Kingston Startup Quarterly Open Mic Pitch & Networking Event

Join Kingston’s startup community for an evening of networking, innovation, and entrepreneurial inspiration at the Kingston Startup Pitch and Network Event.

This event brings together founders, entrepreneurs, investors, students, and ecosystem partners to connect, exchange ideas, and support the growth of Kingston’s innovation ecosystem. Whether you’re building a startup, exploring a new idea, or looking to grow your network, this is an opportunity to meet like-minded people and be part of the conversation shaping Kingston’s entrepreneurial future.

What to Expect:
Open-Mic Startup Pitches – Hear local startups share their ideas, ventures, and innovations
Networking Opportunities – Connect with founders, collaborators, mentors, and community supporters
Entrepreneurial Insights – Gain perspectives from experienced entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders
Community Connection – Discover the people, resources, and momentum driving Kingston’s startup ecosystem

Take a look at our pitching companies:

Perceivable: Perceivable is an accessibility tech startup building better tools for inclusive communication, cognitive support, and physical access in both digital and physical spaces.

Arcafutura: PYPER³ is a full-stack AI training and governance pipeline that combines data refinement, training stability monitoring, and behavioral evaluation to help organizations build more reliable AI systems.

SmartRelief: helps people living with chronic pain access guided movement, symptom tracking, wellness support, and daily motivation — all from their smartphone

HipErlink: the social commerce that empowers local businesses to take advantage of online selling.

Lawtonica: Lawtonica helps builders, developers, and architects navigate the building codes and zoning by-laws for every project single project they are working on.

municiPal AI: MuniciPal AI transforms municipal websites into intelligent, omnichannel communication hubs that provide residents with real-time, conversational access to information while streamlining service delivery and reducing staff workload through secure, AI-powered automation.

Meet our judges:

Mariam Hussain – Senior Account Manager, BDC & Board Director, Grenville Community Futures

Mariam Hussain is a Senior Account Manager at BDC, where she brings more than a decade of experience helping entrepreneurs secure the financing and support they need to grow. She specializes in long-term lending solutions that strengthen business resilience and accelerate strategic expansion. Committed to continuous development, Mariam is currently pursuing her MBA to deepen her leadership and financial expertise. She also serves as a Board Director with Grenville Community Futures, contributing to local economic development initiatives and championing small business innovation across the region.

Elia Anagnostopoulos – Business Developer & Vice Chairman, St.-Vincent-de-Paul Society Kingston

Elia Anagnostopoulos has successfully managed and expanded several food businesses across Ontario, contributing to the growth of local hospitality sectors. He has also played a key role with the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Kingston, where he was instrumental in supporting and guiding the vision for the organization’s new facility dedicated to supporting the city’s less fortunate. His involvement has helped guide the development of programs and infrastructure aimed at community outreach and food security

Daryl Loader – OWI Labs AI Architect, Former RBC Global Portfolio Manager

Daryl Loader brings 25 years of institutional finance experience to his work at the intersection of ethical AI, workforce intelligence, and emerging technology. A former Global Portfolio Manager at RBC, Daryl built his career around disciplined decision-making, trusted systems, and long-term value creation.

Today, as AI Architect at OWI Labs, he helps design ethical AI frameworks that show how work actually gets done inside organizations. His focus is on helping enterprises adopt AI in ways that strengthen human capability, improve workforce intelligence, and support responsible growth in the new economy.

It is this blend of fiduciary leadership, technology insight, and entrepreneurial thinking that Daryl brings to the conversation.

Looking forward to seeing you there!