Canada’s technology leaders gathered in Toronto this week for the fourth annual DMZ Women Innovation Summit. The event highlighted women-led companies and provided $210,000 in direct funding to promising startups. Since its inception, DMZ’s Women Innovation Programs have supported more than 4,200 founders who have collectively raised over $522 million in capital. This year, the focus shifted toward emerging opportunities in AI, cybersecurity and defence.
A live pitch competition served as the centrepiece of the summit, featuring 10 finalists selected from a national pool. These startups included Knead Technologies, ClassClown, Haibu Health, Dawn Energy, Athel AI, Quip Medical, Drawbridge, TalentIQ Technologies, Coraltalk and July Health. Before the event, the founders participated in a fundraising bootcamp to refine their financial models and investor narratives.
July Health, a virtual reproductive health clinic, secured the largest investment commitment of $100,000. Knead Technologies, a platform aimed at reducing food waste, and ClassClown, a voice-based AI learning tool, both received $50,000. Additionally, Isabelle Hudon, President and CEO of BDC, surprised the audience by awarding a $10,000 grant to Haibu Health for its courage.
Julie Mai, Founder and CEO of July Health, stated: “Coming into this, I really felt like an underdog. I have no business background and we hadn’t won a pitch competition before. But I believed in what we’re trying to do. For the last two years we’ve been bootstrapping, doing the best we could, and now we know our business works. This investment means we can help more Canadians get there a lot faster. It feels exciting, but also relieving that this is finally being recognized.”
Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of DMZ, noted that women founders are increasingly leading in fast-moving sectors. He commented: “Women founders across Canada are building in some of the most important and fast-moving sectors right now. The Women Innovation Summit is designed to be a national platform that brings that work to the forefront, connecting founders to the capital, networks and insights they need to scale. As areas like AI, cybersecurity and defence quickly evolve, there is a real opportunity for founders to step in and lead. Our goal this year was to not only spotlight that opportunity, but to help founders understand where they fit and how to move.”
The summit also named Isabelle Hudon as the 2026 Woman of the Year. Discussions during the event explored how shifting global priorities in space technology and dual-use systems are creating new entry points for female entrepreneurs.
