What Startupfest does

Startupfest is a Montreal-based non-profit organization founded in 2011 that operates a single annual three-day founder-focused festival in Montreal, typically held in July. The event targets early-stage and growth-stage startup founders, investors (venture capitalists, angel investors, accelerators), corporate partners, and media, with the primary value proposition being direct access between founders and capital providers — the company claims 25% of attendees can sign term sheets and the 2026 edition features $1M+ in investment prizes. The event is structured around three pillars: the Startupfest Village (immersive networking via Mentor Office Hours and Braindates), world-class content programming, and high-stakes pitch competitions with prizes in categories such as Best of the Fest, Women in Tech, and Black Entrepreneurs. The festival also runs multiple sub-programs including AIFEST, COOPERATHON, CORPOFEST, FUNDFEST, IMPACTFEST, WIT Bootcamp, and CEO Bootcamp, plus a recurring $100,000 non-dilutive fintech grant in partnership with Digital Commerce Group (DCGroup).

The business model is event-driven: revenue is generated from attendee registration fees (tiered across startup, investor, and other categories) and from corporate sponsorship and partnership deals, with 40+ organizations across presenting, in-partnership, collaboration, and community tiers. Distribution is direct through the startupfest.com website with online registration, supplemented by email newsletter, content marketing, and organic word-of-mouth within the founder ecosystem. The company has no proprietary technology stack, no software product, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed revenue figures. Philippe Telio is the Founder and Producer. Since 2011, Startupfest has awarded over $9M in cumulative investment prizes and in 2026 operates with 1-10 employees from Montreal's Old Port / Grand Quay venue.

Name

Startupfest

Legal name

Startupfest

Website

https://startupfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Startupfest is a Montreal-based non-profit that runs an annual three-day founder-focused festival connecting startup founders with investors, mentors, and ecosystem partners, featuring pitch competitions, networking programs, and over $1M in annual investment prizes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Conference and Founder Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup conference services
• Entrepreneurship events
• Investor networking
• Pitch competitions
• Founder community

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Registration: Revenue generated from attendee registration fees for the three-day festival in Montreal, including various ticket tiers for startups, investors, and other attendees.
2. Sponsorship & Partnership: Revenue from brand sponsors and partners who support the event financially in exchange for visibility, booth presence, and access to the startup community. Multiple sponsorship tiers including presenting partner and various collaboration levels.
3. Grant Program Partnerships: Partnership-based programs like the DCGroup $100K fintech grant create value for the ecosystem while potentially generating indirect revenue through increased attendance and sponsorship interest.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Startupfest is a non-profit that operates an annual three-day founder-focused festival in Montreal, Canada, that brings together startup founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders. The event is built on three pillars: the Startupfest Village for networking (Mentor Office Hours, Braindates), world-class content from 120+ speakers, and high-stakes pitch competitions offering $1M+ in investment prizes across multiple categories.

Product overview

Startupfest operates as a single unified event/product — a three-day founder-focused festival in Montreal, Canada (July 8-10). The core Startupfest event serves as the main product, bringing together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders. The event is built on three core pillars: the Startupfest Village (capital with immersive networking through Mentor Office Hours and Braindates), world-class content, and high-stakes pitch competitions offering investment prizes. Additional programs include CEO Bootcamp, WIT Bootcamp, AIFest, Cooperathon, Corpofest, Fundfest, and Impactfest, which are sub-programs and tracks within the broader Startupfest event rather than standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startupfest Annual Festival Three-day founder-focused festival in Montreal that brings together startup founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders from across the world. Built on three pillars: the Startupfest Village (immersive networking), world-class content, and high-stakes pitch competitions offering $1M+ in investment prizes.
• CEO Bootcamp Application-based bootcamp program for CEO-level founders attending Startupfest, providing exclusive bootcamp sessions tailored to scaling founders transitioning from founder to CEO.
• WIT Bootcamp (Women in Tech) Application-based Women in Tech bootcamp targeting female founders, providing a curated program and networking track at Startupfest.
• Demo Floor Application-based program allowing startups to apply to demo their products to investors and the Startupfest audience as part of the festival.
• Startup Services Zone Sponsored zone within the Startupfest Village for service providers to showcase solutions to founders attending the festival.
• Braindates Curated 1:1 networking matchmaking program that pairs Startupfest attendees for focused conversations around topics of mutual interest.
• Startupfest Village Central networking hub of Startupfest that hosts Mentor Office Hours, Braindates, and curated Match-Ups, designed to turn conversations into partnerships and momentum.
• AIFEST AI-focused sub-program within Startupfest that brings AI startups and ecosystem players together.
• COOPERATHON Cooperation-focused sub-program within Startupfest dedicated to collaborative startup initiatives.
• CORPOFEST Corporate-focused sub-program within Startupfest connecting corporations with startups for partnerships and innovation sourcing.
• FUNDFEST Funding-focused sub-program within Startupfest dedicated to connecting founders with capital providers.
• IMPACTFEST Impact-focused sub-program within Startupfest dedicated to social impact and mission-driven startups.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1M+ in investment prizes awarded at each event
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Digital Commerce Group (DCGroup)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026DCGroup partners with Startupfest to offer a $100,000 non-dilutive fintech grant for early-stage Canadian fintech startups. The grant comprises $95,000 in cash funding and a $5,000 Osler Startup Package. This is the second year DCGroup has offered the grant, targeting promising Canadian fintech founders facing challenges accessing capital, visibility, and strategic industry connections.
• ApaylominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Apaylo is a partner in the DCGroup $100K fintech grant program, contributing to support early-stage Canadian fintech startups.
• Outlier ComplianceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Outlier Compliance is a partner in the DCGroup $100K fintech grant program, contributing compliance expertise to support early-stage Canadian fintech startups.
• OslercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Osler provides a $5,000 Osler Startup Package as part of the $100,000 DCGroup fintech grant. Osler is a legal services partner contributing the startup package to support grant recipients.
• Multiple Sponsors and PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStartupfest has a broad ecosystem of sponsors and partners including presenting partners, in-partnership organizations, collaboration partners, and community partners. The partner section lists over 40 partner organizations across various sponsorship tiers. Partner logos are displayed on the website without explicit company names in the source text.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TechCrunch Disrupt: TechCrunch's flagship startup conference featuring pitch competitions (Startup Battlefield), investor networking, and founder-focused programming. Directly comparable as a tech/startup founder event with similar pitch and matchmaking mechanics, though materially larger in scale.
• Slush: Helsinki-based startup conference that similarly targets early-stage founders and investors with pitch competitions and curated networking. Highly comparable as a festival-style startup event focused on founder-investor connections.
• Collision Conference: Tech conference (now part of Web Summit family) previously held in Toronto with similar founder-investor-attendee dynamics. Closest comparable by virtue of Canadian/North American positioning and startup ecosystem focus.
• The Next Web Conference: Amsterdam-based tech conference targeting startups, investors, and digital professionals. Comparable in mission, audience, and pitch/mentor programming mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech conferences held annually in Lisbon (and previously in other cities), bringing together startups, investors, and media. Broader in scope than Startupfest, but overlaps on founder-investor matchmaking and pitch competition format.
• SXSW: Massive Austin-based festival converging technology, music, film, and startups. Overlaps with Startupfest on the startup/tech track, investor matchmaking, and festival atmosphere, though it spans much broader content categories.
• VivaTech: Major European startup and tech event in Paris with pitch competitions, investor matching, and corporate-startup programming. Comparable festival format and target audience of founders and investors.
• CES (Consumer Electronics Show): The largest annual technology trade show globally, featuring startup exhibitors (Eureka Park), investor programming, and pitch competitions. Overlaps with Startupfest on the tech-startup investor networking component.

Emerging players

• Money 20/20: Premier fintech industry event connecting startups, investors, and financial institutions. Comparable through Startupfest's DCGroup $100K fintech grant partnership and Fintech-focused pitch categories.
• Techstars Startup Weekend: Global series of weekend-long entrepreneurship events with pitch competitions and mentor matching. Comparable as an event-driven founder experience, though smaller in scale and held multiple times per year worldwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/startupfest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments31 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Startupfest