Ottawa, Ontario – November 5, 2025: SheBoot, the national non-profit that prepares women founders to pitch their business and secure investment, proudly announces the winners of its annual $300,000 equity investment, contributed by a collective of 30 women angel investors.
Each year, SheBoot delivers an intensive investment-readiness program that includes a rigorous six-week bootcamp designed and delivered by women investors and entrepreneurs. The program accelerates the growth of women-led technology and technology-enabled companies through targeted training, workshops, pitch coaching, and one-on-one advisory support. The bootcamp culminates in the SheBoot Grand Finale, a high-energy celebration and pitch event where founders deliver a three-minute pitch and the winners are announced.
This year’s event convened close to 200 members of Canada’s investment and entrepreneurial ecosystem to celebrate all participating founders.
SheBoot is proud to announce the 2025 award recipients:
First Prize – $150,000: Lab 4 Inc.
Co-founded by Nifemi Oguntuase, LAB 4 is redefining how the world sources and refines critical minerals. The company invented SMART-ARC, an AI-optimized, closed-loop clean refining system that efficiently recovers critical minerals while reducing cost, environmental impact, and waste.
Second Prize – $100,000: TRAQC
Co-founded by Mariia Zhuldybina, TRAQC is transforming the future of printed electronics with real-time, AI-powered defect detection. Their technology replaces slow, costly quality control processes, enabling faster manufacturing cycles, reduced waste, and improved reliability for next-generation electronic products.
Third Prize – $50,000: Paloma Software
Co-founded by Ania Geerts, Paloma is revolutionizing the event booking process through an interactive, AI-supported platform that simplifies scheduling, enhances communication, and streamlines coordination for venues and organizers.
Since its launch in 2020, SheBoot has supported more than 80 Canadian women-led technology companies representing seven provinces, helping founders expand their networks within Canada’s innovation ecosystem and scale their businesses. Collectively, SheBoot graduates have raised $50 million in follow-on investment.
SheBoot remains committed to tackling persistent gender disparities in the investment landscape by increasing both access to capital for women-led, scalable tech companies and the number of women actively participating in the innovation economy as investors. The program is made possible through support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Mistral Ventures, Welch LLP, Gowling WLG, Navio Law, Numbercrunch, Kinaxis, and co-investment partner, BDC Thrive Lab.
SheBoot
SheBoot, a national non-profit corporation headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, prepares women-identifying founders across Canada to pitch their business and secure investment. Founded by Julia Elvidge, Jennifer Francis, and Sonya Shorey, together with the Capital Angel Network and Invest Ottawa in early 2020, SheBoot empowers women entrepreneurs by increasing both the number of women making investments and the number of women entrepreneurs receiving investment.
The annual program provides intensive investment-readiness training that culminates in a pitch competition for a minimum of $300,000 in equity-based investment, contributed by a collective of 30 women angel investors dedicated to supporting the next generation of women-owned and led firms.
Visit www.sheboot.ca for more information.
Media Contact
Katie LeClair
Program & Marketing Manager, SheBoot
[email protected]
613-316-2333