There are two ways to participate in the 2025 Startup Global Pitch Competition. You can pitch 1) in-person at one of our four Startup Canada Tour stops or 2) virtually.

In-person 

Key Dates

To pitch in-person, register for the “Pitcher Pass” for the closest Startup Canada Tour to you:

• Tuesday, April 29: Startup Canada Tour Calgary | Register now
• Tuesday, October 22: Startup Canada Tour Mississauga | Applications open in the Summer

💻 Virtual

Can’t make it to one of our Startup Canada Tour stops? Don’t worry, you can still pitch virtually!

Our virtual pitch competition day will be taking place on Monday April 7 (first round pitches) and Tuesday April 8 (Top 10). Applications will open on February 3 and close on March 28 or until all pitch spots are full. 

Apply to pitch virtually

• Pitchers will be given 3 minutes to pitch, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A from two judges. The pitch will be verbal, with no pitch deck. Participants are able to bring their product to the pitch. Please note, there is no set up time for products, therefore we can only allow small physical products. If you have a product that fits on a table top, you may bring it with you to your pitch.
• Following the first round of pitches, the judges will select the top 5 pitchers that will move on to the main stage presentation.
• The pitchers who have made it to the next round will be announced on the main stage in the afternoon.
• The top 5 will then present to a panel of 3 judges on the Mainstage. They will have 3 minutes to pitch, followed by 2 minutes of Q&A.
• Following this, the judges will pick the winner, who will win a $3,000 cash prize and a guaranteed spot in the Grand Finale in Mississauga  in October.
• Pitchers must be present all day at Startup Canada Tour if they advance to the top 5 to be eligible for the main stage presentation.
• Startup Canada will provide transport and accommodation for the pitcher only.

• Pitchers will be given 3 minutes to pitch, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A from two judges. The pitch will be verbal, with no pitch deck. Participants are able to bring their product to the pitch.
• Following this, the judges will deliberate to select the top 10 pitchers who will advance to the second round the following day (April 8)
• Finalists who have advanced to the second round will be emailed at 4:00 PM (ET)
• The second round will take place on Tuesday April 8
• Following this, judges will select the top 5 that will advance to the Grand Finale in Mississauga in October
• Startup Canada will provide transport and accommodation for the pitcher only.

The winner of each Pop-up Pitch Competition at the Startup Canada Tour stops will win a $3,000 cash prize. In the Grand Finale, the top 10 pitchers will be competing for one of the following prizes:

• 1st Place | $30,000
• 2nd Place | $15,000
• 3rd Place | $7,500
• People’s Choice Award | $2,500

In addition to the above prizes, the top 5 finalists at each Startup Canada Tour stop will be eligible to win a $1,000 People’s Choice Award voted on by the audience at the Tour stop. The winner of the Grand Finale People’s Choice Award will win a cash prize of $2,500.

Our criteria focus on answering one important question, “What is your potential to scale globally?” To help answer this question, our panel of judges will assess your business under the following criteria:

• Target market | Is there a clearly defined target market? Businesses that have clearly outlined their target audience will be able to identify the potential for scaling globally, such as understanding the current size and potential growth of a target market, the volatility or stability of a target market, or identifying particular characteristics like a high-priced niche.
• Objective | All solutions are built to fix an identified problem, but not all problems need scalable solutions. Does your business solve a problem from a short-term trend? Or is there a real long-term need for your solution? Businesses that have the potential to go global have long-run, sustainable business models.
• Solution | Businesses with a detailed, innovative solution with a strong unique selling proposition (USP) will be more likely to scale globally. This criteria assesses your overall product or service, for instance, price, convenience, uniqueness, innovation, quality, efficiency, and branding.
• Leadership | What does your leadership team look like? Does your team, mentors or board of advisors have industry experience, key relationships, and/or prior successes and failures? These are crucial facets in determining whether your business has the support and guidance to help successfully expand globally.
• Traction (if any) | A key indicator of being able to scale globally is a detailed assessment of the trajectory of a solution. This includes evaluating the minimum viable product (MVP), and existing partners.
• Competition | Going global means stacking up against an international community of innovators and entrepreneurs; how does your business stand out? Why should a customer choose your solution over another?
• Ability to go global | This criterion hopes to help our panel of judges ultimately answer the question, “Do you think this contestant has the potential to scale globally?”