Your story is your best selling point.

Pitch Ready for Africa Health Collaborative Startups. Pre-Health Innovation Festival Edition.

A 3-workshop series + 1-on-1 mentoring for HENT startups preparing to compete in the upcoming Health Innovation Festival.

Most founders know their solution inside out. Few know how to make a room of strangers care about it. Pitch Ready closes that gap! in three sessions, built specifically for African health innovators.

Judges don't fund technologies. They fund founders who make them believe a problem is urgent, important, valuable and that you're the only person who can solve it!

The curriculum

Three sessions.
One complete pitcher.

Each workshop builds on the last. By the end, you’ll have a story, a voice, a pitch, and the composure to handle anything a judge throws at you.

.01

Find Your Story

Storytelling & Narrative Foundation

  • Why story beats data every time.
  • The “patient zero” exercise. Make the problem human.
  • Your 3-sentence origin story.
  • The grandmother test. Zero jargons.
  • Pairs feedback session.

.02

Your Voice & Presence

Branding, Communication & Delivery

  • Your verbal brand. The 3 words you own.
  • Speaking with authority off-script.
  • Navigating accent and language confidently.
  • Slides as backdrop, not script.
  • Self-recording + critique exercise.

.03

Building the Pitch

Structure, Content & Deck Architecture

  • The 10 slides that matter, and what goes on each.
  • Framing early-stage traction honestly.
  • The African context as a competitive edge.
  • Writing a specific, defensible ask.
  • Full pitch outline review.
08:30 AM - 10:00 AM EST | 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM GMT | 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM CAT | 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM CAT
08:30 AM - 10:00 AM EST
12:30 PM - 02:00 PM GMT
02:30 PM - 04:00 PM CAT
03:30 PM - 05:00 PM CAT
+ 1-on-1 Mentoring for founders needing personal support
Register Now

Your idea deserves to be heard.

Spots are limited to keep the cohort intimate and the feedback personal.
If you’re a health startup from one of the nine participating universities, apply now to secure your place.

Ideation Lab W'26 Schedule

Date
Time
Topic
Saturday, Jan 24
9:30am to 4:30pm
(in-person bootcamp)
Welcome + Orientation, 15 Traits of an Entrepreneur, Human-Centered Design, Market Research
Wednesday, Jan 28
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(virtual)
Grants, Loans, and Subsidies
Wednesday, Feb 04
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(virtual)
Legal Session (Ask Me Anything with SLC Law)
Wednesday, Feb 11
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(virtual)
Branding Workshop
Wednesday, Feb 18
Break
Wednesday, Feb 25
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(in-person)
De-Mystifying Early-Stage Financing For Researchers: VC vs Angels
Wednesday, Mar 04
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(in-person)
Pitch with a Twist
Wednesday, Mar 11
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(virtual)
Sales Workshop
Wednesday, Mar 18
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(virtual)
Accounting Ask Me Anything
Wednesday, Apr 01
5:30pm to 7:30pm
(virtual)
Storytelling & How to Pitch

Indigenous business training program created by RedBird Circle Inc. in partnership with UofT Libraries, ICUBE UTM and The Bridge at UTSC

An experiential learning program that follows the school 3 semesters schedule, for anyone with a great idea who wants to make it happen.

A boutique-style remote program to support your business development and help you grow through one-on-one support. This program is open all year.

A student-led creative studio with intends to serve the prototyping and design needs of our ventures and small businesses in our community.

This 2-day retreat is designed to help you reflect on your journey, what drives you, all the hats you wear and what is next for you and your social enterprise.