What’s UpNext: Signals from the Global Startup Circuit
The F1 Circuit of the Startup Ecosystem. Tracking founders, momentum, and signals as they emerge.
Welcome to What’s UpNext.
This issue we break down the startups we flagged on the ground at Web Summit Vancouver, what the PITCH results signal, and why Vancouver just became a conversation no serious ecosystem can ignore.
We've also got the GTM identity gap most founders won't admit they have. OneEleven's ScaleUp 10 cohort. And a Final Thought on what it actually means to build a system versus riding momentum you can't explain.
Lot in this one. Let's get into it.
81.5% of founders now use AI for content. 58.7% say it doesn't sound like them.
They surveyed 92 founders to find out why — and what the ones who've cracked it are doing differently. Free report, no gate.
UpNext World Tour
Web Summit Vancouver 2026
The numbers just landed. 20,235 attendees. 768 investors. 1,197 startups. Biggest North American edition Web Summit has ever run. Up nearly 30% from last year.
Vancouver made its case. The capital followed. Khosla Ventures, Benchmark, Insight Partners, Fusion Fund — all on the ground.
We're here. PITCH results are still coming. But these are the founders we're already watching:
- Elayne Wandler, eSense Health — Clinically validated digital therapeutics for women's sexual health. [Healthtech]
- Ben Whately, Astron Health — Multi-omics AI targeting the 70% failure rate in precision cancer treatment. [Healthtech]
- Nadine Wilches, MindArch Health — Reducing preventable stress disorders at population scale. [Healthtech]
- Razan Talebian, InPower — Behavioral change system built inside social media. [Healthtech]
- Meghraj Solanki, Synexiom Labs — Patented reasoning layer that makes any AI catch its own contradictions. [AI]
- Charles Ding, Chamber — Agents that optimize AI workloads across clouds. [AI]
- Sharon Skretting, Teacher Time Machine — AI resources customized to teacher context and student needs. [AI]
- Atif Muhammad, ConnectLoop — Turns static websites into AI sales agents that convert 24/7. [AI]
- Charlotte Wintermann, REearthable® — Biodegradable plastic replacement built for existing equipment. [Climate]
- Elnathan Tiokou, Vraust — Real-time scam detection across online, phone, and email. [Cybersecurity]
- Marty Cerisano, Bizby Canada — Canadian-hosted whiteboarding for government and regulated industries. [Enterprise]
- Matt Canzer, Butterfly Legal — Making legal self-representation actually accessible. [Legal]
- Mike Dahlstedt, DRIVE Hockey Analytics — Sensor-powered Smart Arenas bringing pro coaching to every rink. [Sports Tech]
PITCH results dropping soon. Full recap in the next issue.
Web Summit Vancouver 2026. A key stop on the UpNext World Tour.
Web Summit Vancouver - Opening Night
UpNext Ecosystem
ScaleUp 10: Ones to Watch
OneEleven dropped something worth paying attention to at DiscoveryX 2026.
ScaleUp 10: Ones to Watch. Ten Canadian companies past early-stage and operating at the edge of commercial scale. Healthcare. AI infrastructure. Clean mobility. Advanced manufacturing. Enterprise systems. The common thread wasn't category. It was stage. These are companies navigating real deployment challenges, enterprise adoption, and expansion. Not experimentation.
From BAO Laboratory's AI-driven skincare manufacturing to SWTCH Energy's EV retrofit infrastructure, EECOMOBILITY's battery defect detection to Fero International's modular construction at scale — the cohort reflected where Canada's innovation economy is quietly shifting. From building to deploying.
Edwin J. Frondozo
Running a demo day, pitch night, or cohort showcase?
This is what ecosystem coverage looks like inside What's UpNext. We're actively looking for the next ecosystem partner to feature. If you're managing an accelerator, innovation hub, or startup program — let's put your founders in front of the UpNext network.
Reply to this issue or reach us at upnext.world.
UpNext Spotlights
Founder POV
Through our collaboration with Flashpoint Global, we’re diving deeper into the human side of innovation — the beliefs, tensions, and turning points that shape how founders see the world they’re creating.
Every spotlight explores a founder’s point of view—not just what they’re building, but why it matters next.
Dr. Paul Newton
Dr. Paul Newton
Dr. Paul Newton
Final Thought
A founder I know is closing deals. Customers who passed years ago are circling back. Every signal says momentum.
But ask how the leads are coming in and the answer is the same every time. Relationships I've been building. The right intro at the right moment. Luck dressed up as strategy.
That's Chaotic Traction. Wins are real. Nothing is stacking.
Product momentum and GTM momentum are not the same thing. You can be years ahead on product and still be running on relationship luck. Sporadic wins. No repeatable engine. Deals that close but you can't fully explain why.
The shift isn't doing more. It's becoming the founder who builds the machine instead of running inside it.
Chasing introductions becomes narrative-led access. A wish list of logos becomes a locked ICP. One warm contact becomes a presence across the full decision-making structure of every target account.
Here's the gut check.
Closing deals but can't explain why they closed — Chaotic Traction.
Can write out your GTM motion right now and hand it to someone else to run — you've made the shift.
The proof is there. The question is whether your GTM identity has caught up to what you're actually building.
Read the full piece: You're Closing Deals. You Don't Have a System.
Gratefully,
Edwin
