From Bold ideas to Big Impact: CanadianSME Startup Growth Awards 2026 Announces Winners

CanadianSME Startup Growth Magazine and Canada Startup Association celebrate entrepreneurs turning bold ideas into businesses, creating jobs and taking Canadian innovation beyond borders

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Behind every startup is a founder who took a chance. Someone who left a stable job, started over in a new country, spent years building a product, or kept going when the funding didn’t come.

These are the stories worth telling.

Today, the Startup Growth Awards 2026 announced winners to be awarded at the third annual AGAZ Summit on 21st September, recognizing entrepreneurs building businesses, challenging established industries, and creating opportunities in Canada and internationally.

The awards are an extension of a bigger idea: the founders we celebrate today could be the business leaders we read about tomorrow. But their stories deserve to be told long before they become household names.

Meet the 2026 Startup Growth Awards Winners

Award Category	Winner
Startup Founder of the Year Award	Mina Mitry - CEO & Co-Founder of Kepler Communications
Emerging Startup Award	Ehsan Velayati - CEO of AlloWide Health Inc
Startup Women of the Year Award	Erin Bury - Co-founder and CEO of Willful
Excellence in Tech & AI Award	Dr. Ameneh Madjd- Co-founder & COO, D2Type Health Inc.
Community Impact Award	DoorStep Dental inc
Immigrant Founder Award	Victoria Xu - CEO of miRoncol Health
Startup of the Year (SME) Award	Cinareo
Ecosystem Builder Award	Marat Ressin - President of York Entrepreneurship Development Institute
People's Choice Award (Most Innovative Startup)	Cansulta
Most Impactful Startup Award	Wiremi

“These awards are about recognizing the people who are quietly building something meaningful, often without the spotlight or the connections that others take for granted. To our winners, congratulations! You have earned this recognition. My hope is that today is not just a moment of celebration, but the beginning of new conversations, partnerships and opportunities that take your businesses further,” said Tehmina A. Chaudhry, Founder and President of Canada Startup Association and Co- Founder of Startup Growth Magazine.

“Behind every growing startup is a founder making bold decisions, taking risks, and building something that matters. The Startup Growth Awards 2026 celebrated that entrepreneurial spirit and the leaders turning ambitious ideas into meaningful progress. Congratulations to this year’s winners for showing what persistence, innovation, and a strong sense of purpose can achieve," said SK- Founder, CanadianSME Magazine; Co-Founder, Startup Growth Magazine

A Magazine That Became The Voice of the Unseen

Launched to bring fresh voices into Canada’s business and startup conversation, Startup Growth Magazine has published three issues, featuring founders, investors and ecosystem leaders whose experiences offer a different perspective on entrepreneurship.

The publication was built around a simple observation: some of the most interesting founders are not necessarily the ones getting the most attention.

Many are immigrants building businesses in a new country. Others are women, first-time entrepreneurs or founders working outside traditional investment networks. Their journeys are rarely straightforward, but they are an important part of Canada’s economic story.

With its fourth issue, Startup Growth Magazine continues to bring these stories to readers while expanding its ambition beyond publishing.

The Startup Growth Awards are part of that journey, turning storytelling into recognition and bringing founders face-to-face with the investors, business leaders and partners who can help them grow.

Taking Canadian Stories to the World

The awards were announced during the 2026 AGAZ Summit, themed Capital Beyond Borders, organized by the Canada Startup Association.

Over the past three years, the association has built a community of more than 2,000 founders and supported more than 50 entrepreneurs through international delegations, helping them explore new markets, meet investors, and develop commercial partnerships.

Together, Startup Growth Magazine, the Startup Growth Awards and Canada Startup Association are working toward a shared goal: ensuring that the next generation of Canadian business success stories is not only discovered at home but recognized around the world.

Because the next big Canadian success story might already be building, we just haven’t heard about it yet.

About Startup Growth Magazine

Startup Growth Magazine is a Canadian publication dedicated to telling the stories of entrepreneurs, investors and the people building businesses. With a particular focus on emerging and underrepresented voices, the magazine brings readers closer to the real experiences, decisions and challenges behind entrepreneurship. Its ambition is to take Canadian startup stories to a global audience.

Website: startupgrowth.ca

About the Startup Growth Awards

The Startup Growth Awards recognize entrepreneurs and startups for their achievements, innovation and contributions to business and economic growth. The awards provide a platform for emerging companies and founders to gain recognition and connect with Canada’s wider business and investment community.

Website: startupgrowthawards.ca

About Canada Startup Association

Canada Startup Association is a Canadian not-for-profit organization supporting entrepreneurs through community building, access to capital and international commercialization. Its initiatives connect Canadian startups with investors, customers and business opportunities across global markets.

Website: canadastartups.co

Media Contact

Tehmina A Chaudhry
info@startupgrowth.ca | +1 (647) 771-0078 | +1 437 778 4446
Startup Growth Magazine