Calgary-based Cashew Research, a startup offering AI-driven market research, has won Profitual’s first No-Pitch Competition, which was designed to assess companies based on their fundamentals, not their verbiage.
Profitual is a Fredericton-based company whose software assesses young Canadian companies’ prospects by analyzing their financial models and performance. It recently launched its No Pitch Competition so startups could seek a $10,000 first prize based simply on the financial information they input into the application form.
The competition attracted 120 qualified submissions from across Canada, and each of these companies received an assessment of their financial model. Profitual’s list of 20 finalists included eight startups from Atlantic Canada.
“We launched the No-Pitch competition with a simple idea: what if founders were judged on the strength of their financial models, not their pitch decks?” said Profitual in a statement. “In a startup ecosystem where storytelling often overshadows substance, and not an ounce of ‘dry powder’ in sight, we wanted to shift the spotlight back to the fundamentals.”
Cashew has developed a platform that tells users what their customers want, quickly and affordably, through an AI-guided research process that fields thousands of surveys to real people and turns those responses into an interactive report. The company is preparing to raise capital soon.
Asked why the company entered the No Pitch Competition, CEO Addy Graves said, “The competition stood out because it emphasized the operational discipline behind building a company, not just a big pitch or the ultimate vision. The focus on real business fundamentals really resonated with our team and where we are in our journey.”
You can find the complete list of finalists on the Profitual website, and learn about be Atlantic Canadian finalists here:
Sydney, NS
Aeon Blue makes a drop-in replacement for fossil fuel while capturing and storing carbon from air. The team is developing an integrated hydrogen and carbon capture technology that uses wind energy, seawater, and captured carbon dioxide from air to make cost-efficient eFuel.
What’s happening at Aeon Blue?
Aeon Blue is currently raising US$10 million to build their sustainable fuel and carbon removal pilot facility in Cape Breton.
Halifax
AI-First consulting helps Atlantic Canadian SME’s effectively integrate AI into daily operations. They combine expertise in generative AI, productivity systems, and behavioral science to transform how teams operate, collaborate, and excel, making AI adoption practical, meaningful, and human-centered.
Riverview, NB
CandidateHub is a Candidate Relationship Management platform that helps companies solve the problem of identifying top candidates for their open roles. Through a series of marketing campaigns, CandidateHub tracks each click a candidate makes across the company's online footprint and predicts when the right time is for a recruiter to call that candidate, saving companies up to 40 percent of their time advertising to the wrong candidates.
What’s happening at CandidateHub?
CandidateHub is currently seeking investors to participate in their open $250,000 round.
Dartmouth
Dispension is a robotics engineering company redefining the distribution of canned beer and ready to drink products with secure, trusted, intelligent self-service kiosks. The goal is to reduce wait times, concourse congestion, and line-ups at large-scale venues by providing consumers with an alternative consumer experience.
What’s happening at Dispension?
Dispensation is currently raising $3 million to grow their team, and for scaling operations to build a small fleet of SmartServ beer robots. These robots will be used to capitalize on immediate opportunities within MLB, NBA, and NHL stadiums.
St. John’s
NDITIVE (which was chosen for Techstars ‘24) specializes in real-time environmental and industrial monitoring, leveraging the power of digital twins and AI to deliver transformative insights to diverse sectors like offshore energy and advanced manufacturing.
What’s happening at NDITIVE?
NDITIVE is currently raising a US$250,000 round, with US$150,000 already secured. The team is seeking investors to close the remaining US$100,000 gap.
Fredericton
Parados offers on-demand physical training and therapy tools for health and movement experts. Their client success platform automates repetitive data collection, administration, and analysis tasks to make high quality care more accessible and engaging from anywhere, at any time, from any device.
What’s happening at Parados?
Parados is actively seeking more mission-aligned resellers and distributors to partner with as they scale.
Saint John
Serenity Vet connects high-performing relief veterinarians with clinics and hospitals, and offers dual-sided financial tools that support wage transparency and budget optimization between both. Their business suite supports flexible schedules, fosters a healthy work-life balance, and ensures predictable financial outcomes for all parties.
What’s happening at Serenity Vet?
Serenity Vet is in the middle of raising a $1 million round seeking aligned investors and strategic partnerships. They are actively hiring for key positions including a Director of Sales and a Senior Software Development team to build out their AI-powered predictability tool.
Paradise, Nfld.
Easy Renting. For Everyone. Weevva is an innovative, all-in-one rental platform simplifying the rental process for private landlords and tenants. With tools for tenant verification, lease management, and streamlined communication, Weevva transforms renting into a secure, efficient, and hassle-free experience.
What’s happening at Weevva?
Weevva is currently preparing for their national launch and looking to connect with a lead investor for their $500,000 round. Building on existing traction with the platform, funds will be used to accelerate growth across Canada and strengthen their AI infrastructure.
