Join us on March 5th to cheer on the 10 shortlisted startups competing in the 2026 Desjardins Startup Prize Pitch Competition!
This year’s competition will take place as part of True Blue Impact Day on March 5th, in the culmination of U of T Entrepreneurship Week.
The Desjardins Startup Prize is U of T Entrepreneurship’s annual business pitch competition, awarding $100K in prizes to recognize, reward, and accelerate the University of Toronto’s most innovative startups.
Early Stage = Startups that have received less than $50,000 in cumulative funding or investment and less than $25,000 in cumulative revenue as of November 29, 2025.
Late Stage = Startups that have received between $50,000 and $250,000 cumulative funding or investment, and less than $100,000 in cumulative revenue as of November 29, 2025.
Presented by
*First place winners in both categories will receive a pass to StartupFest in Montreal in July 2026. All winners will also receive up to $5,000 in-kind legal support from UTE’s legal partner – Cassels, as well as an annual membership to ONRamp, U of T’s co-working and community space.
Aiko builds a healthcare-compliant conversational translation device for care homes, enabling real-time communication between caregivers and older adults with limited English proficiency to improve safety, dignity, and quality of care.
Farname-Diagnosis is developing a rapid, cost-effective point-of-care device for early ovarian cancer detection, addressing a major screening gap and enabling accessible diagnosis in clinics and underserved settings to improve patient outcomes.
Diabetic foot ulcer patients face delayed healing and recurrent wounds, with amputation risks reaching 50% and significant loss of mobility. NanoDermaTx is developing a self-administered, multifunctional smart nanogel that personalizes therapy to wound biology, accelerates healing, and reduces clinic visits.
Stryde delivers continuous, personalized cognitive recovery by combining adaptive AI assessments, clinician-supervised rehabilitation, and longitudinal analytics into a single platform. We enable better outcomes with less clinical burden, meeting the needs of patients, clinicians, and payers.
SymBL Innovations is a biotechnology start-up revolutionizing organic waste processing by converting traditional anaerobic digestion processes into efficient, high-value chemical manufacturing systems. Specializing in the production of an alternative to palm-kernel oil and other specialty bioproducts, we transform waste management into a sustainable and profitable endeavour.
Graspr AI is a web app transforming static course PDFs into personalized video explainers and interactive quizzes. We close the engagement gap for Gen Z by turning boring text into active visual learning, helping students study in half the time.
My Dorm Store (MDS) is built specifically for residence environments. MDS is a residence-approved, pre-arrival dorm essentials and parent care package program. We work directly with universities to build custom, residence-specific packages aligned with institutional standards and student need.
Sparked offers the first at-home device that screens for risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) using the proteins found in your saliva. Results are provided rapidly and without the need for a traditional laboratory or technical training.
Tightbeam Photonics is revolutionizing satellite-to-ground communications with a photonic optical ground station solution featuring a novel silicon photonic beam receiver for very high bandwidth, portable, secure, low-cost optical satellite communication links to Earth to enable satellite megaconstellations and orbital networking.
Vrit is transforming surgical care with a handheld bioprinter that eliminates the need for autografts, enabling advanced, minimally invasive procedures. Our innovative product line includes novel bioinks and the handheld bioprinter, empowering surgeons with cutting-edge tools for improved patient outcomes.
Eva Lau is a respected entrepreneur-turned-investor and one of the few women leading a venture fund in Canada. Eva uses her background in engineering and deep expertise in network effects, AI and semiconductors…
Co-Founder & CEO of Kepler Communications Mina Mitry is Co-Founder and CEO of Kepler Communications, a company delivering real-time optical connectivity, on-orbit computing, and hosted payload capabilities to space. Established in 2015, Kepler has quickly grown…
Nishant Raizada is a Managing Director, Technology & Innovation Banking at Desjardins, and is based in Toronto. He leads the institution’s technology banking platform in the Ontario market, supporting early…
Programs Lead, ICUBE, University of Toronto Mississauga Kayla Sousa is the Programs Lead with ICUBE at the University of Toronto Mississauga. In her role, she supports early-stage entrepreneurs in overcoming…
