The third annual DMZ Women Innovation Summit saw four women-led startups emerge from the pitch competition with $535,000 in new investments and ten new recipients earn the Women of the Year award.
Of the 200 applicants, 10 founders were selected to pitch their businesses to representatives of angel network The Firehood and DMZ Ventures, who joined the event as an investment partner for the first time. Artificial intelligence (AI) market research solution Cashew took home the most backing, securing $190,000, with $150,000 of that coming from DMZ Ventures and the remaining from The Firehood.
“We’re putting capital behind the founders who are actually moving the needle.”
The remaining recipients were AI-powered healthcare operations platform Migranium, which received $125,000, urban commercial rooftop greenhouse Edie Farming with $120,000, and AI home intelligence platform Metronome with $100,000.
According to DMZ executive director Abdullah Snobar, this marks the most DMZ Ventures has ever committed to a single pitch competition.
“Year after year, the data proves what we already know: women-led startups deliver stronger returns, drive innovation and build businesses that last,” Snobar said in a statement. “So, while some so-called tech leaders debate diversity like it’s optional, we’re putting capital behind the founders who are actually moving the needle.”
Snobar was referring to the widescale rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the tech and corporate industries which, in many cases, are tied to the actions of US President Donald Trump and his informal second-in-command, tech mogul Elon Musk.
RELATED: DEI rollback is the “wrong direction for Canada,” open letter says
A recent open letter advocating DEI values garnered nearly 1,000 signatures from leaders in Canada’s tech ecosystem. The letter directly called out Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify, which has been actively dismantling its DEI initiatives this year, including its Build Native and Build Black programs.
The event also revealed the recipients of DMZ’s 2025 Women of the Year recipients, which honour women in Canada’s tech and business community “for their outstanding accomplishments and impact.”
On the list was BDC principal Snita Balsara, Femtech Canada founder Rachel Bartholomew, Front Row Ventures managing director Emmanuelle Coppinger, Nobellum founder Melisa Ellis, Startup Canada CEO Kayla Isabelle, Evolve Advisory Services founder Serena Nguyen, Virtual Gurus founder Bobbie Racette, Mejuri co-founder Noura Sakkijha, Growclass founder Sarah Stockdale, and Elevate co-founder Lisa Zarzeczny.
Feature image courtesy DMZ.
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Cashew, Migranium, Edie Farming, and Metronome emerge from pitch competition with new backing.
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