Halifax, You Delivered: The Moments and Lessons That Stuck With Us

By Teri-Lyn O'Hara  |  

We kicked off the 2026 Startup Canada Tour in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on April 29, 2026, and we are still buzzing about the energy that filled the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21!

From our bold keynote, Barb Stegemann, to honest, unfiltered conversations about what it really takes to build a business in Atlantic Canada, Halifax delivered!

Check out the key moments and lessons that stood out from our mainstage sessions!

Turn Your Struggles Into Superpowers

Barb Stegemann opened the day with the kind of energy that sets the tone for everything that followed. A Nova Scotia native, Barb brought her full story to the stage, and the room felt every word of it.

Growing up hearing impaired and on assisted living in rural Nova Scotia, Barb did not frame these as hardships. She reframed them as the foundation. Being hearing impaired sharpened her other senses. Growing up without excess taught her to be scrappy, the same scrappiness that led her to launch her business on a credit card. What looked like a struggle from the outside was actually her superpower being built in real time.

She reminded us that the path to building something meaningful is rarely linear, and that rejection is not a full stop but a detour. From being dismissed on national television to building a globally recognized brand, Barb proved that the people who do not believe in your idea are not the ones you are building it for.

As Barb put it, “Just when you are about to give up, it is right there. Do not give up on your darkest day. You are about to have a breakthrough.”

Key Takeaway: Resilience is not a soft skill; it is a business strategy. Embrace rejection, stay close to your purpose, and trust that the breakthrough is closer than it feels on your hardest day. 

Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey: Financial Strategies for Every Stage

Moderator: Cathy Menear (District Vice President, Scotiabank)

Panellists: Dani Lynn Warren (Team Lead, Business Banking Halifax and Northeast Nova Scotia, Scotiabank), Jamie Boyce (Head of Growth, Pocketed, a Deloitte business), and Jim Rogers (Regional Director and Group Lead Business Banking, Scotiabank)

Sponsor: Scotiabank

Money talk, but make it real. This panel broke down the financial decisions that founders often delay until it is too late!

Here is some advice from our finance all-stars: 

  • Know your numbers. A strong business plan means understanding every figure you put in it, not just the big ones. 
  • Cash flow can be unpredictable. Remaining agile and learning about all your capital options means you will feel less stuck when the unexpected hits. 
  • You do not have to be an expert in everything, but you do have to know who is. 

Key Takeaway: Financial preparedness is not just about having capital; it is about understanding it. Start early, get creative with your business plan, and give yourself the flexibility to remain agile when things shift.

How to Reduce Cart Abandonment and Recover Lost Revenue 

Speaker: Paul Gaspar (Director of Small Business, UPS Canada) 

Sponsor: UPS

Paul Gaspar brought real-world strategies to keep customers clicking “purchase.” 

Three highlights that stuck with us: 

  • Your customers want shipping information immediately. Set up confirmation emails and use them as a marketing touchpoint. 
  • Invest in your returns process. A frictionless return experience is a genuine competitive differentiator. 
  • Here is a big one… Free shipping is a myth. Someone is always paying for it. The question is how you price it in. 

Key Takeaway: A seamless post-purchase experience, from confirmation emails to easy returns, is one of the most underrated tools for building customer loyalty and recovering lost revenue.

Pitch Perfect: The Deck, The Delivery, and The Deal

Moderator: Paul Gaspar (Director of Small Business, UPS Canada) 

Speakers: Mina Mekhail (Founder & CEO, Freshr Technologies) and Ben McDade (Investment Director, Venture Capital, Invest Nova Scotia)

For the first time on a Startup Canada Tour stage, we got both sides of the pitch table. We brought the pitcher, judge, and investor front and centre to break down what makes a pitch “perfect.” This conversation got into the real mechanics of what makes a pitch land, from the story you tell to the numbers you lead with. 

Here are a few things that resonated with founders:

  • Questions from investors are not attacks; they are opportunities. If someone is digging deeper, it means they are interested. Use it as a chance to clarify, fill in the gaps, and build the relationship.
  • You do not have to have all the answers. It is okay to say, “I don’t know, I will get back to you.” Trying to fake it is far more damaging than admitting a gap. 
  • The pitch is not the finish line. Due diligence takes time, and the questions do not stop once you leave the room. Get comfortable with the process. 

Key Takeaway: A great pitch is equal parts preparation and authenticity. Know your numbers, know your story, and know your audience. Remember that investor questions are an opportunity to deepen the relationship, not derail it. 

P.S. We have a pitch competition at our next two Startup Canada Tour stops in Victoria, BC, and Mississauga, ON. Don’t forget to bring these tips into the pitch room! Applications are opening soon!

The Hidden Hurdles: A Deep Dive into the Immigrant Entrepreneurial Experience 

Moderator: Hannah White (Head of People, Canada, Pizza Hut Canada)

Speakers: Max Medyk (CEO, ImmigrateAI Global), Navdeep Parmanand (Chief Curves Officer and Founder, Celebrate Your Curves), and Shivani Dhamija (Founder, Shivani’s Kitchen) 

Sponsor: Pizza Hut Canada

This conversation could not have taken place at a better venue, Pier 21. Where over one million newcomers first set foot in Canada! The barriers are real, but so are the breakthroughs. Our three panellists shared their stories and experiences since coming to Canada and starting their businesses here. 

Max, Navdeep, and Shivani’s advice to all founders:

  • There is always a market for simplification. Are you solving a specific problem? Is there a gap? Start there. 
  • Do not wait until it is perfect. Start where you are. 
  • Always try to be the least experienced person in the room. If you are already the best, you are in the wrong room.
  • Landing in a new country means learning a whole new set of rules, from how funding works to where to begin. There is no roadmap handed to you at the airport. You figure it out, one resource at a time.

Key Takeaway: Canada’s future is being built by immigrant founders who bring grit, perspective, and lived experience to their businesses. Start before you are ready, be clear on the big problem you are solving, and surround yourself with people who push you further.

Home Grown: Building a Business in Atlantic Canada

Moderator: Jason Muis (Team Lead, Business Banking, Scotiabank)

Speakers: Ange MacCabe (CEO & Founder, Intuity Performance Inc.), Reza Haider (Manager of Entrepreneurial Services, Ignite and Planet Hatch), and Sam Silver (Founder, Bayloch Technologies)

Atlantic Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is growing fast, and this panel brought three voices who know it from the inside. While it can often be discussed what smaller communities are missing compared to larger hubs, our moderator, Jason Muis, asked our panellists what Atlantic Canada is doing right for their founders, and they did not disappoint with their love of the East Coast.  

Here is what they had to say: 

  • World-class support systems. There are more resources than most founders realize. Talk to your peers and find what is actually out there. 
  • Genuine connectivity. The ability to walk up to someone and build a real relationship is one of Atlantic Canada’s greatest entrepreneurial assets. 

Key Takeaway: One of Atlantic Canada’s entrepreneurial strengths lies in its community! Tapping into the support systems around you, investing in real relationships, and not underestimating what the region has to offer.

Men in Tech | Presented by Toast 

Moderator: April Hicke (CEO, Toast) 

Panellists: Bradley Daye (Co-Founder/Lead Facilitator, P4G), Jamie Gerrard (Principal Consultant, 20/20 Digital), and Tapajyoti (Tukan) Das (CEO, Gia)

We are so proud to have brought Men in Tech to the Startup Canada Tour Main Stage. This panel did something rare: it used humour to crack open a genuinely uncomfortable conversation, and left every person in the room with something to reflect on, regardless of where they sit. 

April asked Bradley, Tukan, and Jamie real questions that women in the workforce have experienced, from “Who is watching your kids while you’re here?” to “Did you take over this business from your dad?” Key Takeaway: Allyship is not a passive stance. It takes awareness, humour, and a willingness to sit with discomfort. When men in leadership show up differently, the whole room shifts.

Thank you, Halifax!

We are so grateful to have been able to start the 2026 Startup Canada Tour in Nova Scotia. From financial strategy to the immigrant entrepreneurial experience to allyship, Halifax reminded us why we do it! 

A huge thank you to our partners, speakers, volunteers, and attendees for making our first stop so memorable! 

We cannot wait to see you at our next two Startup Canada Tour stops in Victoria, BC, on September 29, 2026, and in Mississauga, ON, on October 29, 2026, to close out our 2026 stops. Relive the memories from Halifax by checking out our photo gallery.