Montréal tech convention doled out greater than $800,000 in pitch prizes.
As Startupfest closed off its “candy sixteen” version, greater than a dozen startups nabbed money prizes value a complete of $825,000.
Moncton, New Brunswick-based AgroGene Options, which makes a hive-monitoring software program answer for beekeepers, received the $100,000 Better of the Fest prize on the Montréal tech convention on Friday out of 275 pitches. The corporate is growing tech options to watch the well being standing of honeybees and detect pathogens that might lead to hive losses. Since bees pollinate the vast majority of crops that present a lot of the world’s meals, the well being standing of the bugs is vital for sustainable meals manufacturing.
“We have now found the way to detect infections earlier, earlier than signs seem,” AgroGene co-founder and CEO Pascale Michaud. “We pair a molecular diagnostic with an information platform to assist beekeepers hold their hives alive.”
The sixteenth version of Startupfest closed on July 10 with the announcement of its varied pitch contest winners. Founders, buyers, tech employees, and ecosystem gamers from throughout the nation convened in Montréal for 3 days of networking, panels, and pitches.
The viewers favorite of the award ceremony was Lyme Alert, a Cambridge, Mass.-based startup that develops moveable checks to test ticks for the presence of Lyme illness. It additionally received the $100,000 Girls In Tech Funding Prize.
The record of all Startupfest 2026 award winners is as follows:
Better of the Fest Funding Prize ($100,000): AgroGene Options, which makes hive-monitoring software program for beekeepers.
Viewers Alternative Award: LymeAlert, which develops at-home tick checks.
Grandmothers’ Alternative Award: Kiwi Cost, which deploys autonomous EV chargers.
Girls In Tech Funding Prize ($100,000): LymeAlert, which checks ticks for Lyme.
Black Entrepreneur Funding Prize ($100,000): EN Options Hydro, which focuses on AI-powered software program for hydro energy crops.
The Twin-Use and Sovereign Tech Funding Prize ($100,000): 3D BioFibR, which produces collagen fibres at industrial scale for tissue engineering.
2SLGBTQIA+ Funding Prize ($100,000): Tissue Tinker, which engineers human tissues.
Canadian Influence Funding Prize ($100,000) and Influence Grant ($25,000): Finleaf Applied sciences, which turns fish waste into fertilizer.
Fintech Grant ($100,000): Padder, which gives guarantor providers to assist renters entry housing.
Black Innovation Zone Scale Grant Prize ($10,000) — Early Stage: Yvonne Osagie, of health-advocacy platform MedMelanin.
Black Innovation Zone Scale Grant Prize ($10,000) — Development Stage: Religion Oloruntoba, of AI journey concierge Cotriply.
Black Innovation Zone Scale Grant Prize ($20,000, every): Danneelle Crisp, of emergency triage platform ElleLogic AI, and Joshua Ekundayo, of voice-learning platform ClassClown.
Fonds de solidarité FTQ Productiveness Grant ($10,000): OWI Labs, which develops an information layer to assist firms make higher selections.
Influence Grant ($25,000, plus $25,000 from Mistral Enterprise Companions): ElleLogic AI, an AI platform to streamline emergency care in hospitals.
Function picture courtesy Madison McLauchlan for BetaKit.
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