Canadian Cyber & Trusted AI Pitch Challenge
Prove it. Scale it.
December 2& 3, 2026 @ C3SA Stage
PRESENTED BY
Hosted at the All Canadian Stack Stage, led by
PARTENAIRE MÉDIA 2025
Canadian innovation. Real-world impact. Your next opportunity.
What will it take to turn your next pilot into a deployment—or your next deployment into broader adoption?
Bring your solution to the Canadian Cyber & Trusted AI Pitch Challenge at INCYBER Forum Canada 2026. Eight selected Canadian companies will take the stage to pitch their innovations, answer questions and gain practical feedback from judges bringing government, investment and industry perspectives.
With five minutes to make your case and five minutes of direct engagement with the judges, this is an opportunity to sharpen your story, demonstrate your value and build connections that could help move your company forward.
Choose your track
PROVE — Validating Canadian Innovation
December 2, 2026 | 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Have a working solution you’re validating through testing, pilots or early customer engagement? Show us the problem you’re solving, what makes your approach different and the evidence you’re building.
SCALE — Expanding Real-World Impact
December 3, 2026 | 12:30–13:30 p.m.
Already delivering value in customer environments? Demonstrate your results, share what makes your solution ready for wider adoption and make the case for your next stage of growth.
Four companies. One winner. Each session.
Why take the stage?
Get practical feedback. Hear the questions government, investment and industry leaders ask when assessing a solution’s potential.
Build your visibility. Put your company in front of the INCYBER community, including potential customers, partners and investors.
Strengthen your pitch. Make a clear, compelling case for your technology—and what should happen next.
Start new conversations. Continue connecting around the All-Canadian Stack after the competition.
What makes a winning pitch?
Judges will consider the importance of the problem, your solution’s differentiation and credibility, evidence of progress, and the path to customer adoption and impact.
They’ll also assess pitch clarity and storytelling: can you make your solution understandable and give the audience a compelling reason to act?
Expectations will reflect each track, giving companies the opportunity to demonstrate progress appropriate to their solution’s maturity.
Come discover what’s next
Attending INCYBER? Join us at the All-Canadian Stack Stage for the competition to discover Canadian capabilities, hear the judges’ perspectives and meet the companies working to bring these innovations into wider use.
Two Distinct Cohorts & Agendas
Session 1: Scale-ups & Advanced Innovators (Maturity Award)
Date: December 2, 2026 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: C3SA Stage (Exhibition Floor)
Featuring: 7 established, high-growth Canadian scale-ups delivering enterprise-grade defence, critical infrastructure resilience, and trusted AI systems.
4:00 PM – 4:05 PM | Opening Remarks: Advancing Sovereign AI & Cyber Resilience – Special address by Cohere.
4:05 PM – 4:50 PM | Fast-Track Pitches: 7 scale-ups × 6 minutes on the clock with real-time jury scoring.
4:50 PM – 5:00 PM | Live Award Presentation: Closing perspectives and live presentation of the Scale-up Award Trophy by Cohere.
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Direct Access to the Ballroom Cocktail: Immediately following the award ceremony, “Leaders Passes” attendees transition directly into the Trillium Ballroom for the official INCYBER Networking Cocktail Reception.
Session 2: Emerging Frontiers & Early-Stage Innovators (Early-Stage Award)
Date: December 3, 2026 | Early Afternoon
Location: C3SA Stage (Exhibition Floor)
Featuring: 7 rising stars and early-stage ventures pioneering novel AI safety mechanisms, threat intelligence, and next-generation security architectures.
Opening Remarks: Building Secure Foundations in Early-Stage Tech – Powered by Cohere.
Fast-Track Pitches: 7 early-stage startups × 6 minutes on the clock with real-time jury scoring.
Live Award Presentation: Closing perspectives and live presentation of the Early-Stage Innovation Trophy by Cohere.
Open Networking: B2B connections and demonstrations around the C3SA Hub.