Last week, BC’s brightest startup founders from the Top 25 of this year’s competition gathered for Demo Day 2025, presented by National Bank of Canada, at SFU VentureLabs. Over 120 guests—accredited investors, ecosystem partners, sponsors, long-time board members, and NVBC volunteers joined to see the next generation of innovators pitch their visions, showcase products, and connect with the entrepreneurial community. Each startup had the opportunity to share their progress, demonstrate their technology, and connect directly with investors, mentors, and ecosystem partners.
Innovation Across Sectors
Twenty startups, representing Consumer Retail, Cleantech & Sustainability, AI/SaaS, and Life Sciences & Healthcare, took the floor. From fast-paced pitches to engaging demo table conversations, Demo Day highlighted BC’s thriving startup ecosystem in motion. The Top 25 finalists weren’t just participants—they were the event itself, seizing every opportunity to share their stories and demonstrate the impact of their ideas.
CanDry Technologies delighted attendees with goodie bags featuring dog treats and dried pineapple.
Minpraxis Solutions, joined remotely from a US trial, and had board member Chang Han deliver a standout pitch with only 20 minutes to prepare.
Axis-Base Systems wheeled in a bike to showcase their modular mounting system.
Founder Walter Sena showed investors how Neurocog.ai is advancing cognitive assessments, weaving in a personal anecdote about his son FaceTiming his parents.
SpamKill kept the room laughing while handing out branded playing cards as take-home gifts.
DOUBL Manufacturing drove from Kelowna, BC, to pitch their women-led startup and demo their AI-powered custom-fit sewing patterns.
Startup Non-Euclidean brought their movie-length video game to Demo Day.
Over the past six months, these startups have grown, iterated, and refined their ideas. Seeing their progress in-person, through pitches, demos, and conversations, was a clear reminder of the incredible talent and ambition driving BC’s startup community. We’re thrilled to continue supporting their journey, delivering programs and opportunities that help scale their ventures and bring their visions to life. Each founder represents more than a business; they are building solutions to real-world problems and creating tangible impact. Congratulations to all the participating founders for sharing their ideas, their stories, and their drive. We can’t wait to see where they go next.
Demo Day 2025 was made possible by our Presenting Sponsor National Bank of Canada. Their partnership enables NVBC to host events that highlight BC founders and recognize their achievements, including sponsorship of the Leap to the Cloud Award at our Annual Awards Ceremony. The event was hosted by our ecosystem partner Aaron Stuart, CEO of VANTEC Angel Network and WUTIF Capital, who generously donated his time as our Emcee for the night.
The journey isn’t over yet! On October 1st, the NVBC Awards Ceremony will celebrate the most outstanding ventures with $250,000 in prizes, spotlighting founders whose innovation, resilience, and vision are shaping BC’s future.
