Friday, June 5th, 2026 — On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, Startup Canada, in partnership with Pizza Hut Canada, brought the Equal Slice Pitch Competition to life in Toronto, Ontario. Hosted at the Google Canada offices, the event brought together 50 of the country’s most driven entrepreneurs for a day of high-energy pitching, community and a prize pool of $50,000.
After a morning of first-round closed-door pitching to the judges and ten finalists taking the stage in front of a live audience, five winners were chosen to take home a $10,000 grant to invest in the growth of their companies.
Introducing Our Five Winners
Vishar Yaghoubian, Toothpod
Toothpod is a Toronto-based startup that launched a portable, chewable tablet that anyone can use to clean their teeth. This remineralizing chewing gum is made with natural ingredients that lead to healthier gums and teeth, and is recommended by Canadian top dentists.
Samantha Tenus, Digipalz
Digipalz teaches kids how to spot online dangers, protect their privacy, and navigate the web safely through fun and interactive stories, lessons and games. The Digipalz platform focuses on two critical abilities: recognizing danger online early and knowing how to respond safely when threats appear.
Shevonne Chin, FLIK FX
Flik FX is reimagining the sky using drones to provide next-level marketing, intelligence and communications. By blending choreography, technology and creativity, Flik FX transforms drone swarms into immersive brand experiences that feel as emotional as they are innovative.
Julie Mai, July Health
July Health is a Canadian digital health clinic delivering end-to-end chronic complex care for the next generation of women. July Health provides early diagnosis, treatment and management of some of the most overlooked chronic & complex conditions: PMOS, endometriosis, binge eating disorder, ADHD in women, PMDD, and more, through personalized virtual care often covered by insurance.
Faith Oloruntoba, Cotriply
Cotriply is a B2B, AI-enabled coordination platform for group travel. It focuses on the coordination layer of group travel planning, bringing decisions, approvals, payments, preferences, and communication into one structured system. Instead of relying on spreadsheets, email threads, and messaging apps, organizations and professional travel planners use Cotriply to keep multi-stakeholder trips aligned, transparent, and easy to manage.
As part of the Startup Canada Equal Slice Program, this competition was built with a clear purpose: to shine a light on founders who are breaking barriers and building businesses that matter. Selecting five winners from a field of ten exceptional pitches was no easy task. The five entrepreneurs who did not take home a grant today are no less deserving of recognition.
A sincere congratulations to our five runner-ups:
- Rachel Adjei, The Abibiman Project Inc.
- Karn Nagra, The Supplement House
- Amy Rempel, Fresh Faces
- Pooya Saberim, VascuBio Innovation
- Carmel Sekler, Kubebooth
Meet the Judges
None of this would have been possible without the generous contribution of time, expertise, and thoughtfulness from our panel of judges. These individuals gave their afternoon not just to evaluate pitches, but to engage meaningfully with each founder and the work they have built. We are deeply appreciative of your commitment to this program and to the entrepreneurs who participated.
- Jeanne Lam, SVP Growth & Global Marketing, Propel Holdings & ex-President, Wattpad
- Hannah White, Head of People at Pizza Hut Canada
- Natasha Walji, Managing Director – Google Customer Solutions at Google Canada
Additionally, Google hosted a practical workshop for all of the attendees focused on leveraging AI as a small business, accelerating growth with Google Ads and Google Cloud resources for startups to highlight the infrastructure, credits, and support systems available to help entrepreneurs build and scale.
If you are an entrepreneur and interested in pitching, we’ve got good news. The Startup Canada Equal Slice Pitch Competition will be returning on November 24, 2026, this time for a virtual pitch competition, where another five businesses will each have the opportunity to receive a $10,000 grant towards their growth. You can learn more and register here.
The Startup Canada Equal Slice Program is presented by Pizza Hut Equal Slice and powered by Startup Canada. This in-person pitch competition was hosted in partnership with Google Canada. A sincere thank you to each of these partners for their commitment to championing underrepresented entrepreneurs across Canada.
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the gateway to Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Since our inception in 2012, Startup Canada has grown to support more than 130,000 entrepreneurs annually. Through our flagship and digital programs, we provide guidance, eliminate barriers, and champion the needs of each and every entrepreneur. For more information, visit startupcan.ca.