From preserving family histories with AI, to improving the online dating experience and helping job seekers ace tough technical interviews, the Communitech Startup Bootcamp Showcase was filled with big ideas and aspirations. Sixteen founders took the stage, each with just three minutes to pitch their solutions, in an evening filled with inspiration, emotion and even a surprise serenade.

The event, hosted at the Communitech Hub on January 22, celebrated the first cohort of founders that completed the Communitech Startup Bootcamp. The six-week program was introduced in the fall of 2024 to support early-stage founders in refining their ideas and taking their ventures to the next level. 

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“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Dmitri Njila, who co-founded Citrus with Adanna Amechi. “This was my first time speaking in front of such a big crowd and it was a great experience.”

Citrus, a platform to help candidates strengthen their technical interviewing skills, walked away with a $2,000 prize for best pitch, as voted by the audience, sponsored by the City of Kitchener, and a $5,000 credit towards product development services from FYELABS. Based in Hamilton and founded in 2021, FYELABS was created to help startups and small businesses with their product development needs and is a member of Communitech Pro Squad.

“The program really gave us some sort of structure to our work,” said Njila. “Because obviously as an entrepreneur there’s so much that you have to learn.”

For graduates, the event validated their hard work and the support provided by the program, which included workshops led by Communitech Growth Coaches and subject matter experts. It also provided a hands-on approach to customer discovery, market sizing, refining business models and more. 

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“It’s so nice to see them go from having an idea in the interview stage to where they are now,” said Angela Bruce, Startup Program Manager at Communitech, who developed the program and organized the showcase event.

“For us and these founders, this is more than just a program,” said Angela Larraguibel, SVP of Founder Services at Communitech. “It’s a commitment to supporting entrepreneurship as they validate their market opportunities.”

Participants also had opportunities to network with local tech leaders and gain real-time feedback from peers. In the final weeks of the program, founders practiced their pitches in front of mentors and fellow entrepreneurs to prepare for the showcase. 

The following founders and participants of the Communitech Startup Bootcamp took to the stage with their pitches:

  • Michele Brannon-Hamilton founded Kitchener-based Accessible Digital Design Academy (ADDA) to address digital accessibility head-on by helping organizations create accessible content using an AI assistant that guides them through compliance. Brannon-Hamilton said no one should have to ask for accessible materials; they should be part of the design process from the start.

  • Ayoola Gbade-Bello founded Kintrace, using AI and machine learning to help families preserve their cultural history by turning fragmented audio, text and images into cohesive narratives. Gbade-Bello’s passion for this project comes from a personal place. In an emotional pitch to the audience, he said he lost his father two months ago and recorded his father’s story before he died.

  • Maria Diaz founded Waterloo-based Koostoo, a dating app unlike others because it focuses on the romantic journey, not just first dates. The platform helps users with the ups and downs of dating and relationships with coaching and support at every stage, so they’re not just swiping left and right but making meaningful connections. 

  • Alain Maisonneuve founded Brampton-based GoGedit Inc. to make it easier to move big purchases by connecting people with idle commercial vehicles. With a waitlist of over 1,900 users and 110 drivers ready to roll, they’re looking to change the way we think about logistics.

  • Brenda Louis and Brooklyn Louis founded Kitchener-based Loop to improve political campaign volunteer management. Their all-in-one platform replaces spreadsheets and emails by streamlining engagement with volunteers, making it easier to track, motivate and manage teams during high-stakes election seasons.

  • Leonardo Solorzano and Liliana Rodriguez founded Kitchener-based Telica Microbials. They have over 20 years of experience in biological plant protection and are creating sustainable agricultural solutions. Their current project involves a botanical extract from a plant native to Central and South America that could help revolutionize crop protection. 

  • Adanna Amechi and Dmitri Njila founded Kitchener-based Citrus to help job seekers master technical interviews. Their platform helps users prepare and stand out in interviews by focusing on strategy, not just skill.
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  • Nikolai Kouznetsov co-founded Waterloo-based Makwab, a platform that enables everyone to work on their cognitive skills, including those with learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities, with exercises for all people of all ages.

  • Nikhil Malhotra founded Guelph-based New Frontier Robotics to solve expensive and unexpected tool malfunctions on the shop floor by bringing efficiency to manufacturing with smarter, more reliable robotics solutions.

  • Saba Oji founded Kitchener-based HolisticMindAI to address mental health struggles. She’s using AI to make therapy more accessible by reducing the administrative load on therapists and creating more opportunities for patients to get the care they need.

  • Jiawei Xu founded Kitchener-based SnakeAI. He spoke of the importance of early detection of colon cancer to save lives, and is developing an AI-powered robotic screening tool to make early detection more accurate, timely and accessible for patients.

  • Ran Feldesh founded Kitchener-based Cogitat, a tech-driven hedge fund that uses advanced algorithms to make smarter investment decisions. Channeling his inner Frank Sinatra, Feldesh ended his pitch by serenading the audience with his rendition of the “entrepreneur version” of That’s Life.

  • Michael Persaud founded Kitchener-based Positivity Evaluator to bring more positivity into our lives with his browser plugin. The plugin scans web pages and turns negative language into more uplifting alternatives to help manage the weight of negativity online.

  • Afeez Moradeyo founded Peterborough-based Cashtella as a solution to some of the biggest pain points in business, including delays in cash flow, high transaction fees and currency exchange challenges, by providing a seamless platform.

  • Karan Singh founded Brampton-based Kickcall.ai, an AI platform that compliments human capabilities to streamline communication and customer service, making business more efficient and effective.

  • Rakesh Kumar Reddy Gowra founded Waterloo-based DietIQ, which provides personalized nutrition plans that help people eat healthy without breaking the bank. It combines nutrition advice with budget optimization to make healthy eating accessible. 

“For all of those who participated in the Startup Bootcamp, you’re all winners in our books,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, who spoke at the event.

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In April 2024, the City of Kitchener announced an annual $500,000 investment in downtown innovation through a renewed funding partnership with Communitech. The announcement highlighted that the health of the community relies on the success of local businesses. The Make It Kitchener program supports startups in all areas of their business journey with a portion of funding dedicated to support underrepresented groups and with a focus on in-person programming. 

“This event is a testament to the spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines Kitchener,” said Vrbanovic. “Since 1999, Kitchener has had a longstanding partnership with Communitech, championing our local tech ecosystem.”

With this support and bootcamp experience, these emerging startups are working toward making an impact in the coming months and years in Kitchener and beyond.