Sauga Start-up
Pitch & Showcase
Peel’s flagship start-up pitch competition
Join us from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on Thursday, February 16, 2023 for Peel’s 2023 Flagship Startup Pitch Competition! Watch finalists compete for prize money, see examples of how the pitching process works, and understand what to expect from investors and interested parties.
This partnered event is facilitated by ICUBE at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), Sheridan College’s EDGE Entrepreneurship Hub, and IDEA Mississauga, who are all delighted to support entrepreneurs’ innovative concepts.
10 start-up pitches
$10,000 in cash prizes
+ in-kind rewards from sponsors!
Presenting partners
Categories
Early Stage
Eligibility Criteria:
- Registrants must be a student or alumni of the University of Toronto or Sheridan College; OR participants of EDGE, ICUBE or IDEA Mississauga programs; OR a resident in the Peel Region.
- Product or service idea must not be in the market (pre-launch).
- Less than $25k in external investments (excluding own funds and friends & family) or grants
- Do not need to be incorporated.
- Available for a one on one Pitch Practice session with a coach.
- Available to present and attend the event on February 16th.
Prizes: Cash and In-kind prizes to be announced soon!
Judging Criteria:
The panel of judges will be looking for the venture’s:
- Opportunity: A clearly identified problem and articulated and compelling value proposition
- Viability and impact: Demonstrated traction, market opportunity and knowledge
- Growth potential: Sustainable and scalable idea
- Innovation: Intellectual property and/or strong competitive differentiation
- Talent: A strong team
- Communication skills: An effective and persuasive overall application and pitch presentation
Later Stage
Eligibility Criteria:
- Registrants must be a student or alumni of the University of Toronto or Sheridan College; OR participants of EDGE, ICUBE or IDEA Mississauga programs; OR a resident in the Peel Region.
- Must be incorporated in Canada.
- Less than $50k in cumulative revenue to date.
- Past Sauga Pitch winners are not eligible.
- Available for a one on one Pitch Practice session with a coach.
- Available to present and attend the event on February 16th.
Prizes: Cash and In-kind prizes to be announced soon!
Judging Criteria:
The panel of judges will be looking for the venture’s:
- Opportunity: A clearly identified problem and articulated and compelling value proposition
- Viability and impact: Demonstrated traction, market opportunity and knowledge
- Growth potential: Sustainable and scalable idea
- Innovation: Intellectual property and/or strong competitive differentiation
- Talent: A strong team
- Communication skills: An effective and persuasive overall application and pitch presentation
Narinder Dhami
Narinder is an award-winning innovator, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader. Her work spans across sectors and silos, she brings depth and rigour to drive social impact in North America and the Global South. She is the President of the Sonor Foundation, Executive Lead and Co-Founder of New Power Lab, and a gender lens investor. Over the last decade, she built, designed and scaled social ventures including: in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) she led a venture philanthropy fund, LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact, and alongside Sandra and Joseph Rotman at the University of Toronto, Narinder was the founding Executive Director of Rise, a microfund for entrepreneurs with mental health and addiction challenges. In the Global South, she worked in microfinance across Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali at La Première Agence de Microfinance (PAMF) and in impact investing in Ghana & Nigeria with Acumen. She is a lecturer at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto. Narinder serves on multiple boards including the Community Foundations of Canada, Venture for Canada, The Circle, and CAFIID and is an investor in social ventures across Canada.
Save the date: Feb 16, 2023 | 5:30-7:30pm | IDEA, Square One Mall
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