Startup Summit 2025: All About the Founders

This year, Startup Summit looked a little different. Instead of the big, bustling event of past years, we stripped things back to the essentials: one intensive day, a smaller group, and a laser focus on what matters most—our founders. By cutting the noise, we created space for real conversations, direct mentorship, and actionable takeaways that founders could immediately put into practice.

The day started bright and early with a Founder Run Club at 7:30 AM, where a few brave early risers hit the pavement together. It was the perfect way to kickstart the day—fresh air, moving legs, and already building connections before sessions even began. We also invited a few partners and ecosystem friends to join us, giving everyone a chance to connect in a more relaxed, informal setting. After a quick recharge and coffee, the real work started.

Building Foundations for Scale

Roger Burlton set the tone with his session on turning vision into investment. His message was clear: great ideas are only sparks unless you can fuel them with strong management. Investors, customers, and teams are looking for leaders who can turn passion into process. Founders walked away with a deeper understanding of how trust is built not by words, but by how you operate every single day.

Community and Collaboration

Over lunch, founders gathered around tables, continuing conversations sparked in the morning. That energy carried into Jayesh Parmar’s fast-paced “Needs & Leads” networking sprint, where each founder shared one need and one lead with peers. In a matter of minutes, the room turned into a web of introductions, follow-ups, and promises to connect—living proof of the power of community.

People and Numbers

The afternoon dove deep into the building blocks of scaling. Marianne Bulger tackled one of the trickiest topics for founders: hiring and compensation. From the impact of AI on traditional roles to creating fair and scalable compensation bands, she unpacked both the strategy and the realities of building teams that last. Founders got to ask their toughest questions, and Marianne didn’t hold back.

From there, Jordan Hill and Allie McMillan helped shift the focus to the numbers. Jordan walked founders through his Scaling Scorecard, a practical way to track performance against plan, while Allie shared how the 7shifts team evolved their planning process from a 10-person startup to a scaling company. Their combined advice boiled down to this: start simple, stay disciplined, and keep iterating.

The Inner Game

To close out the speaker lineup, Jason Payne took the stage to remind us that building companies isn’t just about strategy and execution—it’s also about mindset. Drawing on his 25+ years as a mental performance consultant, Jason shared strategies to build clarity, resilience, and recovery habits so founders can perform at their best without burning out. It was the perfect way to round out a day packed with practical tools and big ideas.

Wrapping Up at Blanco’s

Of course, no summit would be complete without a chance to celebrate. In the evening, we headed over to Blanco Cantina for the official summit mixer. Founders, community members, and partners gathered to relax, laugh, and keep the conversations flowing—proof that sometimes the best networking happens over tacos. 

Looking Ahead

Startup Summit 2025 showed us that smaller can be more powerful. By stripping away distractions and putting founders at the center, we created a day that was outcome-driven, connection-rich, and refreshingly human.

As Cultivator continues toward its bold goal of cultivating 250 companies with $1M+ ARR by 2050, this founder-first approach is more than just an event strategy—it’s the way we’ll continue to support the incredible entrepreneurs building the future from right here in Saskatchewan.

Startup Summit 2025 wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our incredible partners. A huge thank you to Innovation Saskatchewan, Prairies Economic Development Canada, McKercher LLP, SaskTel, Open Path Partners, Regina Hotel Association, TandemX, and Special Event Rentals for helping us bring this founder-focused event to life.

We also want to give a special shoutout to Blanco Cantina, Legacy Catering, and The Safe Cafe for keeping our community fuelled and celebrated throughout the day.

We can’t wait to build on this momentum and see you at the next Startup Summit!