Demo Day 2025: A Celebration of Clarity, Connection, and Capital Readiness
Demo Day 2025 marked a powerful milestone for Movement51, closing nine weeks of focused preparation, peer connection, and bold thinking from this year’s Founder Lab Cohort 5.
Held live in Calgary on November 20, the room was filled with founders, investors, advisors, and ecosystem partners who came together to witness the momentum that happens when strategy, clarity, and community meet.
The Energy of a Stand-Alone Showcase
This year’s Demo Day stood on its own as a dedicated celebration of venture-ready founders. With no broader summit programming, the spotlight centred fully on the women building companies that are shaping the future of Canada’s capital economy.
Fifteen amazing founders took the stage, each presenting the venture they had refined through Movement51’s capital readiness approach. Their pitches represented industries across health, energy, consumer products, food innovation, AI, and the future of work. They demonstrated what our brand stands for: preparation, confidence, and capability.
Inside Founder Lab: A Program Rooted in Readiness
Founder Lab is our 9-week capital readiness accelerator designed to prepare early-stage founders to raise investment with clarity and control. Participants work through structured programming built around governance, capital strategy, financial preparation, data rooms, pitch development, and investor conversations.
Cohort 5 began their journey with a virtual kickoff, followed by an in-person weekend in Calgary that set the tone for collaboration and ambition. From there, weekly sessions invited founders to sharpen their strategy, strengthen their materials, and practice the discipline of telling a clear, compelling story to investors.
These founders represented the best of what Canada is building: ventures addressing real problems, creating new markets, and shaping inclusive economic growth.
What the Moment Represents
Demo Day is a turning point. It shows what happens when women founders are equipped with the tools, strategy, and support needed to participate fully in the capital economy. It reinforces that readiness is power, and that community accelerates growth.
From founder to funder, and to our incredible partners - Alberta Innovates, IRAP & TD - helping bring this event to life, Demo Day Fall 2025 was a powerful close to this year And it’s only the beginning.
What’s Next: Founder Lab Cohort 6 Is Official
The next chapter is already underway. Our Winter 2026 Founder Lab cohort has been announced, featuring another extraordinary group of women founders preparing to raise capital with structure and support.
Meet Cohort 6
Looking Ahead to Spring 2026: Join the Waitlist
Applications for Cohort 7 (Spring 2026) are not open yet, but the waitlist is.
If you are a founder preparing to raise pre-seed or seed capital, now is the time to signal your interest.
Join the waitlist