A Record-Breaking Moment: The Forum Raised $1.3 Million for Women Entrepreneurs at The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale 2025

 
Three diverse women in blue, red, and green dresses hold folden eggs on stage

On April 25, 2025, more than 800 attendees joined forces to celebrate the journeys of three inspiring entrepreneurs at The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale in Vancouver.

With the support of attendees, alongside The Forum's incredible cross-country community of 50,000+, we cheered on Canada's most promising visionaries and fundraised in support of the women entrepreneurs that rely on The Forum, a national charity, to access the resources and community they need to build impactful businesses that are shaping Canada's future.

Heading into The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale, our largest annual fundraiser and celebration, we set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1.2 million. We're thrilled to announce that with the tremendous support of our community, we surpassed this milestone, raising a record-breaking $1.3 million! This funding will play a critical role in expanding The Forum's reach and deploying programming that helps entrepreneurs overcome systemic barriers.

To every attendee, volunteer, donor, sponsor, and supporter who helped us make history on April 25, thank you!

Getting Started

Celebrations kicked off with the Opening Reception, where guests enjoyed networking, complimentary headshots by Kyrani Kanavaros, photo opportunities at the Photo Runway, and refreshments from the show-stopping Champagne Wall. DJ SpinCounsel set the tone with live beats that kept the energy high throughout the evening.

Visionary Entrepreneurs Take the Stage

The main event featured pitches from three extraordinary Finalists who advanced through a rigorous selection process from hundreds of applicants across Canada:

Shari van de Pol | CATTLEytics Inc.
Mentored by: Katheleen Eva of StandUp Ventures

CATTLEytics is transforming the dairy industry by blending cutting-edge technology with a deep commitment to sustainability. Their cloud-based platform empowers farmers to tackle daily challenges and make informed decisions by integrating data from multiple sources and leveraging predictive analytics.

Ibukun Elebute & CT Murphy | CELLECT Laboratories Inc.
Mentored by: Sarah Willson of Panache Ventures

CELLECT is revolutionizing women's healthcare by transforming menstrual blood into a powerful, non-invasive tool for early detection of reproductive health issues. Their unique biocompatible collection device captures DNA from cervical and endometrial cells, enabling advanced diagnostics for conditions like HPV and pre-cervical cancer.


Lianna Genovese | ImaginAble Solutions
Mentored by: Melanie Ewan of Volition Advisors

ImaginAble Solutions creates assistive technology to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Their lead product, Guided Hands®, enables people with limited hand mobility to write, paint, draw, and use touch-screen devices—simple tasks many take for granted.

We were blown away by the Finalists' pitches, and got to learn all about their business visions through insightful conversations led by Champions Kleo Landucci of CrescentView Investments Ltd., Meredith Powell of StandUp Ventures, and Yuan Shi of The51 Food and Agtech Fund.

Read this to learn more about the Finalists, what motivated them to break barriers in their industries, and what they hope the audience gained from their pitches. 

The entire evening was expertly hosted by Robin Gill, who guided us through each segment with grace and enthusiasm.

Powering Growth: Prize Packages & Audience Choice Award

Each of our Finalists received prize packages valued at $44,420 that will help them reach their next steps. These comprehensive packages included:

  • $10,000 in financial capital from Wheaton Precious Metals

  • $18,000 in SR&ED Consulting from GrowWise Partners

  • $6,000 in AI platform access from CoPilot AI

  • $4,000 in financial planning services from Odlum Brown

  • $3,000 in legal services from INK LLP

  • $1,500 in grant support from Pocketed

  • $1,200 in AI expertise from TELUS

  • $720 in virtual assistant support from Virtual Gurus

The audience voted to select the recipient of an additional $20,000 cash prize made possible by Wheaton Precious Metals. When the votes were tallied, Lianna Genovese of ImaginAble Solutions was selected!

Surpassing Our Goal: The Power of Community

Raising $1.3 million is no small feat, and we truly needed the power of community to reach this incredible milestone on behalf of self-identifying women, non-binary, and trans-femme entrepreneurs.

The Online Auction, Live Auction, and Sparkle Draw were critical in helping us surpass our goal.

Crystal Campbell, our auctioneer for the evening, led an energetic Live Auction featuring extraordinary experiences including a private suite for Tate McRae's "Miss Progressive Tour," a four-day fishing adventure in Haida Gwaii, a private art show and VIP soirée at CICA Vancouver, and an exclusive dinner with Ryan Benn and Chef Vish Mayekar.

We deeply appreciate every donor who participated and whose generosity has created opportunities for The Forum and all of the entrepreneurs who rely on us.

We would like to recognize The Forum Activation Committee, which played a critical role in supporting our events and fundraising. Thank you Co-Chairs Christina Brown and Jessica Green, as well as all committee members who worked tirelessly to make this event a success:

  • Christina Brown, Co-Chair, Community Activator

  • Jessica Green, Co-Chair, Founder, Angel Investor

  • Candy Wang, Empty Wall

  • Courtney Steeksma, Scotiabank

  • Dave Bustos, Fort Capital

  • Haleh Alexander, National Bank

  • Jenny Roberts, CountDown Events

  • Kate Dunstan, Committee Member

  • Katie Chandler, Fasken

  • Nicole Parmar, Committee Member

  • Orla O'Malley, BLG

  • Ryan Benn, Alive Publishing Group Inc. - Canada Wide Media

  • Selena Woo, Nicola Wealth

  • Soha Lavin, CountDown Events

  • Wendy Hartley, Hartley PR

The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch is made possible thanks to the support of incredible sponsors:

Title Sponsor: Odlum Brown Limited⁠

Capital Sponsor: Wheaton Precious Metals⁠

Reception Sponsor: Fort Capital Partners⁠

Vancouver Semi-Final Sponsor: BCAA

Glamour Sponsor: Blue Ruby Jewellery⁠

Finale Champagne Wall Sponsor: Acuitas Therapeutics⁠

Diamond Sponsor: Montecristo Jewellers ⁠

Dinner Sponsor: PCRM: Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine

Pitch Education Sponsor: Aritzia⁠

Silver Sponsor: TELUS Business⁠

Bronze Sponsors: Amur Capital, Beedie, BMO, CIBC, Canadian Western Bank, EY, ivy Group Inc., Lyra Growth Partners, RBC, The Scotiabank Women Initiative® & TD⁠

Impact Sponsor: Lawson Lundell LLP⁠

Technology Sponsor: B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE)⁠

Community Impact Partners: CoPilot AI, GrowWise Partners, INK LLP, Pocketed, Virtual Gurus⁠

Media Partner: BCBusiness

Beverage Partner: Drink Glimmer Wine

⁠We’d also like to extend our immense gratitude to CountDown Events Planning and Design, who created a truly magical celebration we’ll always remember!

The Celebration Continues

After the show, Lisa Ridgedale, otherwise known as DJ SpinCounsel, kept the celebrations going in the Twilight Lounge with live music that matched the infectious energy of attendees.

Join Us in Shaping Tomorrow's Economy

When you donate to The Forum, you're opening doors for entrepreneurs. Your support enables us to expand our reach, grow our programming, and bring impactful community events to entrepreneurs who are ready to grow—and help our country do the same.

If you would like to provide a gift that will directly benefit The Forum's ever-growing community, we invite you to make a one-time donation, or lend your support on an ongoing basis by becoming a Future Funder.

Thank you for helping us build a future where women's innovations lead to progress that benefits us all. We couldn't do this without you.

 
 
The Forum