Ottawa, ON – October 20th, 2022 | Today Startup Canada announced the 2022 winners of the Startup Global Pitch Competition Grand Finale. Amidst an electric full house Calgary-based startup RetinaLogik was named the first place winner, taking home $30,000. PragmaClin took home the second place prize and won $15,000. Last but certainly not least, the third place winner Arbre will collect $10,000. Alongside monetary prizes, these ventures will also receive in-kind support from Startup Global’s partnership network.
Co-founded by Julia St. Amand and Abdullah Sarhan, RetinaLogik is an innovative vision screening startup reimagining the health-tech industry. The team is on a mission to unlock access to proactive vision screening for everyone with their revolutionary eye exam technology.
“This win means so much to us. Especially being a startup in Canada, there are so many great resources we can pair this with. We plan on using the prize money to implement a quality management system as well as to get our security compliance as we handle health data,” said Julia St. Amand, co-founder of RetinaLogik. “Through the Startup Global program and the 2022 cohort specifically, I feel a little bit less lonely as an entrepreneur. Making these connections has been my favourite part of the program.”
Out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, PragmaClin is changing the way we manage neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s. Founded by Bronwyn Bridges, the team has developed a flagship software solution – PRIMS – that can monitor, analyze, and rate the severity of a full range of symptoms.
“PragmaClin is so grateful to have been one of the winners of Startup Global’s Pitch Competition! This prize will allow us to leverage more funding to complete validation work and regulatory compliance,” said Brownyn Bridges, founder of PragmaClin. “The community at Startup Canada is incredibly supportive and the opportunities for starting a business here in Canada are endless!”
Arbre, co-founded by Stephanie Tien out of Toronto, is pushing the limits in the beauty and wellness space with their innovative products – dry shampoo with SPF for your scalp.
“Startup Global was such a great experience to be able to meet other amazing entrepreneurs, and get access to many resources that will be helpful for our company,” said Stephanie Tien, co-founder of Arbre. “We are so grateful to have won third place and thank you to Startup Canada for organizing the event!”
The flagship program Startup Global – of which the Startup Global Pitch Competition is a core pillar – connects a pan-Canadian cohort of early stage entrepreneurs who want to expand their operations across borders to new international markets. Supported by an expansive network of partners dedicated to their success, the program aims to catalyze a national conversation surrounding the importance of increasing founder knowledge of exporting processes and possibilities, fostering collective support ecosystem efforts in improving access to global markets, and rightfully positioning Canada and its innovative early-stage ventures as internationally competitive.
The other Startup Global 2022 finalists included:
- Nancy Wingham, Nuez Acres – Langley, British Columbia.
- Joey Hébert, MOS – Quebec City, Quebec.
- Jessica Yang, Tochtech Technologies Ltd. – Vancouver, British Columbia.
- Allex Laurin, Cheelcare – Midland, Ontario.
- Sang Le, Peko Produce – Vancouver, British Columbia.
- Edouard Romeus, Buyer Folio Inc. – Montreal, Quebec.
- Annika Mang, Trail Collective – Regina, Saskatchewan.
- Michael W. Palmer, Solve Strips – Calgary, Alberta.
“Today at Startup Canada’s first in-person pitch competition since the onset of the pandemic, we all witnessed the inspiring tenacity, innovation and passion present throughout Canada’s startup community. Julia and the RetinaLogik team are revolutionizing the health care space with accessible, reliable vision screening technology. Founders Stephanie and Kristina are pushing the limits of cosmetic and beauty products. Through compassion and disruption, Bronwyn Bridges is changing the way we all understand disease management,” said Kayla Isabelle, CEO at Startup Canada. “These ventures are the epitome of the thoughtful innovation and incredible ingenuity that Canadian businesses are known for on the global stage.”
This year, 2022, also marked a new era of the Startup Global Pitch Competition that introduced special prizes for select demographics. From a pool of 100 semi-finalists, three outstanding ventures were selected to receive $5,000 each to grow their businesses:
- Rural Entrepreneur Special Prize: Bronwyn Bridges, Co-Founder and President of PragmaClin.
- Seniorpreneur Special Prize: Ron Benegbi, Founder and CEO of Uplinq Financial Technologies.
- Social Entrepreneur Special Prize: Kayli Dale, Co-Founder and CEO of Friendlier.
Announced on October 6th, the UPS People’s Choice Award winner was chosen by you, our audience, and received $5,000 for their business as well as a pitching slot in the grand finale. The 2022 UPS People’s Choice Award winner is Annika Mang, Co-Founder and CEO of Trail Collectiv.
Presented by UPS, Export Development Canada, and the Trade Commissioner Service, Startup Global celebrated and supported thousands of Canadian entrepreneurs as they navigated cross-border markets.
For more information, and to schedule interviews, please contact:
Lauren Hicks, New River Media
(905) 531-1670
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the gateway to Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that points you in the right direction, eliminates barriers, and champions your needs to private and public sector partners. We connect you with support organizations and peers across the country with industry expertise, regional knowledge, and funding to help you start and build successful businesses.