2018 Ontario Startup Canada Award Winners Announced
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – June 20th | Startup Canada, the national rallying community and voice for Canadian entrepreneurs, announced eight outstanding entrepreneurs, businesses and support organizations from across Ontario as winners of the Fifth Annual Startup Canada Awards. These awards are the hallmark event celebrating outstanding achievement in Canada’s entrepreneurship and innovation community.
The Ontario regional winners were announced at a ceremony in Sault Ste. Marie attended by leading Canadian investors, innovators, and anchor company executives.
“Congratulations to the 2018 winners of the Startup Canada Awards,” said Victoria Lennox, Co-Founder, and CEO of Startup Canada. “These winners represent the very essence of entrepreneurship. We are proud to celebrate their success with Canadians and our partners around the world.”
The 2018 Ontario Regional Award Winners are:
Vicki Saunders (Toronto, ON)
SheEO, Founder
Entrepreneur Promotion Award
Presented by Intuit QuickBooks
Canada Learning Code (Toronto, ON)
Melissa Sariffodeen, Co-Founder & CEO &
Laura Plant, Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer
Entrepreneur Support Award
Presented by Intuit QuickBooks
Wattpad (Toronto, ON)
Allen Lau, Co-Founder & CEO
Global Entrepreneurship Award
Presented by UPS
TransPod (Toronto, ON)
Ryan Janzen, CTO
Innovation Award
Presented by Intuit Quickbooks
Ripple Farms (Toronto, ON)
Steven Bourne, CEO
Social Enterprise Award
Presented by The Centre for Social Innovation
iLobby (Toronto, ON)
Ariel Mashiyev, CEO
High-Growth Award
Presented by Mastercard
Erin Stephenson (Kitchener, ON)
Co-Founder & COO, DOZR
Woman Entrepreneur Award
Presented by BDC
Yumi Lee (Toronto, ON)
Owner, Yumi’s Dozen
Young Entrepreneur Award
Presented by Scotiabank
Michael Katchen (Toronto, ON)
Co-Founder & CEO, Wealth Simple
Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Presented by Scotiabank
The regional winners will now be evaluated by the National Adjudication Committee; comprised of some of Canada’s leading entrepreneurship and industry experts. The national winners will be celebrated at the Startup Canada Awards Grand Finale in Ottawa on October 18, 2018, following Startup Canada Day on the Hill.
The Startup Canada Awards are proudly presented by Intuit Quickbooks, in partnership with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Mastercard Canada, Scotiabank, UPS Canada, Rogers, and the Centre for Social Innovation.
For more information and to schedule interviews, please contact:
Maddie Stiles
Media Relations, Startup Canada
613-295-4590
maddie.stiles@startupcan.ca
About the Startup Canada Awards
The annual Startup Canada Awards are the hallmark event that celebrates and recognize those driving impact and demonstrating excellence in Canada’s entrepreneurship and innovation community. The objectives of the Startup Canada Awards are to:
- Celebrate those working to advance entrepreneurship in Canada;
- Increase awareness of the importance of strengthening Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and culture; and,
- Incentivize efforts and elevate the ambitions of the Canadian entrepreneurial and innovation community.
For more information, visit www.startupaward.ca.
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the national rallying community and voice for Canada’s 2.3 million entrepreneurs. Since launching in 2012, Startup Canada has grown to represent more than 200,000 entrepreneurs and 50 grassroots communities from coast to coast to coast. Through digital programs and flagship events, Startup Canada is the network promoting, inspiring, educating, connecting and giving a voice to Canada’s entrepreneurs; supporting them to start, operate and scale businesses that build a better Canada for the world today and for future generations. For more information, visit www.startupcan.ca.