GRIT EDITION THREE - Flipbook - Page 2
4
CONTENTS
MEET THE
CLASS
OF 2020
You made it! One pandemic, a lot of economic
uncertainty, a global movement for much needed
social change; through the last 6 months, our 80+
entrepreneurs kept going, kept building, kept fighting for change. Despite a rapid move to virtual
program delivery, our class of 2020 is resoundingly
one of our strongest yet and they’ve maintained
momentum behind solutions that will help us accelerate our road to recovery. Thank you to all of
you for your resilience, grit, creativity and for setting
the stage for many more intrepid entrepreneurs
to come.
6
NEXT
LEADERS
12
MOST
AMBITIOUS
Including Chinova Bioworks
(pictured bottom right)
16
BEST USE
OF TECH
24
STRONGEST
TEAM
Including Airudi
(pictured top)
32
MOST LIKELY
TO SUCCEED
Including Moment
(pictured bottom left)
LETTER
FROM THE
EDITOR
PLUS
IN THIS ISSUE:
38
NEXT FOUNDERS
COHORT
42
39
CLASS NOTES
NEXT 36
COHORT
Insights and key takeaways
from this year’s (virtual)
programming
40
44
NEXT AI
COHORTS
SIGNATURES &
SHOUTOUTS
So, in this issue, we celebrate YOU, the class
of 2020. We’ll take a look into the ventures being
built by our most promising leaders; leaders like
Aileen Agada and Chip McCrimmon, who both took
a brave stand to bring action in support of Black
Lives Matter and Indigenous rights. We’ll talk to
our founders who are shooting for the moon, with
solutions to huge, global challenges; founders like
Natasha Dhayagude, who is working to eliminate
food waste using the hidden power of mushrooms.
We’ll get technical with some of our founders who
are using tech to make a positive impact on society
or the world; like Amir Hoss and Mojtaba Hajihasani
who are working hard to improve detection of
COVID-19 and minimize its spread. We’ll talk to
friends and colleagues, turned co-founders; partners like Pape Wade and Amanda Arciero who found
a common pain point that they knew they could
solve together. Last but not least, like any good
yearbook, we’ll introduce you to our ventures voted
most likely to succeed; ventures like Homewise, cofounded by Jesse Abrams, winner of The W. Galen
Weston Top Entrepreneur Award for 2020.
Most of all, we’ll be celebrating the entire class
of 2020, the many milestones you’ve achieved
throughout your NEXT experience and the powerful
community you’ve built. We’ve been blown away by
your ability to build meaningful connections and a
strong sense of community - not to be downplayed
in a virtual world. As Lauren DeSouza, Next 36, puts
it “part of being a great founder is having the support
of your peers. I am so thankful for and inspired by
the friends and connections I've made throughout
all our experiences in the program and know they
will be lifelong friends”. To Lauren and the rest of
the class of 2020, we’re so thrilled that you’ll be
able to lean on each other as you continue to scale
your ventures.
Each and every one of you has made us proud,
provided motivation during a very challenging 6
months and you are leaving big shoes to fill for the
class of 2021 (applications open!). While many things
are uncertain, we are certain that you will see much
success in the years to come. As John Stackhouse,
SVP at RBC (NEXT Transformational partner), so
eloquently put it “get behind this generation or get
out of the way. It’s these entrepreneurs who will be
leading us through the 2020s and 2030. If we can
all get behind them, then I am sure it will lead us to
be a place far better than where we are today.“
Well, we’re behind you all the way.
JENN PATTERSON
Chief Marketing Officer,
NEXT Canada
GRIT, Edition 03; October 2020 PUBLISHER: NEXT Canada EDITOR IN CHIEF: Jenn Patterson
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Steph Hancock, Emily Gilmour GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Olivia Tomic
NEXT Canada, 175 Bloor Street East, South Tower Suite 1800, Toronto, ON, M4W 3R8
grit@nextcanada.com www.nextcanada.com We do not trade, buy, or sell your information
and you may unsubscribe from our publication at any time. JOIN THE DISTRIBUTION LIST