Events
Join us for pitch nights, networking, and community building. See what's coming up and explore highlights from past events.
Next event coming soon
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What to Expect
Every Create & Connect event follows the same structure — a fast-paced pitch competition followed by community networking.
3-Minute Pitches
Six founders each get three minutes to present their idea live, followed by one question from the judges and one from the audience.
$500 Microgrant
Judges award $500 in non-dilutive funding to the top team. No equity, no strings — just capital to move the project forward.
Crowdfunding Platform
Every pitching founder can launch a campaign on our platform so the community can continue backing them after the event.
Community Networking
Meet founders, operators, investors, and students from across Calgary's startup ecosystem in one room.
Ready to share your idea?
Apply to pitch or join as a judge and help founders grow.
Industry Leaders & Experts
Our judges bring diverse expertise from across the startup ecosystem to provide valuable feedback to founders.
Shubham Garg
CEO, Prospera Energy
Siva Sam
USXI Group
Jana McDonald
DCM Group
Mohammad Keyhani
Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship, Haskayne School of Business; Deal Partner, Boardy.ai; Co-Founder, Honeybee Logic
Barry Vopnu
Founder & CEO, Circleup Tech Inc.
Sanjeevani Uppal
Venture Program Specialist, Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, University of Calgary
Norman Poon
Co-Founder, BitWide
Kartavi Shah
Founder & Managing Director, NextGen Founders Lab
Musap Abdelhag
Founder & CEO, SIYS | Struggle Is Your Success
Shiva Souri
Founder, Learnovate Solution
Avnish Mehta
Founder, Stand and Command
Akshay Gulati
Founder, Tech Connect Alberta
Reem Hamdon
Venture Manager, Creative Destruction Lab
Stan Peake
Entrepreneurship Lead, Bow Valley College
Dennis Agbegha
Director of Banking Prairies, RBCx
Debbie Butt
Founder, IN THE KNOW YYC
Deryck Greer
Chief Information Officer, Sovaicor
Sam Duperré
Founder, VespaYEG
Interested in judging at a future event?
Apply to Judge