PITCH With a Twist 2024 – Celebrating International Women’s Day

Join ICUBE on March 6th, 2024 for our fifth PITCH, International Women’s Month Edition, to stand in support of women entrepreneurs.

PITCH showcases innovation and entrepreneurship from University of Toronto and our greater community. Focusing on early-stage ventures, we bring together innovators from a variety of sectors to pitch their businesses for cash prizes and in-kind support.

Join ICUBE on March 6th, 2024 for their fifth PITCH, International Women’s Month Edition, to stand in support of women entrepreneurs at a competition that promises to break down barriers and reward great ideas from diverse voices.

With a panel of women-identifying judges and all the people pitching will be women-identifying, coming in from two streams of ideas and early-stage startups, come celebrate creativity and entrepreneurship for all. Learn from amazing speakers sharing their experiences, network with great companies, and witness exciting pitches as companies compete at the hub of entrepreneurship in action.

Speaker

Catherine Addai (she/her)

Catherine Addai is the founder and owner of Toronto based women’s clothing company KAELA KAY, a brand she started in 2013 out of the basement of her home.  The premise of the brand is to offer bold, creative, and colourful clothing for today’s modern woman with a focus on using prints from her native Ghana, West Africa. Over the years, Catherine has grown her brand into a thriving business with 5 employees, a physical brick-and-mortar location, and a lucrative partnership with The Hudson’s Bay – all while raising her family.  She is a wife and mother to 3 young children: 12 year old Mikaela (whom the line is named after), 9 year old Lex, and 6 year old Janae – all of whom she credits with being her real drive to succeed in life.  A supporter of women in her community, all of Catherine’s current staff members are women of colour or visible minority.  She has often described these women as a wonderful extension of her business family.   

Over the years Catherine’s designs have graced many runways including New York Fashion Week, African Fashion Week Toronto, Fashion Arts Toronto and many magazines including FASHION and ELLE. Catherine has appeared on TV segments as well on Cityline and Today’s Shopping Choice (TSC).   

Catherine has won several awards including The Woman’s Wear Designer of the Year awarded by The African Fashion Industry Awards and the Peoples Choice Award Designer of The Year awarded by By Blacks. She has also worked with many significant corporations over the years to share her entrepreneurial journey in keynotes, podcast, and conversations. She’s worked with QuickBooks, Ford, LCBO, DHL, AMEX, AECON, Cashmere Canada, and LCBO to name a few. She also works on her personal influencer brand CATHERINE ADDAI, where she shares her passion for business, fashion, travel, beauty and family.