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Meet the judges
In partnership with CIBC Business Banking

The judges behind the 2026 finalists

Every eligible application to the CIBC Biz Pitch Competition was reviewed in detail by our expert judges, who include founders, investors, academics, and ecosystem leaders. Over two rounds of judging, they selected the semi-finalists and then the nine finalists who will pitch live on October 20.

Register for the live pitch event Meet the finalists
  1. Applications closed750 applications received by August 31, 2026
  2. Round 1 & 2 judgingJudges scored eligible applications and selected the semi-finalists, then reviewed the semi-finalists and selected nine finalists.
  3. Live pitch eventFinalists pitch live on October 20, 2026

Round 1 & 2 Judges

Our judges reviewed and scored eligible applications against the judging criteria for each award category, selected the semi-finalists, and then selected the nine finalists.

September 1 to 25, 2026Semi-finalists and finalists notified

Kanwal Bokhari

Assistant Professor (Teaching), FinanceHaskayne School of Business, University of Calgary

Dr. Kanwal Bokhari is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) in Finance at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, where she teaches new venture finance, corporate governance and ethics, and serves as academic lead for CDL-Rockies.

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She previously served as academic lead for the UCeed Haskayne Student Fund, Western Canada's first student-run venture capital fund. Her research on judgment under uncertainty and information asymmetry in investor–entrepreneur interactions has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Meghann Coleman

National Executive DirectorLab2Market

Meghann is the National Executive Director of Lab2Market, a nationwide program helping graduate and postdoctoral students commercialize their research and build entrepreneurial skills, and previously held leadership roles at Dal Innovates, MindFrame Connect, and Volta, where she led programming and an investment fund for Atlantic Canadian startups.

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Her background spans corporate, entrepreneurial, and academic environments, including work with Scotiabank's NHL sponsorship team, Bell Media, CAMH Foundation, and the National Arts Centre Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Memorial University and a post-grad diploma in Broadcast Journalism, and is currently completing her MBA (Leadership) at Dalhousie University.

Wendy Cukier

Professor of Entrepreneurship and InnovationTed Rogers School of Management

Dr. Wendy Cukier, MA, MBA, PhD, LLD (HC), DU (HC), M.S.C., is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Ted Rogers School of Management and founder of the Diversity Institute, which includes 80 full-time staff, 10 regional hubs, and more than 300 partners.

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Formerly the Vice President, Research and Innovation of Toronto Metropolitan University, Wendy has written more than 200 papers on technology, innovation and management, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. She also leads numerous initiatives to advance innovation and entrepreneurship including the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), which builds a strong, inclusive innovation ecosystem based on evidence and best practices to grow Canada's economy, innovation, and sustainability. As the Academic Research Director for the Future Skills Centre, Wendy leads projects that help prepare Canadians for a rapidly changing environment.

Wendy has received many academic, industry, and community awards for her work, including the Meritorious Service Cross, one of Canada's highest civilian honours, and was named one of the “100 Alumni Who Shaped the Century” by the University of Toronto. She holds an MA and MBA (University of Toronto), a PhD in Information Systems (Schulich School of Business, York University), and two honorary doctorates (Concordia University and Université Laval).

Cara Dveris

Director of Strategic ProgramsNorth Forge

Cara Dveris is the Director of Strategic Programs at North Forge, where she leads the design and delivery of multi-million-dollar federally funded innovation programs, including ElevateIP across Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

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An entrepreneur herself, she was building companies before she was funding them. As COO, she helped scale a startup from launch to award-winning and nationally recognized, and she later founded her own firm advising entrepreneurs and executives across North America on strategy, operations, and growth.

Lesley Esford

Executive DirectorSFU VentureLabs

Lesley Esford is an experienced life sciences and innovation leader who has supported more than 200 companies through commercialization, financing, and growth, and currently serves as Executive Director of SFU VentureLabs.

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A Kauffman Fellow with degrees in both business and science, including a Ph.D., Lesley is also an entrepreneur herself, having founded a science-based company developing nutritional products for the equine market.

Valerie Fox

Creative Solutions Coach and Facilitator

Valerie Fox is a Creative Solutions Coach and Facilitator for Executives, Entrepreneurs, and Incubator and Accelerator Leads. Her past experience as co-founder of the DMZ, and as National Practice Lead of User-Experience, IBM, has helped grow successful entrepreneurial innovation worldwide.

Gina Grandy

DeanHaskayne School of Business, University of Calgary

Dr. Gina Grandy is Dean of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. She was previously Dean of the Hill and Levene Schools of Business at the University of Regina, and was the lead for the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) in Saskatchewan.

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Her past leadership roles include Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs, Research Development Program Lead, and RBC Women in Leadership Scholar. She has taught and led research at eight universities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, and her award-winning research on leadership, gender, women's experiences in the workplace and stigmatized work has been widely published. She has secured research grants from both SSHRC and CIHR.

Lalit Guglani

Business and Education Innovation leader. Ambiguity & Transformation expert. Building the Absorptive Capability Infrastructure for the Future of Work. Launching Impactful Smart Education & Training Fast and with Purpose.

Hanna Haddad

Hanna Haddad (he/him) holds an MBA and specializes in business development, strategy, and social impact. He is known for solving complex problems and driving efficient, practical solutions across organizations.

Jenn Juby

Managing DirectorStartup Canada

Jenn Juby is the Managing Director of Startup Canada, Canada's leading national entrepreneurship organization. Before joining Startup Canada, Jenn was a founder herself, scaling her own retail business from zero to over $10 million in revenue in sixteen months, and later served as CEO of the national charity, Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation.

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She brings over a decade of executive leadership across private sector and nonprofit organizations, driven by a personal commitment to building an entrepreneurial ecosystem that helps Canadian founders scale and achieve economic prosperity.

David Kwok

Director of Entrepreneurship & InnovationYSpace, York University

David first joined York in 2018 and co-founded YSpace, York's pan-university innovation and entrepreneurship hub and has grown YSpace into a global innovation hub with specialized focus on a variety of sectors and communities.

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Under his leadership, York launched Ontario's first accelerator focused on the Food & Beverage sector, grew ELLA into a national women accelerator program, launched the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance created in partnership with the Black Creek Community Health Centre, and built globally partnerships in through Asia for innovation collaborations. David is passionate about making entrepreneurship accessible to all and championing for greater support and services for underrepresented founders and sectors. Previously, David worked at the DMZ at Toronto Metropolitan University supporting their startups and even started his own company in the educational space. Currently, David sits on multiple non-profit board seats that holds strong connections to both his personal and professional passions.

Jennifer MacInnis

General CounselOntario Tech University

Jennifer MacInnis is the General Counsel at Ontario Tech University, where she oversees an internal team of lawyers, privacy, and human rights specialists, managing all legal services for the university.

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With a strong background in higher education administration and corporate law, Jen's first love is intellectual property, commercialization and technology transfer, and has facilitated the licensing and transfer of numerous inventions and technologies from universities to the market. She has taught at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, as well as presenting on IP licensing for Osgoode. Prior to joining Ontario Tech Jen has held roles at TMU, St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto.

John MacRitchie

PresidentCanadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship

John MacRitchie has over 20 years experience in supporting research commercialization and industry-academic research collaborations in the private, public and post-secondary sectors.

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He is co-founder of the national Lab2Market network, an NSERC-funded initiative training over 1,000 graduate students a year across 50+ institutions in how to move research into the world. He is the current president of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE).

Christine Nakamura

Vice-President, Central Canada OfficeAsia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Christine Nakamura is Vice-President of the Central Canada Office (Toronto) at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, where she advances Canada's engagement with Asia through business, policy, and people-to-people connections.

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She provides leadership for key APF Canada initiatives, including the Canadian Women's International Network (CanWIN), which supports women's leadership and professional advancement, and the Women's Business Missions program, which helps Canadian women entrepreneurs and business leaders expand opportunities and partnerships across Asia. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience with the Government of Canada, including diplomatic postings in Japan and South Korea, she is widely recognized for her contributions to strengthening Canada-Asia relations.

Stefany Nieto

Co-founder and CEOPangea

Stefany Nieto is the co-founder and CEO of Pangea, a supply chain platform that helps CPG founders find the right manufacturers, forecast inventory, and formulate products customers sell out.

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She built it out of a decade running operations for consumer brands: she co-founded Gwella, the mushroom company behind Mojo Microdose, founded Green Iglu, an award-winning startup building food production facilities in Arctic Canada, and led growth across multiple CPG brands.

Al Ramsay

Former Banking Executive

Al Ramsay is an award-winning former banking executive, Hall of Fame inductee, trusted advisor, and keynote speaker. With more than 25 years of leadership experience, he brings deep expertise in strategy, customer growth, brand building, and community engagement, along with a passion for championing bold ideas and emerging entrepreneurs.

Chad Saunders

Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship and InnovationHaskayne School of Business

Chad Saunders, MBA, PhD, ICD.D. Chad is an Associate Professor at the Haskayne School of Business in the area of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. His research examines entrepreneurial careers, entrepreneurial support and ecosystems, resource mobilization, and the conditions that enable entrepreneurs and firms to adapt, innovate, and grow.

Vicki Saunders

FounderCoralus (formerly SheEO)

Vicki Saunders is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor, advisor to the next generation of change-makers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world.

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Vicki is Founder of #radical generosity and Coralus (formerly SheEO), a global community of radically generous women supporting women-led Ventures working on the World's To-Do List. Vicki received numerous awards for her work at Coralus (formerly SheEO) including; UBS Global Visionary in 2020, YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2021, and was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2001.

Murray Simser

Founder & CEOCITIZN

Murray Simser is a Silicon Valley founder, 2x public company CEO, and former Microsoft executive whose software launches have reached billions. Currently Founder & CEO of CITIZN, he is also a bestselling author, columnist, Booklist-reviewed writer, University guest lecturer and adjunct professor.

Usha Srinivasan

AVP, Zone Learning and Strategic InitiativesToronto Metropolitan University

Usha is currently the AVP of Zone Learning and Strategic Initiatives at TMU. She is a cleantech scientist turned market research consultant turned innovation ecosystem builder. She is also a 4X founder of businesses in foodtech, retail, music and AI-talent matching platform.

David Tsubouchi

Former Cabinet MinisterBoard Member, OMERS and Tarion

The Honourable David Tsubouchi, B.A., J.D., LL.D., D.S. Litt., C. Dir, E.C.O. is the first Japanese Canadian to be elected to any provincial legislature in Canada and to be appointed as a Cabinet Minister.

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He has served as the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, Solicitor General, Chair of Treasury/Management Board and Minister of Culture. Mr. Tsubouchi sits on the boards of OMERS Pension Fund and Tarion.

Charlie Wall-Andrews

Executive DirectorSOCAN Foundation

Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews is the Executive Director of the SOCAN Foundation and an educator in the Creative Industries at Toronto Metropolitan University.

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With a PhD in Management specializing in strategy and entrepreneurship, she has developed nationally recognized programs that empower emerging creators to transform their ideas into sustainable careers and ventures by embracing an entrepreneurial mindset.

Sean Wise

Professor of EntrepreneurshipTed Rogers School of Management

Dr. Sean Wise, BA LLB MBA PhD is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Ted Rogers School of Management. Including his time with Dragons' Den he has pitch coached more than 20,000 innovators.

Live pitch event

Watch the finalists pitch live

The event is held virtually, with judges on-site at CIBC Square in Toronto. Category winners are announced the same night.

Register to attend
Finalist coaching sessions
September 28 to October 9, 2026
Live pitch event
October 20, 2026
Category winners announced
October 20, 2026
Most Popular Vote result
Late October 2026

Terms and Conditions

† NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory and who are founders or co-founders of an eligible Canadian business or venture. Eligible businesses must generally be Canadian-based, independently operated, in good standing, and meet the specific requirements of the applicable award category. Eligible applicants must submit an application on or before August 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications will be evaluated through a multi-stage judging process, with finalists advancing to a live virtual pitch event on October 20, 2026. 1 winner will be selected in each of the following categories: Entrepreneurial Success Story of the Year ($20,000 CAD), Start-Up of the Year ($10,000 CAD), Promising Student Entrepreneur of the Year ($10,000 CAD), and Most Popular Vote ($5,000 CAD). Eligible Applicants can only win in 1 category. Use of artificial intelligence to create or assist with an application is prohibited. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible applications received and the applicants' skill in meeting the judging criteria. Official Terms and Conditions: wekh.ca/bizpitch-terms-and-conditions-2026.

Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub

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