Lab4 and Xena Intelligence Win Major Prizes at SAAS NORTH

The SAAS NORTH conference, held in Ottawa from March 5 to 6, 2024, showcased the creativity and innovation of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors. The tenth annual event featured a competitive pitch competition where startups vied for a total of $310,000 in funding.

Entrepreneurs delivered compelling pitches to a panel of judges and an enthusiastic audience. The conference, attended by thousands, included keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities at the Rogers Centre. Notable moments included remarks from Vidyard founder Michael Litt, who provocatively declared SaaS to be “dead.”

The competition featured two significant awards. The top prize of $150,000 was awarded to Nifemi Oguntuase, founder and CEO of Lab4 Inc., based in Dartmouth. Lab4 has developed a technology that efficiently extracts valuable minerals from mining waste that is typically deemed too costly to process.

Following closely, Mariia Zhuldybina, CEO and co-founder of Traqc in Montreal, secured the second place with a $100,000 investment. Traqc offers a quality control mechanism for electronics manufacturing. The third prize of $50,000 was awarded to Ania Geerts, CEO and co-founder of the event planning software Paloma.

In a LinkedIn post, SheBoot expressed pride in supporting women-led ventures: “The SheBoot Grand Finale was a celebration of these entrepreneurs who are driving innovation and powering our economy.”

PitchFest Highlights Innovation and Competition

The PitchFest segment of SAAS NORTH featured 23 finalists competing for attention from SaaS investors and industry experts. Judges included prominent figures such as James Povitz from NAventures and Isaac Olowolafe of BKR Capital. The competition narrowed down participants through qualifying rounds, leading to a dynamic final showdown on the BetaKit Keynote stage.

After a live audience poll, Xena Intelligence emerged victorious, winning the $10,000 grand prize. The company’s founder and CEO, Akhil Suresh Nair, who has previously won over $1.6 million in competitions, impressed attendees with his pitch. Xena offers a unified sales intelligence platform for e-commerce merchants, integrating data from various platforms such as Walmart and Shopify.

Emcee Manuela Bárcenas praised Xena’s presentation as “one of the best pitches I’ve seen,” highlighting the competitive spirit and innovation on display at the event.

The SAAS NORTH conference not only recognized individual accomplishments but also fostered a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs could connect and share ideas. The success of Lab4, Xena Intelligence, and other participants signals a vibrant future for the Canadian tech landscape.