Founder Showcase: START & BUILD
Community Night 2026: Big Ideas, Bold Founders, and Saskatchewan Innovation in Action
Community Night is Cultivator’s annual celebration of founder success and innovation in Saskatchewan. This year, nearly 300 founders, partners, supporters, and community members came together to celebrate progress across the province and spend the evening focused on where Saskatchewan’s startup ecosystem is growing next.
A Strong Start from Ecosystem Leaders
The evening opened with remarks from Celina Philpot, CEO of Conexus Credit Union, who reflected on how Cultivator came to be, what Powered by Conexus truly means, and the role Conexus continues to play in supporting founders and strengthening Saskatchewan’s innovation ecosystem.
Following the opening, the Honourable Warren Kaeding, Minister of Innovation, shared greetings and reflected on the role innovation and entrepreneurship continue to play in strengthening Saskatchewan’s economy and creating opportunity across the province.
The Investment Landscape in Saskatchewan
Attendees also heard from Jordan, Managing Director of CVC, who shared insights into Saskatchewan’s current investment landscape, offering founders and ecosystem supporters a clear view of capital, opportunity, and growth across the province.
Founders from Cultivator’s START and BUILD programs took the stage for a series of one-minute pitches, offering quick, compelling snapshots of what they’re building and the problems they’re solving. The fast-paced format showcased the ambition of founders across Saskatchewan.
Companies featured included:
- CraniumX
- MyLifeCatcher
- Optialy
- 360Rides
- Walk the Block @ 8 O’Clock
- Velorisce
- OpsConverge
- GetHandy
Celebrating Impact and Looking Ahead
The evening concluded with remarks from Laura, Director of Cultivator, who shared highlights from 2025 and reflected on the impact Cultivator continues to make for founders across Saskatchewan. She also spoke to Cultivator’s long-term ambition of helping build 250 Saskatchewan-based startups reaching $1M+ in revenue by 2050, and the role community plays in supporting founders as they grow.
Following the program, attendees connected with founders throughout the space, explored startup booths, and continued conversations while enjoying charcuterie, chocolate-covered strawberries, and (of course….) a candy bar!
Cultivator extends a huge thank you to Innovation Saskatchewan as our partner, Open Path Partners and Tandem X Visuals as ecosystem ally sponsors, and GSD Strategies as a community support sponsor. We’d also like to extend a thank you to our photographer, Josh with Darkstrand Visuals for the photos captured at this event.
Community Night reflected the strength and momentum of Saskatchewan’s startup ecosystem. As founders continue to START, BUILD, GROW and SCALE, Cultivator is excited about what’s next and the continued growth of innovation across the province.
