10 Youth Innovators Selected to Pitch for Up to $100,000 at Ingenious+ Spark Demo Day

Press Release

March 25, 2026 – The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), in partnership with DMZ, is proud to announce the 10 finalists (aged 14-18) selected for Ingenious+ Spark 2026, a national pitch competition supporting Canada’s next generation of young innovators.

On April 1, 2026, these finalists will take the stage at DMZ in Toronto to present their ventures, competing for up to $100,000 in investment, along with mentorship and national recognition.

Ingenious+ Spark builds on the success of RHF’s Ingenious+ program by supporting past winners as they move from ideas to real-world ventures. Through pitch training, expert mentorship, and access to networks, Spark is part of a supportive ecosystem helping young innovators develop, test, and scale their ideas.

“Ingenious+ Spark will deepen the support we can offer young entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage of their innovation journey. Their bold ideas will have important impact in their communities and beyond, contributing to a more hopeful and prosperous Canada,” said Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation.

“DMZ was founded on the belief that young entrepreneurs have the potential to drive real change. The best ideas come early and they deserve meaningful backing to thrive,” said Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures.

Meet the 2026 Ingenious+ Spark Finalists

Selected from across Canada, these finalists represent a diverse range of sectors including artificial intelligence, education, health, accessibility, and digital innovation.

• Cindy Cheng (Waterloo, ON)
  Anterno: An AI-powered onboarding platform that helps interns become productive faster by guiding tasks, interpreting company systems, and supporting independent learning.
• Edlyn To (Toronto, ON)
  Aidify: A typing analytics tool that helps educators assess student writing effort by analyzing the writing process, not just the final submission.
• Thivya Jeyapalan (Stouffville, ON)
  Candme: An AI-powered platform that streamlines student applications and evaluations, helping organizations review candidates more efficiently and fairly.
• Aasha Khan (Waterloo, ON)
  AskEve: A conversational AI that provides safe, inclusive, and anonymous support for questions about menstruation and reproductive health.
• Sep Bastani (Saint John, NB)
  Port City Virtual Tours: A platform that creates precise, measurable digital twins of real-world spaces using LiDAR, 3D scanning, and AI for immersive virtual exploration.
• Kendra Nayanka (St. Catharines, ON)
  NavAble: A real-time indoor navigation system that adapts to users and environments, improving accessibility and wayfinding in complex spaces.
• Nirek Shetty (Toronto, ON)
  Anthos: An AI memory layer that reduces token usage and costs by intelligently retaining and retrieving only the most relevant information from conversations.
• Jasmine Wang (Oakville, ON)
  IRIS: Intelligent Reasoning & Interaction System: A general-purpose AI-powered robot that can understand, plan, and carry out everyday tasks through natural language interaction.
• Arabella Mew (Kingston, ON)
  Anecdota: An interactive, story-based learning platform designed to support neurodivergent youth through engaging, adaptive educational experiences.
• Nirmay Singh (Burnaby, BC)
  PlyxAI: A conversational AI operating system that replaces multiple business tools by allowing small businesses to manage operations through simple, natural language commands.

Each finalist is a past Ingenious+ award recipient, demonstrating continued growth and commitment to innovation. Their participation in Spark reflects RHF’s ongoing investment in youth as they move from early ideas to real-world impact.

Event Details

Ingenious+ Spark Demo Day
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Time: 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (Refreshments and networking begin at 1:30 p.m.)
Location: DMZ, 10 Dundas Street East, 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario

The event will bring together innovators, partners, and supporters to celebrate youth-led innovation and the future of entrepreneurship in Canada. If you would like to attend the event or coordinate any interviews, please contact communications@rhf-frh.ca

About Ingenious+ Spark

Ingenious+ Spark is a partnership between the Rideau Hall Foundation and DMZ that supports youth innovators in transforming their ideas into ventures. Participants receive mentorship, training, and the opportunity to pitch for investment to bring their ideas to life. https://ingeniousplus.ca/spark/

About the Rideau Hall Foundation

The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a nonpartisan national charitable organization that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada while working with partners to meaningfully improve lives and foster the conditions for more Canadians to succeed and thrive. Learn more at www.rhf-frh.ca.

About DMZ

DMZ is a tech incubator and startup ecosystem that fuels entrepreneurship in Canada and beyond. Through its award-winning programs, DMZ empowers founders to scale high-impact ventures, helps students develop entrepreneurial mindsets and equips professionals to thrive in today’s fast-moving economy. By offering tailored support, world-class resources and expansive networks, DMZ nurtures bold ideas, drives business growth and creates global economic impact.  https://dmz.torontomu.ca/

Media Contact:

Jill Clark
Sr Advisor, Strategic Communications and Media Relations
jill.clark@rhf-frh.ca
Rideau Hall Foundation
613-619-0230

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