The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Program (Canada)

What they offer?

• As an Applicant, you will:
  • Find clarity for your business – its purpose, goals, and key value proposition – as you practice sharing your vision with others.
  • Access an active community that will support and fiercely champion you – with potential to meet investors, mentors, collaborators and more.
  • Benefit from educational programming (valued at $500).
• As a Semi-Finalist, you will:
  • Receive paid trips to the Toronto and Vancouver Semi-Final events.
  • Meet entrepreneurs, make new connections and activate your social capital.
  • Connect with funders looking to support businesses just like yours.
  • Receive 1:1 mentorship (valued at $5,000) from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts to help you prepare for the The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Semi Final Events.
  • Access the The Forum Mentor Program, valid for 12 months of 1-1 mentor support (approximate value: $300).
  • Semi-Finalists can access this prize within 12 months of becoming a Semi-Finalist.
• As a Finalist, you will:
  • Receive one of three prize packages each with an estimated value of $30,000 CAD in financial and social capital as well as mentorship to help fuel your company’s growth.
  • Gain brand exposure through national PR coverage (valued at $5,000) and The Forum’s Canada-wide community of women entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and sponsors (valued at $30,000).
  • Receive exclusive videos and photos that highlight your business story and program experience to share throughout your community (valued at $15,000).
  • Receive performance coaching (valued at $2,500).
  • Get complimentary access to E-Series (valued at $1,500) – a transformative educational program for women entrepreneurs that provides essential education and tools to take your business to the next level.

Eligibility Criteria

• You are a legal resident of Canada;
• You are a self-identifying woman, non-binary, or trans-femme entrepreneur;
• You are a majority or equal stakeholder, (co-)founder or (co-)owner actively leading a registered business operating in Canada; an employee in line to lead such a business who is currently a decision maker, including a woman manager or staff member who is a key decision maker in an Indigenous band- or community-owned business;
• You are planning to fundraise within 12 months of applying;
• You are able to participate, if selected, in:
  • one mock pitch in January 2025;
  • two in-person Semi-Final events- one in Toronto on February 13, 2025 and one in Vancouver on February 20, 2025, respectively;
  • the live in-person Finale event on April 25, 2025; and,
  • mentorship meetings and filming sessions, which will be scheduled at mutually convenient times during December 2024 – March 2025.
• You are not a Finalist in any previous Pitch for the Purse/The Forum Pitch.
• While the program is for all industries and markets, and all sizes and stages of business, organizations that are structured as nonprofits and charities (societies) are not eligible to enter The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch.
• Directors, immediate family members of directors, employees and officers of The Forum and its affiliates, agents, sponsors and advertising or promotional agencies, are able to participate in the Program so long as they and their immediate family members are not involved in the selection process of the Semi-Finalists or Finalists. Applicants are requested to disclose in writing at the time of application if you are, or you have close personal relationships with, or are immediate family members of any Directors, employees, officers, affiliates, agents, or contractors so that The Forum can manage any possible conflict of interest.
• Any current year Alumnae Committee member, Community Panel member, Mentor, Coach, and Pitch Champion are not eligible to participate in the Program.
• The Forum shall have the right at any time to require proof of identity and/or eligibility to participate in the Program. Failure to provide such proof as The Forum may require in its sole discretion may result in disqualification.
• All personal and other information requested by and supplied to The Forum for the purpose of the Program must be truthful, complete, accurate and not misleading. The Forum reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify you should you at any time supply untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading personal or other information.

Selection Criteria

• The process for selection will be the following:
  • All applicants will be reviewed internally by The Forum team.
  • The Forum’s Community Panel will complete the review and assessment of all shortlisted applicants, selecting approximately 8-10 businesses to be awarded the designation of Semi-Finalists. The Semi-Finalists will be paired with a Mentor to support them to present at The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Semi-Final events.
  • The Semi-Finalists will deliver the same live 3-minute pitch in English at both Semi-Final events (i.e. in Toronto and then Vancouver) and the higher score will be their recorded score. Three (3) Finalists will be announced at the Vancouver Semi-Final based on the higher of the two scores they receive from the Community Panel.
  • The three Finalists must attend the live in-person The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale on April 25, 2025 in Vancouver, BC and deliver a live 3-minute pitch in English with a presentation deck to an audience of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors.
• The Semi-Finalists and Finalists will be selected based on the following criteria (the “Program Criteria”):
  • Business vision: Does the entrepreneur have a strong vision for their business? Are they innovative? What is their impact or potential for impact?
  • Growth: Is the business addressing a real need or market gap in a valuable way? Does the entrepreneur understand their market and path for growth? Does the business model make sense?
  • The Pitch: Is the presentation clear and compelling? Does it catch the audience’s attention? Does it leave the audience wanting to learn and engage more?

For more information, visit The Forum.