Six founders from Western University will ask for a combined total of over $12.7 million at the 6th edition of Western Angels' Demo Day on May 30, 2023.
The featured ventures will represent a number of industries, including healthcare, retail, technology, and fashion; with asks will range from $100,000 to over $8 million.
Western Angels' Demo Day will be held on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Design Exchange Toronto - 234 Bay St., Toronto, ON M5K 1B2.
Launched in December 2020, Western Angels' Demo Day has helped start-ups and scale-ups attract over $6.3 million in funding, and the upcoming edition promises to be the most exhilarating yet. The initiative is designed to bring together entrepreneurs, experienced founders, and investors within the Western Community to power the next generation of great Canadian (and global) companies.
Since 2018, Western-founded and Western-run companies have raised over $4 billion in funding.
Meet our six featured companies pitching on May 30, 2023.
Vitract
Vitract is on a mission to fight against chronic illnesses by building a comprehensive test that demystifies the gut microbiome.
The venture, led by CEO Linta Mustafa, BHSc’19, and CSO Dr. Chidozie Ojobor, pairs gut microbiome technology with personalized nutrition to improve digestive health, metabolism, immunity, and mental wellness.
The data derived from this analysis allows Vitract to gain insights into various indicators of a patient’s gut health such as intestinal permeability, butyrate production, tryptophan metabolism, vitamin production, LPS production, local and systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, etc., all of which are underlying factors of symptoms of several chronic illnesses.
Vitract recently graduated from the Summer 2022 cohort of Techstars NYC startup accelerator program. They are asking for a $1.5 million SAFE.
Discover more about Vitract at https://vitract.com/
Dema
Dema is a decentralized e-commerce marketplace owned and governed by its sellers and shoppers. By eliminating expensive ads and reducing the excessive selling fees typical of platforms like Amazon, Dema shoppers get lower prices and sellers earn more, all while being liberated from restrictive policies and an overdependence on platforms with high switching costs.
With a user experience that requires no changes to how and where the user shops or sells, Dema's autonomous & permissionless infrastructure has already attracted over 180 sellers, amassing a waitlist with a combined gross merchandise volume (GMV) exceeding $2 billion.
Dema is led by Co-Founders Fadi Afa Al-Refaee, EMBA ’06 (CEO), and Venkat Ghanta (COO), who are seeking US $100,000 for 1% of Dema platforms on a round size of $250,000. Following this, the seed round is targeted to be US $6 million.
Discover more about Dema at https://dema.shop/
Terranova UAV
Terranova UAV provides the agriculture industry with actionable insights to reduce input costs, emissions, and increase yields.
They have developed a service offering that integrates the best of drone technology, multispectral imagery, photogrammetry, and AI, to provide information in the form of detailed maps, closeup pictures, and agricultural advice, focused on the decisions that drive value in the field.
Terranova UAV is led by Andres Hurtado, MBA ’15, and is asking for $400,000 SAFE.
Discover more about Terranova UAV at https://www.terranova-uav.com/
Staccato
Staccato is an online platform of generative AI music and writing tools for songwriters, composers and poets. Staccato helps users overcome writer’s block, inspires new creative directions, and works as an educational tool. For creators working in the gig economy, there is no room to slack when it comes to productivity; Staccato will help their users overcome writer's block and meet all their deadlines.
Staccato is led by co-founders, Dr. Jeffrey Lupker, PhD '21, and Jason Kowalczyk, , HBA ’14, CPA, CA. They are asking for a $300,000 SAFE.
Discover more about Staccato at https://staccato.ai/
Since January, Staccato has been part of the Western Accelerator’s Winter 2023 cohort. Read more about Lupker’s story of founding Staccato.
OrderUp
OrderUp offers a unique restaurant point of sale with an equally unique business model.
The venture allows restaurants to run with 1/3rd of their Front of House staff by empowering guests to place and pay for their orders via their phones.
OrderUp is available for free to restaurants and generates revenue by allowing brands to advertise on restaurant menus.
The venture is led by CEO Chris Gilpin, HBA ’09, BSc’09, and COO Jason Finestone, BA’09 FIMS. OrderUp is seeking to raise a $2 million SAFE.
Discover more about OrderUp https://www.orderup.ai/
DOUBL
DOUBL makes custom bras using 3D measurement technology on smartphones, helping customers avoid uncomfortable store visits to get measured while struggling to find the right size.
The bras are created using a SmartPattern algorithm that considers each woman's unique breast shape and size, eliminating uncomfortable underwire and molded cups. Currently sold online, DOUBL plans to expand to omni-channel retail, as well as the US within the next year.
Since January, DOUBL has been part of the Western Accelerator’s Winter 2023 cohort.
DOUBL is led by Bryn Davis Williams, HBA ’18, and Jessica Bosman, HBA ’17, and they are seeking a $430,000 SAFE.
Discover more about DOUBL at https://www.doubl.ca/
