A Look Back at U of T Entrepreneurship Week 2025
From March 3rd to 7th, hundreds flocked to the tri-campus for a week celebrating all things entrepreneurship at U of T! This year marked the biggest University of Toronto Entrepreneurship Week to-date–a reflection of the growing innovation culture and thriving ecosystem across the university.
Led by University of Toronto Entrepreneurship and the 12 U of T campus-linked accelerators, the week provided the opportunity for founders, students, faculty, mentors, investors, industry experts and more to gather together, attending 19 events from firesides to networking events and pitch competitions.
As always, the week showcased the bold ideas, remarkable founders and transformative ventures that are emerging from U of T and beyond it was incredible to see so many H2i ventures, mentors and partners taking part!
H2i hosted our most events yet, with three unique events featuring founders and industry experts, including many current students and alumni! From exploring mental wellness and stress management, to harnessing the power of storytelling for business development, to a deep dive into the career of an incredible woman in health innovation, each event was filled with engaging conversation, inspiring insights and valuable takeaways.
In what has become an annual tradition, H2i started off Entrepreneurship Week with a session dedicated to stress management and mental wellness for entrepreneurs. Giving attendees a moment for mindfulness and reflection before a busy week ahead, keynote speaker Lauren Brown outlined tangible tips and practical habits that, while easy to implement, make a major difference to our mental health. Attendees participated in a lively exchange of what they do to prioritize wellness. Next, a panel of founders shared transparent insights from their own experiences. Vishar Yaghoubian, Neil D’Cruz and Cameron Stewart reflected on what they’ve done over the years to not only manage their own stress as founders, but how they’ve worked to support the mental wellness of their teams.
Next, H2i hosted its third Fireside at FemSTEM of 2025, which welcomed Joella Almeida, CEO and Co-Founder of MedEssist, with Kimberly Crasta as moderator. From empowering small businesses to revolutionizing healthcare delivery, Almeida’s career is a dynamic tapestry of innovation, strategic leadership and community impact. Throughout the fireside, she shared generous insight and advice for fellow founders, drawing from MedEssist’s challenges and successes to-date. From 12+ hour days knocking on the doors of pharmacies in their early days to helping independent pharmacies deliver COVID-19 vaccines, to major partnerships with companies like Uber, Almeida’s story exemplifies strategic vision, determination and a true passion for making a difference.
H2i’s final event of the week was co-hosted with UTM’s SpinUP. Focused on leveraging the power of storytelling to build a business, the workshop was led by Andrea Sampson of Talk Boutique. Guided by Talk Boutique’s Storytelling Toolkit Workbook, participants were guided through hands-on exercises that built idea-centric stories to captivate clients, investors and collaborators alike. The workshop not only broke down the ‘how’ of effective storytelling, but emphasized the ‘why,’ equipping the room of founders with an imperative skill for their entrepreneurial toolkit. Sampson got participants on their feet, workshopping the new-found skills for their own ventures and facilitating networking with fellow attendees.
On Day 4 of Entrepreneurship Week, H2i cheered on our incredible ventures as they showcased their work and took to the stage. Exhibiting in booths at the True Blue were: Elev8 and Perform, EVOLVERE Mental Health Inc., Flow Robotics, Medium AI, Morphace Skincare Wearables, MyWellSelf, Neuropeutics, Re:Pair Genomics, Robotic Algometry, Vrit, Bough Biosciences, Dinamik Therapies, Oculum and Maman Biomedical.
Seven H2i ventures competed in the Desjardins Startup Prize Pitch Competition. In the Early-Stage Category, Vrit, Medium AI and Elev8 and Perform were finalists. In the Late-Stage Category, Flow Robotics, Re:Pair Therapeutics, Dinamik Therapies and Robotic Algometry competed.
After a strong competition, winners were selected, with H2i ventures impressing judges and audience alike. In the Early-Stage Category, Vrit won 3rd place, Medium AI won 2nd place and Elev8 and Perform won People’s Choice. In the Late-Stage Category, H2i ventures had a clean sweep: Re:Pair Genomics won 3rd place, Dinamik Therapies won 2nd place and Flow Robotics won both 1st place and People’s Choice! Read a full re-cap of the pitch competition here!
Another big congratulations goes to H2i venture Cloak the Poke, who won the Early-Stage People’s Choice Award at ICUBE’s Pitch with A Twist on Day 3!
As we look back on this year’s U of T Entrepreneurship Week, one thing is very clear: Toronto and Canada’s entrepreneurial spirit is stronger than ever, and H2i and U of T is ready to continue accelerating and championing the phenomenal work of this flourishing ecosystem.