01
2026
Calgary
Ten startups pitched at Platform Calgary on the Road to Dubai.
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Six Roadshows. 60 Finalists. Winners on the Road to the World Stage.
The Canada Startup Association facilitated six Expand North Star roadshows across Canada. Hundreds of founders applied, 60 earned a place on the final pitch stage, and the winners went on to represent Canada at GITEX Europe in Berlin and Expand North Star in Dubai.
6
Roadshows
565
Founders Applied
60
Pitched in Finals
13+
Winners
ACROSS CANADA
The Roadshow Journey
Connecting Canadian founders with global opportunities.
2026
The Road to Dubai
02
2026
Montréal
Ten startups competed at Ax.c for three prizes.
03
2026
Toronto
A further stop in the Canadian Expand North Star roadshow series.
2025
Building Momentum
01
2025
Toronto
Two winners earned their place on Canada's global delegation.
02
2025
Mississauga
Two founders took the stage and won.
03
2025
Vancouver
One winner secured a place in Berlin and another earned a place in Dubai.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
The Winners
Meet the founders and companies representing Canada's startup ecosystem on the global stage.
| Founder | Company | City | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahya Khaki | AiVALON Health Technologies Inc | Montréal | 2026 |
| Paolo Melgarejo | PhoenixCare | Montréal | 2026 |
| Yonathan Dattner | DAYY Photonics Corporation | Calgary | 2026 |
| Margarettha Pierre | KnowMediQ | Calgary | 2026 |
| Ati Zarabadi | Aim Sense Inc. | Calgary | 2026 |
| Aaron Guan | Neptune Nanotechnologies Inc. | Toronto | 2025 |
| Lisa Mohapatra | Bidblox | Toronto | 2025 |
| Sofia Bonilla, PhD | ALT PRO Advantage | Mississauga | 2025 |
| Sahil M. | DIA Labs Canada | Mississauga | 2025 |
| Tanvir A. | Recyclorobo.ai | Vancouver | 2025 |
| Arash D. Asli | Yocale | Vancouver | 2025 |
Roadshow Gallery
Some of the roadshow moments!
The roadshows were made possible by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, ElanTech, Foresight Canada, IDEA Mississauga, Aragon Launchpad Academy, The Firehood, CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Scarborough Innovates, Platform Calgary and Ax.c. Their support helped bring a global stage to founders in every corner of the country.
To every founder who applied, pitched and took a chance on themselves: thank you. You are the reason these stages exist, and you are proof that Canadian innovation belongs on the world stage.
Supporting Partners
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