Seven Western-founded start-ups pitched at the 11th edition of Western Angels' Demo Day in Toronto on January 20, 2026.
The evening included the landmark announcement of the Western Propel Fund by Paul Sabourin, MBA '80 and co-founder of Polar Asset Management Partners.
The Western Propel Fund enables Western University to fuel the growth of high-potential Western-founded companies across a broad range of industries. The fund will enable up to six investments of $150,000 annually along with comprehensive support and mentoring for portfolio companies through the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship Powered by Ivey. Start-ups will be able to apply to the fund through their participation at Western Angels' Demo Day. The next edition of Demo Day will be held on June 3rd.
The Propel Fund is the result of a partnered investment from Western University, the Ivey Business School and Morrissette Entrepreneurship through the generous support of donors.
"The Propel Fund cements the University’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs. This annual capital investment will not only create economic benefits in the region but will also solidify Western University as a national hub for innovation and entrepreneurship," said Sabourin.
The evening also included a fireside discussion with Silicon Valley veteran Mona Sabet, LL.B.’92. Sabet shared many of the traits that make Silicon Valley an attractive space for entrepreneurs, start-ups and investors, and called on Canadian ecosystems to increase their appetite for risk-taking.
"We are forgetting the "venture" in venture capital," said Sabet, speaking to Canada's investor community.
The main event featured entrepreneurs and start-ups from a variety of industries, from urban agriculture and medical technology to the expanding world of artificial intelligence.
The start-ups included the following:
- Darabase is building the world’s first rights-backed Augmented Reality (AR) media network — the infrastructure layer that enables AR advertising to scale. Darabase was founded by Huron grad Peter Pinfold.
- Tenomix is building the lab of the future with an AI-, ultrasound-, and robotics-powered platform that automates and transforms a slow and unreliable manual workflow into precise, scalable, data-driven pathology. Saumik Biswas is the CEO of Tenomix and holds a PhD in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from Western.
- Nexodata is a quantum-resistant software installation to existing IT infrastructure that solves ransomware’s biggest problem - managing a corporate crisis due to data exfiltration. Nexodata is led by CEO and Ivey MBA Francis Pun and Dr. Shakeel Salamat Ullah.
- Ontario’s first urban commercial rooftop greenhouse, Edie Farming, utilizes AI technology, a closed-loop hydroponic system, and solar energy to grow the most sustainable produce in the world. Edie Farming is led by Western grad Katherine Festeryga.
- CleverConsult is a full-service specialist documentation automation platform combining referral package review, patient questionnaires, and an AI scribe. CleverConsult was co-founded by Ivey HBA and MBA grad Jay Gilbert.
- MyPip is a vibe coding tool for mobile apps that lets users type in their ideas in plain language or “prompts” and watch as the system builds a full-stack mobile app with all native Apple and Android features. MyPip is led by Misha Stastna and Arsh Chauhan.
- Factors is a software that simplifies and automates sport-specific, data-driven training so that all athletes can train like world champions. Factors was founded by BMOS’18 grad Michael Girolametto.