Nrth 2026: Winners and Standouts From Toronto's Startup Stage
Elevate became Nrth, and its startup stage ran seven pitch sessions plus Tangerine's $50,000 elevator pitch. Moro Technologies, MoVA Realities and Cotriply took home the prizes. Here is every company that pitched and what they are building.
Toronto's biggest tech festival opened its 2026 edition under a new name. Elevate became Nrth on opening night at Meridian Hall, with the same team and community and a plan to add year-round programming for founders. The startup programme ran from a Main Stage showcase on September 22 through pitch sessions hosted by DMZ, Moneris, the Italian Trade Agency, the University of Toronto, QueerTech and the Brampton Innovation District, with Tangerine awarding $50,000 to an elevator pitch winner on the final afternoon. UpNext covered the festival as a Nrth media partner.
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Jump to: Winners · Opening Night · DMZ · Moneris · Italian Trade Agency · UofT · QueerTech · Brampton · Tangerine · Demo Showcases · Why It Matters
Winners at a Glance
- Tangerine From Pitch to 50K ($50,000): Moro Technologies, Mohamed Ali
- Moneris eCommerce North Showcase ($10,000 grant): MoVA Realities, Sophie Jiang
- Brampton Innovation District, Audience Choice: Cotriply, Faith Oloruntoba
- Brampton Innovation District, second place ($2,500): SCOOTY
Opening Night Pitch Showcase
Before Kyle Lowry, DuckDuckGo and Mistral took the Main Stage on opening night, ten startups delivered three-minute pitches to the early crowd. Four came through open applications and six were curated by the Nrth team.