The 6ix took the 514.
We packed our media pass and hit Montréal's waterfront for Startupfest 2026 — three days, over a million in prizes, and the founders walking away with life-changing cheques. Here's who won, straight from the room.
The Startupfest winners
Every cheque handed out on the main stage at Startupfest Montréal 2026 — photographed from the room by Motivation Toronto. Tap a card to visit the winning company.
$100K
Spider silk and sovereign tech: 3DBioFibR wins $100K
Confetti on the screens, a giant cheque on stage — we watched Halifax's 3DBioFibR take the $100K Dual-Use & Sovereign Tech Investment Prize. The company spins collagen and spider-silk fibres strong enough for medical implants, advanced textiles, and defence — the kind of homegrown material science Canada wants to own.
$100K
★ Best of the Fest
Best of the Fest: AgroGene is saving the bees
The night's biggest prize went to Québec's own AgroGene Solutions. Their lab tests give beekeepers a full hive-health report, screening for ten pathogens at once so colonies can be saved before they collapse. Healthy bees, healthier farms — and a hometown win on Montréal's waterfront.
$100K +$25K
From fish waste to fertilizer: FinLeaf takes the impact prize
We were in the room when Nova Scotia's FinLeaf Technologies took the $100K Canadian Impact Investment Prize plus a $25K grant. Their pitch: turn aquaculture waste into phosphorus-rich fertilizer farms actually need — tackling a global phosphorus shortage and marine pollution in one move.
Meanwhile, back in the 6ix
A real, current roundup of Toronto founders and changemakers in the news — linked out to the original reporting. Tap a card to read the full story.
A Toronto fintech just got bought by a $14M-member US finance app
SoFi has acquired Toronto-based Composer, the no-code platform that lets everyday investors build and automate hedge-fund-style strategies in plain language. Now rebuilt as "Composer by SoFi," it's rolling out to SoFi's 14 million members — a quiet Toronto exit powering a very loud US product.
Xanadu flies the flag for Canadian quantum
Toronto's Xanadu — the photonic quantum-computing company spun out of U of T — was the lone Canadian firm in the room at a major global summit this month, as the country's quantum race heats up.
↗ CommunityClosing the funding gap for Black founders
Toronto's BKR Capital has closed an initial $20M for its second Black Innovation Fund, after Black-led startups in Canada received just $10M in venture capital last year across only 11 companies.
↗ Innovation · HealthtechUHN debuts a new way to implant a brain-computer device
Toronto's University Health Network unveiled a new neurosurgical technique for inserting a brain-computer interface — putting one of the city's hospitals at the frontier of implantable neurotech.
↗ CultureFeeding well-being back into Little Jamaica
Micha Happie Edwards' Food for Joy project uses food to build inclusion and community well-being in one of Toronto's most storied neighbourhoods.
↗ InnovationWaabi's Raquel Urtasun: Canada could lead the physical AI era
At Toronto Tech Week's BetaKit Most Ambitious: Town Hall, Urtasun and former RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie made the case for Canadian tech sovereignty in front of 500 industry leaders at TIFF Lightbox.
Every founder's journey runs on a line. Ours just happens to run through Toronto — and sometimes Montréal.
The shows
Three formats. One goal: get past the pitch and into how it actually happened.
Founders Table
Long-form dinner conversations with the people building Toronto's next generation of companies.
Corner Booth
Quick, unscripted interviews shot in the neighbourhood coffee shops where the real talk happens.
The Wave
Our weekly newsletter and podcast — one story, one lesson, one person worth knowing about.
Know someone building something real?
If they're solving a real problem, hiring in this city, or lifting up the people around them — we want to hear about it.
We read every submission. No spam, no guarantees — just a real look. Prefer email? Reach us at motivationtoronto@gmail.com.
Get the weekly Wave.
One story, one lesson, straight to your inbox every Sunday morning. No noise.
Free, always. Unsubscribe in one click. Or just email motivationtoronto@gmail.com.