24 young Canadian entrepreneurs to watch who could be the next big thing
Twenty-four young entrepreneurs across Canada have been chosen to be part of The Next Big Thing (TNBT) cohort.
See also
An entrepreneur-led charitable foundation, TNBT was founded by serial entrepreneurs Meredith Powell and Ryan Holmes in 2013, with the aim to pay it forward and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs under the age of 25. TNBT’s eight-month program offers fellows access to mentorship, top-tier networking opportunities, and hands-on learning.
“We received a record number of submissions this year which made the selection process really exciting and equally difficult,” said Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber, Managing Director of TNBT. “From social media platforms to fashion products, the level of creativity and ingenuity in this year’s cohort is remarkable.”
Some of this year’s fellows include:
AVA
Valerie Song and Chase Ando/TNBT
Valerie Song and Chase Ando are the creators of AVA – a tool that helps grow “smart gardens.”
ElleBox Co.
Bunny Ghatora, Jessica Bilmer, Taran Ghatora/TNBT
Taran Ghatora, Jessica Bilmer, and Bunny Ghatora are the creators of ElleBox – a subscription box service catered to your period, which sends customers a customized care package every month, with their choice of feminine hygiene products (including organic) along with curated tea, chocolate, and self-care items.
Internuncio
Kevin Ho and Nolan Tait/TNBT
Kevin Ho, Bijan Mawji, and Nolan Tait founded Internuncio, which develops artificially intelligent bots to help you get key information out of paper documents and into modern software.
Coastline
Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee/ TNBT
Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee are the founders of Coastline – a localized commercial fisher to restaurant marketplace, which uses logistics and geospatial software integrated into the application to optimize the cost-efficiency of boat to plate deliveries within exclusively local geographies.
Mohini
Sonia Sidhu/TNBT
Sonia Sidhu is the creator of Mohini – an online rental platform for Indian outfits. With a disruptive new way to shop for a special occasion, Mohini allows individuals the power to rent Indian outfits that are usually pricey to buy.
TNBT’s full 2016 cohort
- Chase Ando and Valerie Song – AVA
- Kavita Dau – Dau Academy
- Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee – Coastline Market
- Madeleine Liu and Angela Wang – Culitech
- Sonia Sidhu – Mohini
- Jessica Bilmer, Taran Ghatora, and Bunny Ghatora – ElleBox
- Kevin Ho, Bijan Mawji, and Nolan Tait – Internuncio
- Joel Wegner and Ryan Wong – Juniper
- Priyanka Vasudev, Fran Aquila, and Sheen Sagalongos – Kanekta
- Saba Mohebpour – Spocket
- Tonner Jackson, Graeme Taylor, and Michael Steele – The Good Stuff
- Bryan Chiang – Tiiip