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.

Nrth 2026: Winners and Standouts From Toronto's Startup Stage

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.