Startup Impact: SDG Pitch Competitions launched applications on October 28th, 2020 and received hundreds of applications from businesses across Canada that are making a real impact on our world. The two pitch competitions being held on November 24th and November 26th aim to highlight and encourage Canadian entrepreneurs whose startups embrace sustainability and fulfill one of the following SDG’s: SDG 1: Poverty Reduction, SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth and SDG 13: Climate Action.

Pitch applications may be closed but the events are still open for viewers. Join us to cheer on these incredible entrepreneurs and participate in the audience vote that will decide the winner!

The top 4 pitchers from each SDG category have been selected and will pitch to a panel of judges and a growing audience this week. Here is a look at the Top 16:

SDG 1: Poverty Reduction (Nov 24th)

Bootcamps for Change
Name: Katie Heggtveit
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Industry: Services – Non-industrial
Bootcamps for Change is a Non-profit social enterprise, facilitating in-shelter fitness programs for youth. Their team looks to improve the lives of those who are facing homelessness, by providing opportunities to build life skills through fitness.

Nava Ventures
Name: Aman Thind
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Industry: Financial Services
Nava was founded to help eliminate the stress caused by money. They want to empower the new generation by helping them with their finances. Their team believes in giving back and improving the triple-bottom-line of our community through volunteer work.

NeedsList
Name: Natasha Freidus
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Industry: Supply Chain & Logistics Services
NeedsList is a women-led mission driven startup that emerged to address a severe gap in the delivery and funding of humanitarian aid. Over the past year, thousands of grassroots organizations have formed in response to the refugee crisis in Europe. While individuals, faith-based organizations and businesses are actively searching for alternatives to traditional, large NGO’s. NeedsList is working to develop smart aid solutions and currently beta-testing the prototype on the ground.

Kinthera
Name: Emily Chatten
Location: Waterloo, Ontario
Industry: Medical Technology & Devices
Kinthera is providing the tools the population needs to find the right therapist for them. They are proud to say everything they do goes back to the research. They have analyzed every barrier to accessing mental health support and incorporated it into the solutions. The success relies on making the best match, between therapist and individual.

SDG 5: Gender Equality (Nov 24th)

Reya Health
Name: Dallas Barnes
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Industry: Medical technology and devicesA company founded by a female birth control user for other female birth control users. After experiencing years of gruelling trial and error trying to find a suitable birth control option, Reya’s founder and CEO set out to change the way we approach our search. Too often Birth control is seen as a “one-size-fits-all”. At Reya, the individual user is at the center and they create a personalized experience to guide them through their birth control journey. They want every female birth control user to have access to personalized and reliable information to make informed decisions for their unique bodies.

Untangle Money
Name: Kristine Beese
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Industry: Financial services
The Untangle Team bonded over their own personal experiences with money management (or lack thereof). They realized the solutions on the market were not built for them, and felt like something was missing. They built a solution with themselves in mind, and aim to help others obtain a better handle on their finances, like they did!

Flutter Wear
Name: Dolma Tsundu
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Industry: Medical technology and devices
Flutter Wear is a personalized fetal monitoring system aimed at enabling and encouraging mothers to take charge of their health, and ensure their baby’s well-being. By combining wearable technology with a smartphone application, it establishes a personal baseline of fetal activity to inform the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of health complications indicated by decreased fetal movements. The company’s mission is to support a positive and informed pregnancy experience for every expectant mother.

Areto Labs
Name: Lana Cuthbertson
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Industry: Media and entertainment
Areto Labs deploys machine learning to transform digital communities for the better. It’s a social enterprise that puts purpose first: technology that builds humanity. They build bots that post positive massaging and behavioural nudges in digital communities like Slack and Twitter.

SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth (Nov 26th)

Locazoa
Name: Rachel Kuzmich
Location: Prince Edward County, Ontario
Industry: Agriculture
Locazoa is a Prince Edward County-based corporation developing solutions for farmers to market and distribute their products directly to local customers. Their mission is to promote a local food community where farmers sell their products and customers have access to food.

Afro Hub Market
Name: Deborah Motilewa
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Industry: Consumer goods
Afrohub is a digital marketplace that connects consumers directly with black-owned businesses to buy and sell products, procure services, network and build connections. Creating a sustainable community for entrepreneurs. The aim is to diminish inequities which will increase sustainable, prospering Black-owned ventures globally.

FLIK: Female Laboratory of Innovative Knowledge
Name: Ravina Anand
Location: Alberta
Industry: Knowledge based industries
FLIK is a platform & community hub connecting female leaders and students across the world via meaningful apprenticeships. Founders get helping hands on their businesses and students gain career-relevant experience, skills training, and mentorship.

FittedFast
Name: Keturah Osinde
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Industry: Supply chain and logistics services
Fittedfast is committed to the growth of community by shopping local. With Fittedfast, you can support local retail businesses by shopping directly from their in-store merchandise — online.

SDG 13: Climate Action (Nov 26th)

Earthli Plant-Powered Superfoods Inc.
Name: Warren Dietrich
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Industry: Consumer goodsEarthli Plant-Powered Superfoods Inc. is a new socially-conscious Canadian health food provider based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. For consumers seeking plant-based nutrition as a lifestyle choice to promote bodily health and support earth-friendly practices, Earthli provides wholesome products with the outstanding superfood and ecological benefits afforded by sustainably-grown hemp.

Off the Grid
Name: Charles Couture-Lebrun
Location: Saint-Bruno, Quebec
Industry: Power
At Off The Grid, they believe that physical training is an untapped source of energy. They started the company with a specific goal: to reduce the ecological footprint of each workout. This flagship product is an innovative spinning bike that converts energy into electricity.

RainStick
Name: Alisha McFetridge
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Industry: Water and waste
Rainstick Shower is a recirculating shower that saves 80% energy and 80% water but feels like a conventional, high-pressure shower. At the end of your shower, water is safe enough to drink. They are looking to prove, living sustainably does not have to be compromising.

EarthSuds
Name: Ajeet Dhaliwal
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Industry: Consumer goods
An innovative line of Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash with 0 single-use plastics from production to delivery, giving you the best clean for your body and our planet. EarthSuds achieves all three dimensions of sustainability; economically it generates and re-invests profits, socially it employs adults with developmental disabilities, and environmentally it eliminates single-use plastics.