Public relations 101: Our top 4 tips for success

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Public relations 101: Our top 4 tips for success

The DMZ’s top 4 insider tricks for startup public relations success

Public relations (also known as PR) is a vital component for growth in any startup. PR helps you define your company’s narrative for the world by putting a spotlight on what your business provides as well as your success stories.

For startups, good PR can drive brand awareness, put your name out in front of potential investors and partners, and help you become an industry leader.

Crafting a successful public relations strategy does not happen overnight. Laying the groundwork for a successful PR campaign takes time and love, which is why the DMZ is here to provide you with 4 of our go-to tips for PR success!

Ensure your brand and online assets are up to par

Before engaging with the media, ensure your startup is ready to show the best version of itself. That starts with an optimized website that effectively communicates who you are and what it is that you do. It is also important that your company’s social media features engaging content that is appropriate for your target audiences.

Ask yourself, “Do I have a professional and clean website?” “Do my readers walk away with content that is worth the time they spent reading it?” Crafting a narrative for your brand at an early stage will elevate your media outreach efforts in the future.

Maintain a pulse on your industry

Media monitoring is an important part of managing how you, your competitors and/or your industry is being portrayed in the media. Google Alerts is a great free resource to scan the media for recent news and updates in your specific industry. This is one way to easily stay on top of conversations or advancements taking place in your field

Pro Tip: Add your company’s name, key updates you want to follow, and a few relevant competitors, to your Google Alerts.

If you’re setting up alerts for a health tech company, you can include relevant keywords. For example, try using ‘virtual health + Canada’, ‘e-health + Canada’, ‘digital health + launch + Canada’ , ‘competitor 1’, ‘competitor 2’ to keep an eye on industry updates and competitor milestones.

Twitter is also a great channel to monitor since most journalists are very active on Twitter. Not only do journalists amplify their own content, but they are connected to the topics and community that they cover. Take your media list one step further by following your target journalists on Twitter to monitor their content.

Make your media announcements meaningful

Have a story you want to share with the media? This is where media pitching comes in. A media pitch is an attempt to get a journalist or media outlet interested in your announcement so that they decide to cover it. Media outreach is traditionally done via email, but nowadays you can reach out to journalists via social media as well.

Ensure your announcement is newsworthy. Ask yourself these questions before you even begin to think about pitching to the media:

What makes my news actually newsworthy? How does it stand out from what competitors are putting out there?
Is my news presented in an exciting way that people will get people interested?
What’s a timely or enticing narrative you can tie into your announcement to elevate its attractiveness?

Be purposeful about crafting your media pitch

When it comes to media pitching, try to pitch journalists with a background in your sector. In the industry, this is called pitching to journalists with relevant ‘beats’.

Avoid spraying your announcement to all journalists from major outlets. It’s important for you to take the time to research journalists who are writing about your beat and provide them with new perspectives or advancements in the space.

Further, avoid attaching additional documents — unless absolutely necessary —within your pitch email. The less the journalist has to click through, the better.

Never underestimate the power of your networks; remember to leverage them when amplifying an announcement. Provide your partners with the tools and assets they need to amplify the announcement, like social media sample posts, key messages, graphics, etc.

Final considerations

When looking at public relations as a strategy for your startup, ask yourself, “What is my goal in gaining PR?” Is PR a vital component of your growth because it can lead to more customers in your funnel, or are you viewing media exposure as a vanity metric?

Oftentimes, founders look at media coverage as a silver bullet for non-related issues they may face:

An article in a major publication will help us acquire investment
Having more “As seen on” logos on our website will help us close deals
My competitors are featured in the news, so I should be too

This is not PR as a core strategy, but the need for PR driven by fear: fear of not getting investment, losing deals, or dragging behind your competition. This is often why most startups’ PR efforts fail because it is not viewed as a means to an end, but the end goal itself.

Understand that if you are looking at PR as a strategic objective, you are committing to focusing on it just as you would if you were to begin fundraising, hiring, or growth. Part-time focus will give your startup part-time results.

Looking for more PR or marketing support? Check out our programs for more insights into the support we provide our founders.

These social impact startups are changing the world for the better

Introducing the Black Innovation Program Social Impact Stream and its inaugural cohort of startups

Social entrepreneurship has become a rapidly-growing approach to business, and for a good reason – social entrepreneurs are pioneers focused on tackling some of the world’s biggest societal issues.

Together, Unilever Canada and the DMZ have launched the Black Innovation Program’s (BIP) Social Impact Stream: a 6-month business incubator program designed to support Black entrepreneurs with a social mission. The program allows entrepreneurs to tap into lucrative industry connections and growth resources to build on their existing solutions and ultimately drive impact in Canadian communities.

Over the course of the 6-month program, socially-driven organizations are equipped with the tools, mentorship and community needed to generate company growth while accelerating their ability to create meaningful change and contribute to their core mission.

Hear from the founders of companies in the inaugural cohort of the BIP Social Impact Stream on how they’re working to drive social impact, and what they’re hoping to achieve for their organizations over the course of the program.

B12Give creates a circular economy redistributing lost or wasted surplus food along the supply chain to food-insecure communities and support agencies across Canada. Tony Colley, the company’s Founder and CEO, explains that B12Give leverages a sustainable, tech-based solution to lower the overall cost of food waste, reduce GHG emissions, and reduce the overuse of our natural resources while feeding millions.

The company has big plans they’d like to accomplish over the next six months. According to Tony, the company hopes to scale the app across the GTA, expand its executive team, activate partners with locations in different markets, and secure an angel investor.

Detailing Knights provides an eco-friendly and waterless mobile auto detailing and car cleaning service. In terms of driving impact, Ryan Knight, CEO, explains the company’s purpose goes beyond just car detailing.

“What we are most proud of is our Youth Entrepreneurship training program, which empowers youth coming out of detention an opportunity to run their own detailing business while exploring various areas of entrepreneurship.”

Ryan explains that the company’s next objectives include creating a roadmap for a new product line and upskilling their current team. “Doing this helps us bring in support to fine-tune our operations in preparation for licensing our brand outside of Ontario, across Canada, and into the U.S.”

EduCare’s global mission is to improve graduation outcomes for students with disabilities through a tech-enabled platform that connects colleges/universities and health care providers. Fowzia Mahamed, the company’s Founder, explains that the company provides an opportunity for schools to improve graduation rates for students with disabilities.

The company hopes to develop its knowledge base in building a go-to-market strategy, including a pilot for licensing the software as a service platform in collaboration with colleges/universities and community health centres.

Over the next six months, Educare aims to set up a pilot with two colleges and community health centres and to license a beta version of the EduCare software as a service platform.

eimhe is a wellness management platform for the workplace. Jefferson Roc, the company’s Founder, hopes to increase emotional intelligence amongst people and their communities.

“I applied to the BIP Social Impact Stream because I believe our concept can help solve challenges around mental illness and addiction. We want to fill the gaps in our go-to-market strategy and ensure we cover our blind spots.”

Jeffer explains that the company’s next milestones include bringing their MVP to market, conducting their first proof of concept and securing $150K in non-dilutive grant funding.

Jesina Studios works with refugee women in Toronto to design and develop handmade, customizable, and high-quality home decor and gifts.

“We believe this program will help us provide stable employment and professional development for refugee women who typically experience employment barriers in Canada,” explains Samantha Simunyu, one of Jesina Studios’s Co-founders.

The company hopes to refine its product offering, develop a go-to-market strategy and build meaningful relationships with other social innovators throughout the program.

MakeRoom empowers marginalized and emerging artists with the resources to reach broader audiences and funding opportunities through various means, including projection installations.

Trevor Twells, the company’s CEO and Founder, explains that MakeRoom’s main mission is to provide funding and exposure for emerging BIPOC artists in particular.

The BIP Social Impact Stream will help the company scale up its regular operations to have more venue partners. The company aims to finalize its advertising revenue model, make industry connections to create advertising partnerships, and receive mentorship that will advise the founding team on how to reframe these partnerships and discover other monetization models.

OffTech aims to make high-quality education accessible to students in rural Canada in areas with no broadband connection. “We applied for the BIP Social Impact Stream because we believe the mentorship, connections, and tools we’ll receive from this program will offer valuable insights into the feasibility of our proposed solution.” says Ayman Abdulkadir, Co-founder of OffTech.

Over the next six months, OffTech hopes to validate its solution of making high-quality education accessible in rural Canada.

Outlit helps to educate the next generation of banking clients and ultimately aims to drive impact by helping new immigrants obtain financial freedom and a higher quality of life. Josh Earle, the company’s Founder & CEO, explains that he applied to the BIP Social Impact Stream “to connect with, and learn from, like-minded entrepreneurs that are trying to represent the underrepresented collective of people.”

The company aims to fully launch its product, obtain over 250 users, and partner with nonprofits, schools, and financial institutions over the next six months.

Redeem Clothing Recycling is a for-profit company that provides a platform to donate used clothing items from the comfort of users’ homes.

Oghenemine Jarikre, the company’s Founder, diverts clothing waste in Canada and upcycles them into fashion accessories on the company’s platforms. Oghenemine hopes to increase human capacity, raise funding and improve donations through the program.

“I applied for the program to learn more about growing and running my startup. I believe the DMZ can provide the visibility my company needs, the right partnership, resources, and funding,” explains Oghenemine.

Reyts builds inclusive fintech solutions via a marketplace that allows users from minority communities to access and exchange underserviced currencies in a seamless and secure way.

Through the Black Innovation Program Social Impact Stream, Reyts hopes to bring the application to life by tapping into more financial services that can bring much-needed change to the payments space for immigrant communities.

According to Ayobami Macaulay, the company’s Co-Founder, Reyts aims to regularize its compliance stance in Canada, onboard a banking partner and a payment service provider, and onboard the company’s first 1000 users within the next six months of the program.

Solooble is a mobile app that helps users monitor their financial commitments in real-time to keep on track with saving goals and never miss another bill payment. Lemuel Barango, the company’s Co-founder, hopes to reduce financial anxiety among Canadians.

“I applied to Black Innovation Program to contribute to, and benefit from, a network of Black innovators trying to drive social impact,” Lemuel explains. The company’s business goal for the next six months is to increase its user base to 500 users.

The Urban Guide (TUG) is an app that offers semi-virtual games and self-guided city tours that strengthen the urban cultural connection. The SaaS product enables rapid learning using gamification and predictive self-guided walking tours to enhance the familiarity of new cities and reduce culture shock.

Peter Odle, Founder of TUG explains he hopes to broaden his business knowledge, obtain the tools necessary to validate TUG, and surround himself with a group of Black entrepreneurs who embody a success mindset.

The Urban Guide hopes to grow their international Black business network by 200%, secure 5 additional institutional customers, and enhance the app UX to facilitate easier onboarding and user accessibility within 5 seconds.

We Funded It provides Afro Canadians with financial and mentorship resources for educational and entrepreneurship development. “I want to gain access to the DMZ network and raise funding to drive my organization forward,” explains Diana White, the company’s Founder and President. “We also hope to apply for charity status with the Canadian government and develop a corporate sponsorship program.”

We Funded It drives social impact by making finance-free funding and tailored mentorship accessible to improve economic empowerment, mental health, and overall well-being in Canada’s Black community.

Welkom-U provides pre-arrival settlement services to drive retention and grow the population of newcomers using technology. Tosin Ajibola, the company’s Co-founder & CEO, explains that fertility decline and population out-migration have resulted in a rapidly aging population in Atlantic Canada.

“We are using our technology and resources to attract a younger demographic, facilitate and encourage retention, and ultimately aid population growth,” explains Tosin. “As a Black-identifying tech and social entrepreneur, I’m hoping to network and understand how BIPOC are fairing in metro cities, and learn how to incorporate my findings in emerging cities in Canada.”

Interested in learning more about the BIP Social Impact Stream and keeping up with these companies? Read more here.

How the DMZ is making it possible for founders from anywhere around the world to start and build a global business

5 continents, 40 countries, 1000 startups and growing…

While the DMZ’s roots may have originated in the heart of downtown Toronto, our presence today is felt globally.

We’ve transformed into an international powerhouse by revolutionizing the global startup ecosystem and empowering our startups to break into global markets and produce results worldwide.

So, how exactly have we created our international ecosystem of DMZ-powered hubs?

We’re glad you asked.

By championing global collaboration, we have created a vast network of satellite offices and international partnerships.

Today, entrepreneurs from around the world have the ability to access DMZ programming, but with the networks that have a deep understanding of their local ecosystem, country and economy.

When asked to raise the bar, the DMZ didn’t just think bigger — we thought global.

DMZ programming is making it possible for any entrepreneur from anywhere around the world to start a business. We have had the privilege of supporting founders, and the trailblazers who support them from over 40 countries, including Egypt, the United States, Haiti, Brazil, Czech, Turkey, England, China and much more.

We recently caught up with some of our founders from around the world to learn more about their local ecosystem and how the DMZ community is helping them reach global success.

AMMAN, JORDAN

The DMZ supports programming for women entrepreneurs for Jordan’s Company Start-Up Program, which provides university and college students with hands-on experience and practical training in business and product development and management.

Luma Al Adnani is the CEO and Co-Founder of Adam Wa Mishmish, an educational cartoon created for children to learn and love the Arabic language. A graduate of the DMZ’s ‘Launching Economic Achievement Project for Women in Jordan’ and the DMZ’s Pre-Incubator — Adam Wa Mishmish is currently a DMZ Incubator company, signalling its significant growth these past few years.

Luma Al Adnani. CEO and Co-Founder of Adam Wa Mishmish

From day one, Adam Wa Mishmish has been an international business. With arabic-speaking people all over the world, those living outside of the Middle East are Adam wa Mishmish’s target users.

Luma explains that a majority of the startups in the Middle East strive to make it on the global stage, and being accepted into DMZ’s Incubator program was a dream come true for the company.

“Limiting oneself to one ecosystem, city, country or region is a disservice. Our team is thrilled to be a part of the Incubator program, as it will allow us to better understand our target markets.

The DMZ team and mentors have opened us up to entirely new ideas. With their help, we’ve been able to organize ourselves, set goals and achieve them. We know we are better equipped to handle whatever the future holds in store for us, and achieve global success.”

“Limiting oneself to one ecosystem, city, country or region is a disservice. Our team is thrilled to be a part of the Incubator program, as it will allow us to better understand our target markets.”

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

Zone Startups Vietnam operates under DMZ Ventures and is an international startup accelerator program empowering Vietnam’s tech leaders.

Anthony Ho is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and is the Founder and CEO of EI Industrial, Vietnam’s first B2B e-commerce platform for construction.

After living abroad and working for multinational tech companies, Anthony realized Vietnam had what it takes to be a competitive tech ecosystem and was determined to contribute to the country’s technological revolution.

Anthony Ho, Founder and CEO of EI Industrial

Vietnam’s startup ecosystem has only recently begun to flourish. Anthony highlights that 5 years ago, there was no mention of startups in the business world — the ecosystem was nonexistent.

“Today, it’s a different story. The startup ecosystem has developed quickly, with various organizations looking to boost the startup community. We’re really beginning to thrive, as more and more Vietnamese startups achieve success.”

Anthony stresses the importance of harnessing a global mindset as an entrepreneur, and credits the DMZ community for helping him expand his network and connecting him with international and regional venture capitalists to help fuel his company.

“I joined the DMZ community in July of 2020, after a business model restructuring. I can confidently say that without this community, I would not be where I am today with my business — and for that, I’m grateful.”

INNISFIL, ONTARIO

In partnership with the town of Innisfil, DMZ Innisfil is a collaborative program designed to help entrepreneurs succeed personally and professionally.

The Co-Founder and CEO of Opsware, Peter Barbosa has a proven track record as a serial entrepreneur and specializes in regulatory technology and data privacy. His company, Opsware, is a no-code data privacy technology platform built for modern enterprises.

Peter Barbosa, Co-Founder and CEO of Opsware

Peter highlights that data privacy is a global problem companies are trying to tackle. Although laws typically emerge at a state or federal level, a new wave of emerging privacy laws will apply to companies around the world.

“By 2023, 65% of the world’s population will be covered by modern data privacy laws. That’s up from 25% today.”

Peter attributes Opsware’s global presence to DMZ Innisfil’s support. “Working with Jelmer Stegink and the broader DMZ team really helped us improve our pitch, and gave us a network of like-minded entrepreneurs who are also driven to have a global reach.”

“Working with Jelmer Stegink and the broader DMZ team really helped us improve our pitch, and gave us a network of like-minded entrepreneurs who are also driven to have a global reach.”

MUMBAI, INDIA

Operating under DMZ Ventures, Zone Startups India is a partnership with the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai focused on startups operating in a variety of industries.

Sonam Srivastava is the Founder of Wright Research, an investment advisory and research firm that uses quantitative research and machine learning to create stable investment options that generate consistent profit in all markets. Featured in the Association of International Wealth Management of India’s top 100 women in finance, Sonam is passionate about quantitative investment management.

Sonam Srivastava, Founder of Wright Research

The investment space in India is being revolutionized through AI and quantitative research efforts. Located in the financial capital of India, Wright plans to leverage the recent growth in capital markets to go above and beyond for their consumers.

Sonam strives to create products with global audiences in mind at Wright, and plans to collaborate with global investors in AI.

“I think the opportunities for quantitative research are endless, and there is a global market to tap into.”

With the support of Zone Startup India, Wright has been able to expand their business by acquiring new licences. “We’ve gained a lot from the mentorship and community at Zone Startups India – their guidance has helped make our lives easy.”

SOUTH KOREA

The DMZ supports the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), helping the next generation of South Korean entrepreneurs. Designed by the DMZ, their 12-week program supports entrepreneurs’ soft-landing in the Canadian market.

Hobin Kim is the Founder and CEO of Ationlab, a lifestyle design company committed to social impact missions and supporting sustainable projects.

Ationlab was first introduced to the DMZ through KOTRA’s AI Open Innovation program in 2020. Hobin explains that the program provided him with an inside look at what entering the Canadian market would entail.

“Risk management is a must for all businesses, and entering new markets through trusted institutions, like the DMZ and KOTRA, reduces potential risk drastically and allows founders to find suitable markets.”

Hobin highlights that the DMZ provides a strong community of mentors, helping international startups break into the North American market.

“The DMZ allowed us to tap into a community of great business professionals, such as their Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and DMZ staff! Startups seeking global success are equipped with essential business programming in areas such as business strategy, marketing, and pitching — everything a startup needs to enter the North American market.”

“The DMZ allowed us to tap into a community of great business professionals, such as their Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and DMZ staff! Startups seeking global success are equipped with essential business programming in areas such as business strategy, marketing, and pitching — everything a startup needs to enter the North American market.”

TOKYO, JAPAN

Powered by the DMZ, Landing Pad Tokyo is accelerating the capabilities of Japan’s top innovators and helping companies lead digital transformation in the manufacturing sector.

Shin Takeuchi is based in Tokyo, Japan and is the CEO of Nissin Inc, a manufacturing company that makes and sells production equipment using plasma and power supply technology.

As new business models begin to emerge in Japan as a result of COVID-19 and information technology becomes a necessity, the sale of semiconductors and telecommunications devices have skyrocketed in the country.

While Takeuchi explains this has been great for business, he also highlights how supply chain problems are beginning to arise. “Our next generation of entrepreneurs will need to step up and put forth innovative solutions to keep up with the demand of device manufacturing.”

With digital transformation accelerating at lightning speed, gone are the days where businesses can focus on a single market.

Takeuchi emphasizes that operating with a global mindset is imperative, especially as we begin to look past the pandemic.

“Borders are beginning to fade, and with widespread access to the internet, businesses need to think bigger. Being a part of the DMZ community has opened up several doors for us, as we’ve been able to connect with Canadian startups to share lessons learned and gain valuable market insights.”

“Borders are beginning to fade, and with widespread access to the internet, businesses need to think bigger. Being a part of the DMZ community has opened up several doors for us, as we’ve been able to connect with Canadian startups to share lessons learned and gain valuable market insights.”

Want to know if there’s a DMZ-powered hub in your region?
Learn more about the DMZ’s global footprint at dmz.to/Global

Supporting moms and dads through the ups and downs of parenthood: How Alli Therapy is taking a parent-centric approach to mental health

On Wednesdays, we startup.

To celebrate our women-identifying founders, we’ve put together ‘On Wednesdays, we startup’, a blog series dedicated to putting women founders center stage to acknowledge their work, complexities and wins!

We hope to push women-founder stories forward and share lessons learned and insights for other aspiring women entrepreneurs.

This week, we sat down with the Co-Founders of Alli Therapy, Sarah Rennick and Cherry Xu, to learn more about Alli Therapy’s tailored mental health solutions for parents, and their thoughts on the massive growth in the mental health space. Plus, we had the chance to connect with one of their certified therapists, Michelle Winterburn, MSW, RSW, to unpack some of the biggest misconceptions about parenting therapy and more.

Alli Therapy is an online emotional and mental health tool to support families through the journey of parenthood, with more than 34 million parents in North America living with mental health issues their mission is to support moms and dads through all stages of parenthood.

Sarah Rennick, Co-Founder & CEO of Alli Therapy

Before founding Alli Therapy, Sarah founded Mama Mobile, an in-home wellness service company for moms and moms-to-be. Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions, Mama Mobile had to cease operations. Wanting to still support the community of parents Sarah had fostered, she reached out to her clientele to gain a better sense of what they felt parents alike needed help with.

“I reached out to the Mama Mobile community to gain a better understanding of what parents actually needed — to see what services or solutions would make their lives easier as they moved through parenthood, said Sarah.

This is how the idea for Alli Therapy came about. While the majority of digital mental health and therapy solutions out there provide great services that are highly needed, rarely do these solutions offer services designed specifically for parents.

“20% of mothers today have postpartum depression, and 57% of parents say parenting is a top source of anxiety,” said Cherry. “A lot of parents experience mental health problems, yet we only ever highlight the rosy side of parenthood. We want to destigmatize therapy for parents, and highlight that everyone has the same doubts when it comes to parenting.”

Cherry was also working in the wellness space before founding Alli Therapy, and was introduced to Sarah while she was leading Mama Mobile. Recognizing the opportunity in service marketplaces and being a mental health advocate herself, Cherry pitched herself as a Co-Founder to Sarah, and the rest was history!
Alli Therapy provides an all-in-one solution for busy parents to connect with a therapist that best suits their needs. With the use of matching technology, users are connected with therapists that are not only a great fit for the user’s stage of parenthood, but also their personality.

“We provide all of our users with a free intro session to ensure they feel comfortable with their matched therapist, ” said Sarah. “You’d be surprised at how many people abandon therapy due to a lack of fit, and making sure our users felt good about their matched therapist was really important to us.”

“20% of mothers today have postpartum depression, and 57% of parents say parenting is a top source of anxiety,” said Cherry. “A lot of parents experience mental health problems, yet we only ever highlight the rosy side of parenthood. We want to destigmatize therapy for parents, and highlight that everyone has the same doubts when it comes to parenting.”

The mental health startup landscape is beginning to see a real shift as funding has reached a record $852 million USD globally in the first quarter of 2021, nearly twice the amount raised during the same period in 2020. Cherry attributed the industry’s momentum to the rise of mental health awareness.

“We’re seeing high profile celebrities speak up about their own experiences with mental health, and while we still have a ton of work to do, the stigma is slowly beginning to lift. People like Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, and Simone Biles, the US olympic champion, are opening up about their experiences, and this sparks conversations around mental health, while also demonstrating that we all face our own challenges, and asking for help is okay.”

Sarah added that seeing TalkSpace, one of the largest providers of online and mobile therapy in the world, IPO earlier this year really solidified the need for mental health services and the opportunity for startups to innovate.

Alli Therapy prides itself on having therapists that actually speak parent. Users can find individual or couples’ support with therapists who specialize in all types of parenthood challenges.

Michelle Winterburn, MSW, RSW, Alli Therapist

Michelle Winterburn, one of Alli Therapy’s therapists, highlighted that stigma and financial restrictions are some of the biggest barriers when it comes to parents accessing mental health services.

“Many people think seeking therapy means they are a failure. Although we have come a long way in shifting the perception of mental health and wellness, the stigma persists.

Finances are always a consideration, especially with a new family. All Alli therapists are licenced and registered, making their fees reimbursable through most extended healthcare plans or as an eligible medical expense on taxes. Therapy may be more affordable than you think.”

Michelle believes Alli Therapy’s approach when it comes to helping parents is truly unique. She highlights three main pillars that differentiate their services from other mental health providers: specificity, accessibility, and affordability.

“The journey of parenthood comes with unique challenges at each milestone. Alli Therapy supports clients from pregnancy planning to empty nesters, which can be a 16-20 year journey. All of our therapists have a special interest in helping parents and have taken additional training in helping parents navigate parenthood related challenges.

It can be hard to find specialized clinics in rural areas. We make specialized therapy accessible to anyone, regardless of location. Further, getting out of the house takes a lot of logistics and planning for parents. Alli Therapy makes it easy for them to have sessions from the comfort of their own homes.

Lastly, Alli Therapy is committed to not leaving any parent behind. We don’t want anyone to not seek therapy due to budget constraints. To accommodate clients on parental leave who may not have insurance, we offer a sliding scale option to offer our services to those who cannot afford the full price.”

Michelle also stresses that seeking parenting therapy does not equate to failure. “This is a huge misconception in the space, but we are all interconnected, and sometimes we need to seek help as much as we are giving help.

As parents we are always giving. When the pandemic hit, we had to continue to give – but without the support of others in the ways we once had. This takes a heavy toll on many of us, and having a safe space to talk about the highs and lows of parenting with a skilled, non-judgmental, therapeutic lens can make a huge difference for so many.”

Want to learn more about Alli Therapy’s personalized support for parents? Check out their website to learn more.

Alli Therapy is looking to fuel their growth to provide more parents with the services they need. Interested in teaming up with Alli to improve mental health support for parents? Reach out to Sarah Rennick and Cherry Xu!

23 up-and-coming tech startups you’ll want to keep an eye on

Meet the DMZ’s newest Pre-Incubator cohort, 23 companies who are innovating across diverse industries

Our newest Pre-Incubator cohort is in full swing. The DMZ is ecstatic to present 23 tech companies that have been hand-selected to join this cohort, from startups that produce smart bedsheets, to platforms that help businesses share data about their carbon footprint. For the next 6 weeks, the DMZ will help these founders validate their business idea, establish a minimum viable product, and build a roadmap for implementation to launch their startup.

Pre-Incubator founders participate in peer-to-peer sessions, founder roundtables, and expert-led workshops. They receive 80+ membership benefits valued at $470,000+, have one-on-one support from our Program Leads, and much more. Post-graduation, they will be on track to launch their startup within 3 months and generate revenue within 6, allowing them to kick-start their entrepreneurial journey!

The cohort has founders based in Canada, U.S., U.K., and Ukraine.

Keep an eye out for these startups who are making major waves in tech:

Lightster offers a mobile platform for customer interviews on-demand. They enable Product Managers & Entrepreneurs (Creators) to talk to target customers (Lightsters) in 60 seconds, allowing anyone to earn $60 an hour by being their true self with no investment or skillsets required.

Notion Patch is an ed-tech startup offering online XR exams. Identifying the need for online exam security and XR technology positions, Notion Patch offers customers to complete certified & approved exams online in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, or with a Smartphone AR App.

Crowd Party Inc. is the Netflix for workplace games, allowing teams to build joyful connections remotely or in a hybrid working environment.

BallStreet is building a fractionalized stock market for trading sports cards on the blockchain. They enable card owners to earn royalties and buyers to invest in fractional ownership in the sports world’s most sought-after collectibles.

Carbon Graph is a communications platform for businesses to share data about the carbon footprint of their products. It is the first of its kind to enable complex, global supply chains to achieve carbon transparency and associated ROI.

Car Juggle is a platform where users can appraise, buy, sell, or lease a pre-owned vehicle, with the ability to determine fair market value, list or buy, and get instant offers from dealers, including international buyers.

SWFTR provides a platform to streamline the process of making critical deliveries with high reliability, transparency, and efficiency. Equipped with a technology-enabled platform and scalable network of delivery professionals, SWFTR offers clients a holistic critical logistics solution, allowing them to focus on their day-to-day operations.

Dwella is a prop-tech company aiming to democratize real estate investing. By leveraging the ethereum blockchain, Dwella is making fractional ownership possible and providing liquidity.

Tailwind is an online guidance counselling platform that helps students make a successful transition into the first year of post-secondary school.

Litespace is a modern, hybrid, and remote workplace solution focused on optimizing efficiency and engagement in the workspace. Through AI, Litespaces enables efficient collaboration among employees based on their statuses, teams, roles, and their proximity to each other.

Noxware Ltd. is a MedTech startup that produces smart bedsheets for remote health monitoring for seniors requiring telehealth services at home. Noxware’s bedsheets can detect different patterns of body movement, perform remote rehabilitation, and monitor cardiovascular abnormalities and sleep disorders.

GoBazzinga is a blockchain-powered gamified social media platform that helps creators in developing faster monetization of sustainable revenue streams that allows them to continue doing what they love.

Quanta Vici is a smart wearable tech startup that was born to expand the spectrum of human senses and abilities through practical day-to-day smart wearable technologies. Their products include Smart Heated Wearables, a product line of gloves and socks that sense and maintain the exact temperature clients personally chose.

Cartoonely is a marketplace that helps customers purchase custom art made by real artists. Cartoonely has sold custom portraits across 14 different countries within a year.

Round the Block offers a mobile app that helps students find driving instructors easily. They also organize instructor schedules and handle daily marketing, enabling instructors to focus on teaching.

Virtue is a Chrome extension that empowers consumers to make a change by leveraging their buying decisions. Virtue activates when users shop online while seamlessly recommending 300+ Black-owned alternative businesses.

Beauty N Brushes is a social beauty booking web app connecting women and People of Colour to Black beauty professionals. It allows clients to explore the Black beauty looks they love and book the professionals responsible for those looks.

Simplicad is building a SaaS-enabled marketplace that allows homeowners to order custom ironwork from all around the world.

SnapWrite AI uses product images to generate product features and product descriptions for eCommerce companies. They provide tools for retailers, independent store owners, in-house marketing teams, and copywriters to structure a brand’s catalogue.

Brainbot is a personalized concussion recovery app that gamifies recovery, focusing on tracking activities and symptoms and providing the clear guidance survivors seek. Their platform connects users virtually with licensed Occupational Therapists for enriched support. Shelley Vaisberg, Brainbot’s founder, is available for private consultation here.

Granularity helps businesses decide how much to order and how often with improved accuracy. Granularity infuses demand forecasting with AI and big data, using social media, macroeconomics, and more.

VisionAI Solutions integrates data from wearables and medical devices and patient EMR (Electronic Medical Record) data to provide real-time data on homecare, retirement home, and long-term care clients.

Vicuna Corp is an ed-tech startup that houses Scholaebot, a smart engine streamlining the creation, generation, editing, and management of mathematics content with minimal user input. Scholaebot consists of a base repository of mathematics template questions, and analyses and generates similar questions based on those templates.

If you are an early-stage tech founder and are interested in joining the DMZ Pre-Incubator, check out more about the program details and selection criteria here.

4 ways you can take your website copy from good to great

DMZ guest blog by: Karina Barker, DMZ EiR

As one of the DMZ’s tactical EiRs, I get the incredible job of working with founders to help them amp up their copywriting. Not only do I offer strategic advice around brand positioning, voice, content, etc., I also get to roll up my sleeves and do the writing alongside the founders.

Over my time in this capacity, I’ve noticed several common questions emerge as startups work to articulate their value proposition. While their vision might be clear in their minds, crafting website copy that has customers sitting up and taking action can be more of a challenge.

With more than 16 years under my belt as a copywriter and communications specialist, I’ve written for every kind of organization, from government, to startups, to Fortune 500 companies. I’ve seen firsthand how small mistakes can limit your copy’s impact—and how some simple tweaks can make all the difference. Seriously!

Here are 4 tips you can use to take your website from good to great:

1. Nail your homepage headline and sub-headline

According to the Nielsen-Norman Group, users leave websites on average after about 10-20 seconds. That means you’ve got less than 10 seconds to make your value proposition clear and convince visitors to stay.

Your homepage headline and sub-headline are the first things visitors will see when they land on your page. That means these are your best shot to convince a visitor to stay (and hopefully convert).

One of the most common mistakes I see companies make is focusing their website on them.

A common format you’ll see is: We offer [this service] by doing [this thing]. Or, similarly: At [company], we help [this type of person] do [this thing].

But the goal of your website isn’t to share information about you. The goal of your website is to attract and convert customers. And that means you need to turn the spotlight on your customer —and talk about them.

Take a look at this homepage headline from Wealthsimple.

Image: Wealthsimple

They don’t say “We help you do money right.”

Instead the headline is direct and it implies “I’m going to do money right (with Wealthsimple’s help).” That subtle shift makes the reader see themselves in the headline.

The subheading then goes on to clearly articulate the actual “thing” that Wealthsimple offers (“powerful financial tools”) and the action-packed benefits that the customer can expect to derive (“grow and manage your money”).

While Wealthsimple makes it look easy, this kind of copy can take time and work (not to mention testing). If you don’t know where to start, a great first step is “voice of customer” research. Interview your customers, survey your product testers, read your online for views and search for the words your target audience uses to talk about benefits. This gives you a foundation to begin crafting and testing your headlines.

2. Don’t underestimate the power of social proof

Social proof is a powerful form of persuasion. When you include social proof in your webcopy, you tap into one of humanity’s deepest desires: to belong.

We all put a lot of value on what we see people we trust doing and supporting. When we’re trying to decide between all the different options out there, we look to see what other people are doing. In fact, 91% of consumers read reviews before making a purchasing decision.

If you’ve ever wondered why brands are willing to pay influencers big bucks for endorsements, this is it.

Here are some ideas for how to include social proof for businesses, even if you’re just getting started:

List any awards or prizes that your business has received
Share press/media/interviews covering your company
Run a social media campaign (and offer incentives) to encourage users to rate or review your product
Request reviews or testimonials from existing customers
Create case studies based on real-life clients—or if you haven’t worked with any clients yet, craft use case studies that use a character that customers will identify with. (Note: always be clear if a study is based on a hypothetical rather than real world client.)
Share logos of high-profile clients that you’ve worked with
Share the number of users you’ve reached or clients you’ve served

Certain types of social proof will be worth more to certain audiences. Think about what can do to move the needle the most, and work towards collecting and presenting that type of social proof.

3. Keep your calls-to-action consistent

A call-to-action (CTA) is the moment when all of the work you’ve put into the rest of your copy gets put to the test. The CTA is where you encourage visitors to take your desired action.

In order to craft a successful CTA you need to:

Know what you want a visitor to do. Sign up for a free trial? Subscribe to your newsletter? Book a call with your sales team?

Make it stand out. Pick the right spot, colour, visuals to draw visitor’s eyes to your CTA.

Be direct. CTAs are usually imperatives that begin with an action word. “Sign Up Now,” “Learn More,” “Start Your Free Trial.” Your CTA is not the place to get too wordy.

Offer incentives. Make it easy for visitors to say yes by adding a line or two below your CTA: reassure visitors (e.g. cancel any time) or offer a desirable incentive (e.g. 10% of your first order)

Create urgency. Make visitors take action while they’re on your site. Use time words (e.g. sign up now, grab your instant download) to create a sense of urgency or signal time constraints (e.g. limited time offer)

But one of the most common mistakes I see is a lack of consistency in your CTA copy. If you want visitors to follow through, your CTA must be crystal clear–and repeated over and over.

You can’t possibly miss Hubspot’s CTA. Not only is it in bright orange, it’s repeated word-for-word in their header and navigation bar. Even though their CTA is a little on the longer side, you know exactly what you’re supposed to do next (“Start free or get a demo”):

Image: Hubspot

In essence, when crafting your CTA, ask: What should the user do, and why? Your CTA should work in tandem with the rest of your webcopy to drive that message home. Inconsistent messaging (or multiple, competing CTAs in close proximity) can confuse your target audience or, worse, make them lose trust in your business.

4. Boost interest with a unique brand voice

Once you’ve nailed the technical copywriting pieces, you can take your website (and your brand) to the next level by honing your brand voice.

While it can seem daunting, developing your brand voice doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some tips to get you started:

Reflect your audience. Go back to customer profiles and reflect on the voice used by your ideal clients. Is your target audience young and sassy or mature and sophisticated?

Name three characteristics of your ideal brand voice. Authoritative? Trustworthy? Quirky? Cool? Passionate? Informative? Pick three attributes that capture the essence of your business.

Define the dos and don’ts of your brand voice. Once you have your three characteristics, you can get more detailed on how this translates to your copy. For example, if you pick “trustworthy” as one of your attributes, your dos and don’ts may include:

- Do: use honesty, direct language, be transparent, share mistakes, follow-through
- Don’t: push the hard sell, use jargon, over promise, trash talk competitors

As you grow, you can build out your brand voice into a document to share with anyone who is handling communications for your business. And remember, as you grow and change, your brand voice may develop too.

If you need help with your copywriting, I’d love to chat! Learn more about how DMZ’s EiRs can support your business here.

Introducing Nathaniel Bagnell: Alumni-in-Residence Spotlight

Hear from Nathaniel on why he’s excited to give back to the DMZ community, the experiences of an Indigenous entrepreneur, and how he conceptualized the MVP for LiveGauge

The DMZ is thrilled to introduce Nathaniel Bagnell, the co-founder of LiveGauge, and our newest alumni to join the DMZ’s Alumni-in-Residence (AiR) program!

Nathaniel’s breadth of business expertise will provide founders guidance in accounting, resource planning, hiring, product management and corporate strategy.

The AiR program brings alumni back to the DMZ to act as mentors to the founders in current DMZ programs. Whether it’s offering sound business advice to new founders or providing guidance on personal development as an entrepreneur, AiRs play a vital role in the success of current startups at the DMZ – they were once in their shoes, and they know exactly what it’s like to be an early-stage founder.

A marketing technology entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience, Nathaniel is an ambitious founder with a strong interest in creating and participating in innovative ideas, projects, and products that impact the world in a positive way.

At the DMZ, we are committed to creating an equitable future for all founders; a prosperous economy is one that fosters diverse perspectives. The underrepresentation of Indigenous founders has been a persistent issue in the startup ecosystem as they are met with a disproportionate number of barriers when trying to break in.

We sat down with Nathaniel to learn more about his expertise, his entrepreneurial journey, the evolution of LiveGauge, and the challenges and opportunities Indigenous entrepreneurs experience.

What are your areas of expertise? What can founders come to you with questions about?

“My core expertise revolves around operational and financial aspects of business. This includes resource planning, hiring, product management, go-to-market strategy, product planning, budgeting, forecasting, and vertical expansion planning. I can also help with managerial accounting and financial accounting from my years of being the sole bookkeeper at LiveGauge.”

What made you decide to come back to the DMZ, now as an AiR?

“I would not be where I am today without the DMZ and the support it has given me. I feel so appreciative of everyone who has helped me get to where I am, and I truly want to help others in the same boat. Being able to support other entrepreneurs through the DMZ is something I couldn’t be happier to do.

Could you tell us a little bit about LiveGauge’s history? What problem were you trying to solve?

LiveGauge is an experiential marketing suite that helps brands and agencies better understand how effective their campaigns are.

“LiveGauge started by combining two ideas from experiences in my career. The concept of tracking people and understanding what led them to buy a product emerged from my time working at Future Shop as a merchandiser.

Every Thursday, we rearranged the shelf order based on a planogram printed out by the POS system. Some products were positioned based on payments from the brand, but most positioning decisions were made based on historical sales information.

I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to understand how we got to the end result of a purchase versus using end results to generate more end results?’ This is where my desire to understand consumer behaviour came from.

In a later role, I worked in mobile app development. In this job, I learned how it’d be possible to execute on the process of collecting consumer behaviour data. I was researching mobile devices and their technological capabilities and discovered a paper that explained the types of signals that cell phones emit. I used it as the MVP basis to execute on the business concept of LiveGauge.”

It has been nearly 9 years since you first launched LiveGauge — how has the company grown and evolved?

“Over the past 9 years, the company has been reborn. Every facet of the business, from the technological foundation, to the customers, to our founding team, has evolved.

Some changes were evolutionary, like adapting components to changing privacy laws and re-developing our algorithms to meet mobile marketplace changes. Others were revolutionary, like completely changing our target customer base, re-structuring our company, and developing new products completely outside of our primary focus.

There are positives and negatives, of course. Positive growing moments are easy to point out — like moving into our own office space and surpassing revenue goals. Negative ones are hard to recognize as blessings, but they push us outside of our comfort zones.

One notable example would be the pandemic. We are in the events business, and with in-person gatherings shut down around the globe, we were forced to look into new product developments and other target customers. Now, we are a multi-industry business with revenue streams from different verticals!”

What was your experience at DMZ’s Incubator back in 2017 like?

“I still remember getting the invitation to be a part of the Incubator — it felt so right for us. We wanted to be part of a community that shared our drive, and understood our struggles and dreams.

Our fellow DMZ startups in the space had an array of experiences and lessons to share, from B2B and B2C companies, loyalty program startups, fintech, to medical training education solutions. Being surrounded by other startups makes you even more hungry as an entrepreneur. Seeing others commit 110% to their business makes you want to commit 150%. It’s a fuel like no other.

The community was exceptionally valuable, not just from the other entrepreneurs, but the DMZ’s advisors and EiRs. Their experience and insights were priceless. Mentorship is one of the best hacks a startup can utilize. A handful of solid sessions with someone who has been in your shoes can save you hours from making their same mistakes.”

“Being surrounded by other startups makes you even more hungry as an entrepreneur. Seeing others commit 110% to their business makes you want to commit 150%. It’s a fuel like no other.”

Any insights into your experiences as an Indigenous entrepreneur? What kinds of support can startup incubators, government, etc. provide Indigenous entrepreneurs?

“I often have encounters with individuals who, at no fault of their own, stereotype what an Indigenous founder ‘should’ look like.

When I let someone know I’m Miꞌkmaq they are a bit shocked, which is understandable given the way the media and Hollywood have painted the picture of Indigenous peoples. I think we’ll see that change soon though!

Today, we’re seeing more grants being offered exclusively to Indigenous entrepreneurs and strong business support communities. What I find the most interesting is that there are companies across North America that want to work with businesses that are minority-owned, Indigenous included!

These companies seek minority-owned businesses for a handful of reasons, including government incentives, and preferential selection as a second-tier supplier or vendor if they are listed as working with minority-owned businesses.

The startup ecosystem can always be better, but quite frankly there’s never been a better time for anybody to start following their entrepreneurial dreams, Indigenous peoples included.”

Are there any mentors from your early days as an entrepreneur that have made an impact on your personal or professional growth?

“There are three that come to mind. I’ll just refer to them by their first names. The first is James, he taught me how to persevere through tough times and adopt a ‘hustler’ mentality. His lessons have helped me identify when to adapt, when to go all in and fight, or cut my losses and move on.

The second is Dave. He has changed the way I look at and execute sales. He helped me to understand that the qualitative part of sales is equally as important as your quantitative parts. Focus on the psychology of your sales as much as you do your performance KPIs. Sales is an art and a science, and his mentorship has been invaluable.

The third would be Sheri. Her guidance and advice are not explicitly business-related, but she helped me to grow personally, which is critical as a business leader.”

Connect with Nathaniel here.

To access mentors like Nathaniel, apply to our programs today by visiting dmz.to/incubator.

Meet Senia Wang, the studentpreneur with a sustainable take on the pet industry

On Wednesdays, we startup.

To celebrate our women-identifying founders, we’ve put together ‘On Wednesdays, we startup’, a blog series dedicated to putting women founders centre stage to acknowledge their work, complexities and wins!

We hope to push women founder stories forward and share lessons learned and insights for other aspiring women entrepreneurs.

We recently sat down with Senia Wang, the Co-Founder and COO of Charmy Pet, to learn more about the company and their commitment to creating ethically and sustainably sourced pet products, as well as Senia’s experience as a woman studentpreneur.

Charmy Pet is a pet nutrition platform and monthly subscription service built to address the importance of individualized diets for pets.

“I think the work we are doing at Charmy Pet can really change the pet food industry. Not only are we providing pet owners with products free from added preservatives, we are fully transparent with where our products are sourced, empowering pet owners to make informed decisions.” Their technology evaluates each pet’s nutritional needs based on breed, age, activity level, and more. Providing personalized pet food, Charmy Pet allows pet owners to track exactly where their ingredients are being sourced, and track their orders in real time.

The need for real and sustainable products

“Research shows us that pets’ lives are shortened by about 20% today, compared to other centuries in history. This — in large part — is due to their diets.”

Senia explains that a lot of pet food today is extremely processed. A majority of manufacturers today use extrusion, a process that uses high heat to turn ingredients into kibble, which removes up to 40% of the ingredients nutrients.

“At Charmy Pet we want to provide nutritious and sustainably sourced ingredients for pet owners. We believe that long and healthy lives for pets begin with their diets.”

Supporting Canadian farmers, Charmy Pet sources a majority of its meat from across Alberta and Ontario and is an official partner of Ocean Wise Seafood, meaning its seafood is certified sustainably sourced.

Wanting to be as transparent with their customers as possible, Charmy Pet has incorporated a QR code onto the packaging of their products, allowing customers to quickly access a list of ingredients and details on how and where the protein was sourced.

“Our team consists of environmentalists, and we wanted to create products we could be proud of. The pet food industry has not stepped up when it comes to providing nutritious and ethical products pet owners can feel proud about giving to their furry friends — we knew it was important to adapt to the environmentally-conscious consumer.”

“The pet food industry has not stepped up when it comes to providing nutritious and ethical products pet owners can feel proud about giving to their furry friends — we knew it was important to adapt to the environmentally conscious consumer.”

The realities of being a woman founder

Senia highlights that women founders typically have more responsibilities to juggle and face various external pressures in comparison to their male counterparts.

“It’s easy to get distracted from others’ expectations of us. While we have seen some change, I do think women with ambitious career goals are still undervalued and are not taken as seriously as men.

Our performance as women is valued according to different parameters than males, across different areas of life, and it’s important for the ecosystem to eliminate these biases. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what stage of life you’re at, if you have a business idea that you think will serve a purpose, just do it. ”

She encourages all aspiring women innovators to dive right in.

“There is never going to be a perfect time to start a business, so just start however you can. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from doing what you want.”

Juggling school and a growing business

When not working on Charmy Pet, Senia is busy with her undergraduate degree. A 3rd year student at Toronto Metropolitan University, Senia is studying Hospitality and Tourism Management.

When it comes to balancing school life and Charmy Pet, Senia underscores the importance of organization and having a solid Co-Founder.

“I have a strong relationship with my Co-Founder, Zach Sheng. We are both supportive, and keep each other accountable when it comes to both school and Charmy Pet.

We’re strong in different areas. He takes on more of the business development, whereas I lead marketing and customer acquisition. Having a Co-Founder whose skills are complementary to yours is vital, and ensures our time is being used efficiently.”

Want to learn more about Charmy Pet’s products? Head over to their website here.

Save 30% on your first order and get free shipping with code CharmyFirstBox.

Make sure to follow the DMZ on Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram to follow our ‘On Wednesdays we startup’ women founder series.

To learn more about the Women Founders Programs, visit dmz.to/womenfounders

These young innovators are redefining what it means to be studentpreneurs

Meet DMZ’s Basecamp winners

From student to startup founder, the DMZ’s student incubation program, Basecamp, helps young entrepreneurs create tech solutions to growing social and economic gaps in society.

Over the course of the summer, 22 student-led startups had the opportunity to develop and market their business idea, receive one-on-one industry mentoring, and attend expert-led workshops to gain a better understanding of the Canadian tech ecosystem.

Bringing their innovative business ideas to life, it was another successful summer for the books!

From edtech, artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency solutions, participating companies were anything but juvenile.

Today’s students are digital natives. With more resources and tools available than ever before, there is a new wave of studentpreneurs who are punching well above their weight and developing unique solutions to a handful of society’s biggest challenges.

Wrapping up the 8-week program, participating teams had the opportunity to pitch their startup ideas to a panel of judges for the chance to take home one of five grants — designed to help startups launch into the next phase of their growth — of up to $5,000 CAD.

So, who were the top winning teams of the DMZ’s Basecamp, and how are they redefining what it means to be studentpreneurs?

After learning that only 8% of people who set goals actually achieve them, Dev, Urvush and Adisha knew there had to be a better way for people to stay accountable and accomplish their goals.

Mindful Minutes is a personal development platform that helps individuals achieve their short and long-term goals by leveraging community and group accountability.

“The Basecamp program provided us with a lot more goodies than we had expected! Over the course of just 2 months, we were able to gain valuable startup knowledge, incredible mentors and a community of like-minded motivated entrepreneurs!

The program has definitely enhanced the way we run our business, and connected us with important people and necessary resources needed to succeed.” The team plans to use their winnings for marketing, referral programs, incorporating their business, and research and development.

As leaders of a personal development startup, the team at Mindful Minutes truly understands the importance of a balanced lifestyle.

“While taking care of your business, remember to take care of yourself. While there may be certain weeks that you need to put in the extra hours and effort to make something happen, always remember that burnout is real and can happen to anyone. Learn how to pace yourself!”

While running your own startup has a lot of perks — like being able to work at your own pace, and being your own boss — Mindful Minutes highlights that working for a startup requires a lot of commitment and grit.

“Contrary to what some people may think, founding your own startup can easily require more from an individual than a 9-5 grind. Nonetheless, it is definitely a rewarding experience to witness the growth of Mindful Minutes.”

Mindful Minutes plans to establish a referral program to help them scale, and are developing their platform. They hope to reach a couple hundred members by year end to start making an impact on their users’ personal development.

Keep up with Mindful Minutes on Instagram!

“While taking care of your business, remember to take care of yourself. While there may be certain weeks that you need to put in the extra hours and effort to make something happen, always remember that burnout is real and can happen to anyone. Learn how to pace yourself!”

SiteScope provides AI and computer vision applications for safety and automation in the construction industry. They offer two solutions: hardhat detection and traffic control automation.

“As first-time entrepreneurs, our team has grown significantly throughout the Basecamp program.

We really enjoyed the legal, incorporation and leadership workshops. Our Basecamp mentor throughout the program was perfect — she answered all our questions, and played a critical role in SiteScope’s pitch deck development. We couldn’t have done it without Ingrid Polini and the entire DMZ team!”

SiteScope plans to use their winnings to develop a hardware prototype.

While the Basecamp program wraps up with a demo day, SiteScope encourages all future participants not to treat the program like a competition.

“As students, we can get pretty competitive, but networking and sharing advice with the entire cohort made the experience so much more rewarding. Take the opportunity to learn and share your knowledge with others.”

While many believe studentpreneurs live and breathe for ‘grind culture’, SiteScope emphasized that their fellow founders genuinely cared about their product and embraced work-life balance.

“As students, we can get pretty competitive, but networking and sharing advice with the entire cohort made the experience so much more rewarding. Take the opportunity to learn and share your knowledge with others.”

Skilly is an ed-tech company that makes learning and teaching more accessible for people around the world. Their app allows individuals to trade skills for skills they want to learn — all for free.

Luke Galati

“Our Basecamp experience was amazing!

The DMZ’s Basecamp helped us foster an understanding of the business principles within the tech world, and we’ll be able to apply these learnings in our future!

We were surrounded by talented students who were hungry to grow their businesses, and learn from the DMZ team and the Entrepreneurs in Residence. Our mentor, Ayodele Pompey, was such a positive influence, and inspired us to be the best professionals that we can be.”

Skilly plans to use their winnings to develop their MVP. With their user experience and user interface designs for their app underway, their next step is to build the product and then launch.

Ayesha Azad

Skilly encourages other inspiring studentpreneurs to start their ventures as soon as they can.

“Find people who can support your vision, and build with like-minded people who want to achieve the same goal. Keep progressing, however you can. As long as you keep moving forward, you’ll reach your goal.”

While juggling school and a startup can be challenging, Skilly believes that studentpreneurs don’t need to choose between their education and business.

“We believe that it’s possible to be ambitious and change the world, while still fulfilling the goal of getting your degree and graduating with your peers.”

Skilly is looking to hire a Chief Technology Officer to help bring their product to life. They also look forward to continuing their growth as a company with the DMZ Basecamp Fellowship.

“Find people who can support your vision, and build with like-minded people who want to achieve the same goal. Keep progressing, however you can. As long as you keep moving forward, you’ll reach your goal.”

Designed exclusively for fashion professionals, RESERVE is a B2B marketplace that features retailers and independent designers for commercial designer rentals. A stylist’s best friend, RESERVE saves time, money, and stress by providing an online directory of designer items available for rent and delivering apparel directly to fashion shoots.

“As a solo founder with a non-technical retail background, Basecamp was an integral part of my journey.

From learning about fundraising cycles to understanding the mechanics of how a startup is run, Basecamp has allowed me to progress myself and my confidence as an entrepreneur.”

RESERVE plans to use the winnings to secure their website domain and social media handles. Omar also hopes to use the funding for their launch campaign’s digital marketing, which includes partnerships with micro-influencers, retailers and independent designers.

Omar highlights there are only so many hours in a day to get work done, and encourages other studentpreneurs to readjust their priorities if the hustle comes at the cost of mental and physical health. “Treat the process like a marathon, not a sprint.”

Although studentpreneurs may sometimes look like they have everything figured out, Omar underscores the importance of resilience and how every day is an opportunity to learn something new and overcome challenges. While some days will be better than others, a startup’s ability to learn and overcome adversity is far more telling than its solution alone.

“Being in a startup is like being in the middle of a mosh pit at a heavy metal concert — it’s total chaos. However, that is also the beauty of it, as an entrepreneur you have to learn to trust the process.”

RESERVE looks forward to completing their MVP, and their beta launch to onboard their first batch of rentees and renters. By late November, RESERVE plans to have a soft launch exclusively for Toronto.

Keep up with RESERVE on Instagram!

“Being in a startup is like being in the middle of a mosh pit at a heavy metal concert — it’s total chaos. However, that is also the beauty of it, as an entrepreneur you have to learn to trust the process.”

Are you an inspiring studentpreneur looking for support to help build your business idea? Follow the DMZ on Instagram and X to stay up to date with all of our student programming!

Get to know the winners of our inaugural Black Innovation Summit

Investing in the growth of rising Black-led tech startups

11 Black-led Pre-Incubator companies, 1 day of pitching, and $49,000 CAD of total funding awarded!

This summer, the DMZ hosted its inaugural Black Innovation Summit, bringing together the next generation of rising tech startups led by Black founders!

Equitable access to funding has been a longstanding issue in the innovation ecosystem. The Black Innovation Summit was designed to put capital directly into the hands of Black founders to help them take their startups to the next level.

Not only did the Black Innovation Summit award DMZ Pre-Incubator companies funding, it also put a spotlight on the importance of supporting the Black entrepreneurial community, and investing in the growth of an inclusive tech ecosystem.

So, how did the Black Innovation Summit work?

The DMZ brought together select Black alumni founders from the DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator to deliver startup pitches to a panel of esteemed judges. With a grand first place prize of $20,000 CAD at stake, founders laid it all out on the line to wow the panel with their innovative solutions.

Who came out on top?

Our founders did not make it easy for the judges, as all the startups delivered compelling pitches. From edtech, femtech, real estate, HR, fintech and more, we saw an array of innovative solutions and products that have the potential to make a real impact in their respective industry. Congratulations to all of the participants and winners!

1st place: Tunde Omotoye, Co-Founder of HumanSquad won $20,000 CAD in funding.

2nd place: Eyra Abraham, Founder of Lisnen won $10,000 CAD in funding.

3rd place: Michael Collins, Founder and CEO of Periculum won $5,000 CAD in funding.

We connected with the top 3 winning founders to learn more about their startup, how the funding will help them, and their experience with the Black Innovation Programs at the DMZ!

HumanSquad – Tunde Omotoye

Tell us about HumanSquad.

HumanSquad helps people navigate their immigration journey and career path by connecting immigrants to licensed immigration consultants in Canada. The current Canadian immigration landscape for prospective immigrants includes traditional players, and complex and overwhelming processes which are expensive.

At HumanSquad, we digitize the immigration process, making it simple and affordable.

Could you shed some light on your entrepreneurial journey? What brought you to where you are today?

Our CEO and Co-Founder Tunde Omotoye provides informal immigration and human resource advisory support to over a quarter of a million followers seeking to move, settle, and grow their career in Canada.

Tunde’s requests to have one-on-one advisory sessions concerning Canadian immigration evolved into HumanSquad. The reputation Tunde has garnered over the years has lent reliability and credibility to the HumanSquad model.

What was going through your mind when you found out you won first place at the DMZ’s inaugural Black Innovation Summit?

A lot, actually. It was unbelievable! We had practiced multiple times before the D-Day, so we were glad that our efforts weren’t wasted.

What impact did the DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator have on your startup’s trajectory?

Coming into the DMZ’s Pre-Incubator, we had launched our prototype and were already seeing traction. So our expectations for the program, beyond validating our solution, were to upskill the team and redefine our go-to market strategy across sales, marketing, and tech to optimize our reach.

Before joining the Black Innovation Pre-Incubator, we didn’t understand concepts like ‘user journey’ or ‘OKRs’. Now, we understand customer profiling and engagement, and key client-related key performance indicators to look out for that can impact our bottom line and boost our topline.

Do you have plans on how you would like to use the money you’ve won? How will it help support your startup?

Our current tech infrastructure needs to be upgraded, so a significant portion of the grant is going to that. We are currently expanding our distributed tech team to work both on the front-end and back-end of our portal.

We’re also looking to invest in our marketing efforts, as we haven’t launched any aggressive paid marketing initiatives since we launched over a year ago. We are planning to test run some initiatives in our playbook to grow our customer engagement.

What message do you want to share with fellow Black entrepreneurs who are trying to build their own companies?

It’s important to connect with people already in the entrepreneurship space to understand their journey. We need to debunk the myth that entrepreneurship is a solitary journey. Entrepreneurs offer different services and sell different products, and there’s nothing wrong with learning from one another’s insights.

Of course – products differ, but entrepreneurship is by and large quite agnostic and there is so much a founder can learn from other founders. Following closely on the heels of that, I’d say to own your journey, take every entrepreneurial adventure as a learning experience, and allow yourself to evolve and learn through it all.

Lisnen – Eyra Abraham

Tell us a little bit about Lisnen.

Lisnen focuses on everyday safety and convenience challenges for the Deaf and hard of hearing. Fire alarms, sirens, yells, cries, door knocks, and bells are sounds that expect attention.

Yet, for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, not knowing can be a risk. Lisnen is solving the lack of access and inequalities of using only sound to communicate critical information for people with hearing loss.

What brought you to where you are today?

I started Lisnen to address a personal pain point that I was experiencing as someone with hearing loss. I had slept through a fire alarm in my condo after taking off my hearing aids to sleep. I hadn’t realized what had happened until a couple of days later when a notice in my inbox notified tenants of the situation.

It was a wake-up call – people living with disabilities do not have equal access to the same safety standards in establishments and residential areas. After buying and trying different products, I was waiting for someone to create a solution that worked. Finally, it dawned on me that maybe I should be the one.

What was going through your mind when you found out you won second place at DMZ’s inaugural Black Innovation Summit?

After hearing so many great pitches and founders with amazing businesses, I was very surprised, yet incredibly grateful.

I hadn’t pitched in a while, and I wanted to deliver my pitch to improve on it and practise. I was ready to congratulate the winners and head back to work!

When I won, I realized that we are blessed to be in the company of so many Black founders who are pushing forward to make changes for our community.

What impact did DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator have on your startup’s trajectory?

The Black Innovation Pre-Incubator allowed me to see the successes and the possibilities within the entrepreneurial community. This was empowering, and gave me an extra bit of confidence with my work.

Also, the support network of founders has been impactful. There is a lot of diverse expertise that I can tap into to assist my business.

Do you have plans for how you would like to use the money you’ve won? How will it help support your startup?

The funding will support our app development as we continue to build our machine learning algorithm to support people with hearing loss and our corporate partners.

What message do you want to share with fellow Black entrepreneurs who are trying to build their own companies?

Nothing in our past can prepare us to reach our next level of success. So persevere and stay patient. Continue to grow and learn, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable as you reach new heights!

Lisnen is engaging with people in the hearing loss community and welcomes anyone with hearing loss to join their community of app testers. Head over to their website to sign up and co-create their community!

Periculum – Michael Collins

Tell us a little bit about Periculum.

Periculum is a top provider of data analytics and credit assessment services specifically targeted to underserved markets. We work with financial institutions and lenders to digitize their solutions, including credit scoring and loan underwriting. Additionally, we provide data analytic solutions to give them an edge in the crowded marketplace.

Could you shed some light on your entrepreneurial journey? What brought you to where you are today?

I was born and raised in Nigeria, where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I came to Canada on my 19th birthday to go to school at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, British Columbia. I ended up transferring to Thompson University in Kamloops.

After school, I worked for BMO and CIBC, where I was first made aware of the problem Periculum is working on now – ‘thin files’. ‘Thin files’ refer to individuals and businesses that do not have access to loans or other financial services because they have little or no credit history.

About 1 in 15 people in North America are underserved by the financial services industry, but in the African market it’s 1 in 3 people. This led me to start Periculum to help people and businesses in Africa access financial and lending services.

What was going through your mind when you found out you won third place at the DMZ’s inaugural Black Innovation Summit?

At first, I didn’t really register the announcement because I was not expecting it!

There were some fantastic founders building great companies, so I did not expect to make it in the top three. When they announced Periculum as third, I was shocked, excited, and honoured!

What impact did the DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator have on your startup’s trajectory?

Boy, where do I start…the DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator is one of the best programs I have ever attended…period!

The lessons I learned from the great program mentors literally took Periculum to the next level. We didn’t have a very clear business strategy when we started, but the program helped us define our strategy and execute on it. I cannot say enough about this program!

Do you have plans on how you would like to use the money you’ve won? How will it help support your startup?

The money will help us acquire more server space, which will allow us to onboard more customers and grow our revenue.

What message do you want to share with fellow Black entrepreneurs who are trying to build their own companies?

Starting a company under normal circumstances is very hard, but doing it as a Black founder is even harder. Programs like the DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator makes the black entrepreneurship journey easier.

I am very proud and honoured to be a part of the inaugural Black Innovation Summit, and I hope other institutions follow the DMZ’s lead in establishing programs like this because the more we get our Black community involved in entrepreneurship, the better our communities and world will be. The future is bright!

Periculum just launched a $500K pre-seed round, and have already raised over half of it! The round will help them expand their reach and offerings in the Nigerian and West African markets.

We’re now accepting applications for the DMZ’s Pre-Incubator fall cohort. Make your way to dmz.to/bootcamp to apply today.

For more information on the DMZ’s Black Innovation Programs, click here.

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Public relations 101: Our top 4 tips for success

Category Archives: Blog Categories

The DMZ’s top 4 insider tricks for startup public relations success

Ensure your brand and online assets are up to par

Maintain a pulse on your industry

Make your media announcements meaningful

Be purposeful about crafting your media pitch

Final considerations

Looking for more PR or marketing support? Check out our programs for more insights into the support we provide our founders.

Introducing the Black Innovation Program Social Impact Stream and its inaugural cohort of startups

Interested in learning more about the BIP Social Impact Stream and keeping up with these companies? Read more here.

5 continents, 40 countries, 1000 startups and growing…

AMMAN, JORDAN

“Limiting oneself to one ecosystem, city, country or region is a disservice. Our team is thrilled to be a part of the Incubator program, as it will allow us to better understand our target markets.”

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

INNISFIL, ONTARIO

“Working with Jelmer Stegink and the broader DMZ team really helped us improve our pitch, and gave us a network of like-minded entrepreneurs who are also driven to have a global reach.”

MUMBAI, INDIA

SOUTH KOREA

TOKYO, JAPAN

“Borders are beginning to fade, and with widespread access to the internet, businesses need to think bigger. Being a part of the DMZ community has opened up several doors for us, as we’ve been able to connect with Canadian startups to share lessons learned and gain valuable market insights.”

Want to know if there’s a DMZ-powered hub in your region? Learn more about the DMZ’s global footprint at dmz.to/Global

On Wednesdays, we startup.

Want to learn more about Alli Therapy’s personalized support for parents? Check out their website to learn more.

Alli Therapy is looking to fuel their growth to provide more parents with the services they need. Interested in teaming up with Alli to improve mental health support for parents? Reach out to Sarah Rennick and Cherry Xu!

Meet the DMZ’s newest Pre-Incubator cohort, 23 companies who are innovating across diverse industries

If you are an early-stage tech founder and are interested in joining the DMZ Pre-Incubator, check out more about the program details and selection criteria here.

DMZ guest blog by: Karina Barker, DMZ EiR

1. Nail your homepage headline and sub-headline

2. Don’t underestimate the power of social proof

3. Keep your calls-to-action consistent

4. Boost interest with a unique brand voice

If you need help with your copywriting, I’d love to chat! Learn more about how DMZ’s EiRs can support your business here.

Hear from Nathaniel on why he’s excited to give back to the DMZ community, the experiences of an Indigenous entrepreneur, and how he conceptualized the MVP for LiveGauge

What are your areas of expertise? What can founders come to you with questions about?

What made you decide to come back to the DMZ, now as an AiR?

Could you tell us a little bit about LiveGauge’s history? What problem were you trying to solve?

It has been nearly 9 years since you first launched LiveGauge — how has the company grown and evolved?

What was your experience at DMZ’s Incubator back in 2017 like?

“Being surrounded by other startups makes you even more hungry as an entrepreneur. Seeing others commit 110% to their business makes you want to commit 150%. It’s a fuel like no other.”

Any insights into your experiences as an Indigenous entrepreneur? What kinds of support can startup incubators, government, etc. provide Indigenous entrepreneurs?

Are there any mentors from your early days as an entrepreneur that have made an impact on your personal or professional growth?

Connect with Nathaniel here.

To access mentors like Nathaniel, apply to our programs today by visiting dmz.to/incubator.

On Wednesdays, we startup.

The need for real and sustainable products

“The pet food industry has not stepped up when it comes to providing nutritious and ethical products pet owners can feel proud about giving to their furry friends — we knew it was important to adapt to the environmentally conscious consumer.”

The realities of being a woman founder

Juggling school and a growing business

Want to learn more about Charmy Pet’s products? Head over to their website here.

Save 30% on your first order and get free shipping with code CharmyFirstBox.

Make sure to follow the DMZ on Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram to follow our ‘On Wednesdays we startup’ women founder series.

To learn more about the Women Founders Programs, visit dmz.to/womenfounders

Meet DMZ’s Basecamp winners

“While taking care of your business, remember to take care of yourself. While there may be certain weeks that you need to put in the extra hours and effort to make something happen, always remember that burnout is real and can happen to anyone. Learn how to pace yourself!”

“As students, we can get pretty competitive, but networking and sharing advice with the entire cohort made the experience so much more rewarding. Take the opportunity to learn and share your knowledge with others.”

“Find people who can support your vision, and build with like-minded people who want to achieve the same goal. Keep progressing, however you can. As long as you keep moving forward, you’ll reach your goal.”

“Being in a startup is like being in the middle of a mosh pit at a heavy metal concert — it’s total chaos. However, that is also the beauty of it, as an entrepreneur you have to learn to trust the process.”

Are you an inspiring studentpreneur looking for support to help build your business idea? Follow the DMZ on Instagram and X to stay up to date with all of our student programming!

Investing in the growth of rising Black-led tech startups

So, how did the Black Innovation Summit work?

Who came out on top?

HumanSquad – Tunde Omotoye

Tell us about HumanSquad.

Could you shed some light on your entrepreneurial journey? What brought you to where you are today?

What was going through your mind when you found out you won first place at the DMZ’s inaugural Black Innovation Summit?

What impact did the DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator have on your startup’s trajectory?

Do you have plans on how you would like to use the money you’ve won? How will it help support your startup?

What message do you want to share with fellow Black entrepreneurs who are trying to build their own companies?

Lisnen – Eyra Abraham

Tell us a little bit about Lisnen.

What brought you to where you are today?

What was going through your mind when you found out you won second place at DMZ’s inaugural Black Innovation Summit?

What impact did DMZ’s Black Innovation Pre-Incubator have on your startup’s trajectory?

Do you have plans for how you would like to use the money you’ve won? How will it help support your startup?

What message do you want to share with fellow Black entrepreneurs who are trying to build their own companies?

Periculum – Michael Collins

Tell us a little bit about Periculum.

Could you shed some light on your entrepreneurial journey? What brought you to where you are today?

What was going through your mind when you found out you won third place at the DMZ’s inaugural Black Innovation Summit?

Want to know if there’s a DMZ-powered hub in your region?
Learn more about the DMZ’s global footprint at dmz.to/Global