The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Three Women-led Startups Pitching To Special Guest Champions Michele Romanow and Tara Bosch on April 24

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA, March 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Three Canadian women-led startups have been named Finalists for the The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale. Celebrating its tenth year, the evening event will see Finalists receive prize packages valued at $30,000, with one Finalist selected to receive an additional $20,000 cash prize, made possible by the support of Wheaton Precious Metals.

The 10th anniversary of the event promises to be the most exciting yet, featuring two powerhouse Champions: Michele Romanow, renowned entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and Dragon on CBC's Dragons' Den, and Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets (acquired by TPG Growth for $360 million) and Forum alumna who recently gifted her Sweet Futures retreat program to The Forum to fuel the next generation of women entrepreneurs scaling businesses in Canada. Having been in the inaugural event, Tara’s participation in The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch ten years ago highlights how integral this event and The Forum are in the advancement of women-led startups. To date, 24 Forum alumnae have pitched on Dragons’ Den, five of whom were The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch finalists.

Selected from over 125 national applicants, Kimberley Hiebert, CEO & Co-Founder of Door Gurus, Randa Mudathir, CEO & Co-Founder of NovaSonix Healthcare Inc., and Yoobin Lee, CEO & Co-Founder of Quip Medical will pitch to a live audience on April 24 featuring Canadian business leaders Michele Romanow and Tara Bosch, who will then lead a Q&A with the finalists.

“Our Semi-Final events showcased the calibre of innovation and determination that defines women-led businesses in Canada,” said Kirsten Koppang Telford, CEO, The Forum. “The three Finalists represent the future of Canadian entrepreneurship, and we cannot wait to see them take the stage in April alongside Michele and Tara - two leaders who have paved the way for the next generation of women founders.”

The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch 2026 Finalists
Kimberley Hiebert, CEO & Co-Founder of Door Gurus - Door Gurus (Edmonton, Alberta) operates a specialized door service franchise across Canada, focusing on repair, installation, and maintenance for both residential and commercial clients with a mobile, service-oriented approach.

Randa Mudathir, CEO & Co-Founder of NovaSonix Healthcare Inc. - NovaSonix Healthcare Inc. (London, Ontario) is a medical technology company that has developed MSKNovaVue™, a 3D ultrasound attachment that transforms standard ultrasound machines into real-time 3-dimensional scanners for musculoskeletal imaging. The company aims to bring MRI-level diagnostic insights to the point of care, reducing diagnostic wait times while making advanced imaging more accessible and affordable.

Yoobin Lee, CEO & Co-Founder of Quip Medical - Quip Medical (Kitchener, Ontario) is an AI-powered platform aiming to revolutionize physician billing and workflow by automatically recording, transcribing, and summarizing patient consultations while extracting optimized billing codes.

These three companies were selected from nine Semi-Finalists who pitched in Toronto and Vancouver in February, representing Canada's most promising women-led businesses aiming to raise capital this year.

A Celebration of Impact: Ten Years of The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch
The April 24 event marks a decade of transformative impact for The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch program with its success evolving into a national movement. Over the past nine years, past Semi-Finalists and Finalists have collectively raised more than $70 million and created over 1,000 jobs, helping fuel Canada’s economy. The program has connected more than 100 entrepreneurs with funders, mentors, and a powerful network invested in their long-term success.

“The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch continues to deliver on its promise to uncover exceptional founders who are ready for capital and ready to scale,” said Trevor Short, President and CEO, Odlum Brown. “As we celebrate 10 years of this incredible program, we're proud to see how far these businesses have come, and we’re excited to support the next chapter of growth for the three Finalists.”

Adds Koppang Telford, “With Michele Romanow and Tara Bosch as our guest Champions, this milestone moment highlights how The Forum has worked to elevate entrepreneurs while continuing to expand into new networks. Through our donors and fundraising, we ensure Canadian women entrepreneurs are positioned to lead this country's transformation.”

The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale will bring together more than 800 guests including investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs from across Canada to witness the final pitches and celebrate a decade of championing women-led businesses. Held in Vancouver on April 24, the soldout represents The Forum’s annual fundraising event. The event is made possible by numerous talented partners, including women-owned CountDown Events.

Be the Bridge to Their Breakthrough: These finalists need champions beyond April 24th. Discover how you can support women entrepreneurs through mentorship, strategic partnerships, or by making that one meaningful introduction that changes everything. Join The Forum’s network of connectors, advocates, and changemakers.

About Odlum Brown
Odlum Brown has supported The Forum since its inception and is a long-time sponsor of the Pitch program. For over 100 years, this independent Canadian investment firm has been helping clients achieve their financial goals. By gaining a deep understanding of what wealth means to each client, Odlum Brown advisors make a difference for clients through disciplined investment advice integrated with financial planning expertise. Nationally, Odlum Brown is distinguished as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, an honour that has remained with the firm for 26 years, and one of Canada's Most Admired™ Corporate Cultures since 2017. Based in BC and serving clients across Canada and globally, branches are located in Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, Chilliwack, Courtenay and Langley. Visit www.odlumbrown.com

About The Forum
The Forum is Canada's national charity unlocking the economic power of women entrepreneurs at scale.
Now in its 24th year, The Forum has championed the belief that when women entrepreneurs thrive, entire communities flourish. The Forum supports all women nationally and offers a welcoming space to self-identifying women, trans-femme, and non-binary entrepreneurs. In the past year alone, The Forum supported 2,365 entrepreneurs across Canada, contributing to a total of more than 20,000 women entrepreneurs supported to date through programs such as The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Program, The Forum Mentor Program, The Forum E-Series, The Forum Business Finance Essentials, AI Skills Lab Canada.

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