The Pitch announces winning startups of the $100,000 prize pool

The votes have been tallied, and the winners of The Pitch: Online Startup Competition have been decided.

Kicking off the final round, the groups of five were boiled down to the top ten by taking the two highest-voted pitches from each of the semi-final groups.

A final round of fan voting took place, that included votes allocated by our panel of esteemed judges. Special attention and votes were given by the judges if one or more of the founders of the startup are women, people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community, or those living with disabilities.

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“We at Orbiiit are very excited and happy for the winners of The Pitch,” says Orbiiit founder Nader Navabi. “We know how hard it is to have access to capital and networks without losing equity and that’s why we wanted to offer our platform for other startups. We can’t wait to see these ideas come to life and grow.”

Prizing

The final round determines the top three startups from The Pitch and will award the winners with the following in prizes from a pot worth $100,000.

First Place: $15,000 CAD cash + $35,000 in-kind

Second Place: $7,500 CAD cash + $25,000 in-kind

Third Place: $2,500 CAD cash + $18,000 in-kind

In-kind prizes include legal services from Fasken, advertising credits with us (Daily Hive), an optional nationwide crowd-funding campaign offered through FrontFundr, and expedited entry into DMZ’s incubator program.

And the Winner of The Pitch is …

Third Place – Broke App

Second Place – CareFind

First Place – Dome Media

Amir Aziz, the founder of Dome Media, introduces us to the concept of versatile, immersive, and media-based entertainment and meditation. Partnering with a renowned yoga and meditation teacher, Dome Media provides a unique experience for restoration, with proprietary software and hardware serving a truly special experience in the healing space.

“From this competition, we’re hoping to achieve three things. Number one: strategic partnership and guidance from industry leaders in interactive programming and immersive media,” says Aziz in the Dome Media pitch video.

“Number two: financial support for the acquisition of the hardware and dome structures. We are fully invested ourselves, as well as have the support of key silent backers. Number three: to use the power of Orbiiit to tap into a collaborative network of like-minded creatives that want to work together to create Vancouver’s first truly programmable immersive event space.”

Congratulations to all of the entrants for their amazing ideas, pitch videos, and passion. A special thank you to our judge panel: Jodi Kovitz, Matt Hoffar, Will Shaw, Shane Flynn, Jacqueline Leung, Peter-Paul Van Hoeken, and Claudette McGowan. This competition could not have happened without the support and prizes from the sponsors. So, thank you to Fasken, FrontFundr, Brickhouse Ventures, Final Stage Entertainment, and DMZ.

And congratulations once again to Dome Media, CareFind, and Broke App on the podium finishes.