This year’s recipients of the CIX Startup Awards, a showcase of Canada’s rising stars selected by North American investors, have been revealed.
The CIX Selection Committee, comprising over 100 investors and experts, evaluated submissions based on six criteria: Business Model, Quality of Product and Service Offering, Innovation, Market Opportunity, Depth of Management, and D.E.I. of Leadership.
“It has been a challenging year for Canadian startups, so it was great to see such a strong lineup of companies,” stated Neha Kera, who serves as co-chair of the CIX Startup Awards. “Congratulations to the award recipients on their impressive accomplishments; I’m excited to see their presentations at CIX Summit in March.”
Award recipients will pitch in-person this year at the CIX Summit on March 26 at the Design Exchange—a Toronto event which attracts over 500 investors and entrepreneurs from across North America’s technology ecosystem.
“The competition was intense this year, and we applaud all of the incredible applicants from across Canada for their achievements,” stated Matthew Leibowitz, co-chair of the Awards. “This final group of companies represents the country’s most promising innovators, and we’re excited for them to showcase their companies at the CIX Summit in March.”
At the Summit, attendees will engage in a curated program of on-stage content, founder pitches, networking sessions, interactive roundtables, and 1-on-1 meetings to foster connections between founders and investors.
The Summit and Awards are powered by Elevate, a Canadian non-profit that aims to unite world-class innovators who want to catalyze transformation within the country’s tech sphere.
Among the Award recipients are fintechs from across the country.
Representing the West Coast of Canada is MyFO. Recognized in the “Early” category, the Vancouver startup’s aim is to streamline wealth management through AI and other modern technologies, consolidating information and tools in one place to ensure every generation is well-prepared and can properly navigate their financial future.
Also in the “Early” category was Sibli out of Montreal. The Quebec fintech upgrades the investment research process by converting massive volumes of unstructured data into actionable insights for institutional investors through AI.
In the “Growth” category there is Toronto’s Brim Financial and Float Financial, as well as Conquest Planning from Winnipeg.
Brim is a fintech infrastructure company targeting the credit card platform and payment automation with a modular platform and scalable product suite for financial institutions and international brands. In 2024, the company raised an $85 million Series C funding round.
Float, which reimagined corporate spending with tech-forward cards and other solutions, last month secured a $70 million in a Series B funding round led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives.
Meanwhile, Conquest’s artificial intelligence powered software empowers institutions to offer financial advice at scale. The Manitoba fintech was recognized by Manulife and the World Economic Forum’s Prospering in Longevity Challenge, in addition to a slew of other notable accolades throughout 2024: Placing 27th on Deloitte Canada’s Technology Fast 50 list, ranking among Globe and Mail’s Top Growing Companies, and returning to CB Insights’ Fintech 100.
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