

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Today, we stand at the precipice of a new era – one defined by openness, transparency, and user empowerment. This seismic shift promises to revolutionize the way data is exchanged between brands and mobile end-users. But what changes can we expect from this next iteration of the internet? Let’s explore how Web 3.0 stands to benefit both consumers and companies.

Giving Control Back to the User

For too long, users have been passive participants on the internet. Their data harvested, tracked and monetized without proper consent. But no more.
Web 3.0 turns this model on its head by putting users back in control of their personal data. Platforms like OHANA allow users to decide precisely what information they share with brands and take an active role in that exchange.
Rather than brands unilaterally collecting user data, we enter an era of mutual benefit. Users contribute data consciously, receiving perks and custom experiences in return. This leads to a more positive and meaningful engagement between the two parties, where users can confidently explore the digital realm without fear of intrusive data collection.

Real-World Rewards for Data Sharing

Under Web 3.0, data becomes a valuable currency users can trade. Brands recognize the worth of contextual user information and offer tangible incentives for transparent data exchange. Discounts, exclusive content, personalized recommendations – users reap real rewards by contributing data.

This evolution transforms online experiences. Passively browsing social media could earn you tickets to an upcoming concert by your favorite band. Walking down the cereal aisle at the grocery store prompts customized coupons to flash on your lock screen. Checking the score of the big game brings up athlete merchandise catered specifically to your tastes.

The value exchange is clear – users share finite data points and in return gain concrete benefits that enhance their digital journeys.

Crafting Personalized Experiences

For brands, Web 3.0 unlocks the opportunity to create tailored offerings that resonate strongly with their audiences. Access to rich, first-party data on user preferences allows for hyper-personalization at scale.

This shift from generic mass marketing to hyper-targeted personalization enhances user-brand interactions. It’s a win-win scenario: brands achieve better conversion rates, while users enjoy content, products, and services that align with their interests.

Transparency and Trust: The Cornerstones of Web 3.0

Undergirding Web 3.0 is the establishment of trust. Users share data knowing their privacy is paramount while brands adhere to ethical principles in gathering insights.

One of the hallmarks of Web 3.0 and OHANA is transparency. The relationship between mobile users and brands is built on a foundation of trust, forged through clear communication and mutual respect. Brands that adhere to ethical data collection practices not only adhere to regulations but also foster long-term relationships with their customers.

The transparency inherent in Web 3.0 extends beyond data collection. Blockchain technology, often associated with cryptocurrencies, finds its place in this ecosystem. Its decentralized nature ensures that data remains tamper-proof and immutable, eliminating concerns about data manipulation. This is a major issue as it’s estimated that 50% of content and ads served to mobile devices is fraudulent, the content and ads is not engaged with a human but a bot or a mobile engagement warehouse. These warehouses house thousands of mobile phones with the sole purpose to simply engage with content on social networks and click on content and ads driving mass amounts of false analytics and engagements.

Fostering Deeper Connections

This shift from approximation to precision strengthens user-brand relationships. When products, services and communications hit the mark consistently, engagement deepens. Users benefit from relevance while brands see lifts in conversion rates.

Applied across the customer journey, bespoke personalization transforms how brands connect with their audiences. Supported by scalable AI, brands can develop dynamic digital experiences that evolve as user needs change. The singular consumer – not a nebulous demographic bucket – becomes the focus.

The Role of Blockchain & AI

Emerging technologies accelerate Web 3.0’s trust infrastructure. Blockchain’s decentralized ledger assures an auditable, tamper-proof record of all interactions. And AI guidance guarantees recommendation algorithms act only on insights gleaned ethically.

Together, these guardrails provide assurance around data security and use – prerequisites for users sharing personal information.

Looking Toward a Shared Future

Web 3.0 undoubtedly brings change but it’s founded on a belief in mutual benefit. Users control their data but selectively share it with brands that reward their trust. In turn, companies hone their ability to create tailored, delightful experiences.

At its core, Web 3.0 envisages a shared digital future – one characterized by collaboration not contention. Users win through relevance, brands by connection. With innovations like OHANA leading the vanguard, that future beckons now and we need only take the first step.

By embracing this paradigm shift, we set the stage for a digital world that thrives on transparency, trust, and the symbiotic exchange of data. That’s what OHANA is all about, people and planet transparent empowerment efforts. The exchange of data for offsetting the cost of your phone and data plan with the Be Free enabled devices and more.

In embracing Web 3.0, we step into a future where data exchange is no longer a cause for concern but a source of empowerment and collaboration. Mobile users regain control over their personal information while brands elevate their marketing efforts through meaningful interactions.

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