The second annual Techskis Summit returned to Collingwood and the surrounding Blue Mountains, bringing together more than 200 founders, investors, and operators from across Canada and the United States.
From the outset, the tone felt different. This was not a typical conference packed with rehearsed sales decks. The energy leaned toward authenticity, shared experience, and honest conversations about building. By blending entrepreneurship with sport performance and time on the slopes, Techskis created an environment that encouraged clarity and connection over competition.
The day opened with high energy talks, guided meditation sessions, and panels that balanced growth strategy with founder wellbeing. Operators swapped lessons on scaling teams, navigating capital, and staying resilient in uncertain markets.
Rising Companies to Watch
Beyond the slopes and speaker sessions, several standout companies helped shape the room and reflect the breadth of Canada’s innovation landscape.
Wrksourcing shared its virtual business support and workflow solutions, backed by more than 95,000 hours of operational results for growing companies.
Loop Financial emphasized its suite of global banking tools designed to help founders simplify cross border payments and manage finances more efficiently.
Ollon, a boutique software agency, highlighted its focus on delivering custom built, innovative technology solutions tailored to complex business needs.
Clarity Content demonstrated how founder expertise can be transformed into high leverage content assets, built on messaging clarity and delivered consistently to drive real business growth.
AfterMatters presented its AI driven, province aware platform modernizing how Canadians prepare for aging, estate administration, and major life transitions.
Consumer brands were also well represented. Mid-Day Squares continues to scale its snack bars designed to own the mid day category, while Greenhouse, known as Canada’s number one ginger shot brand, showcased its organic, plant based beverages built for daily performance.
In health and wellness, Shift Collab, co-founded by Megan Rafuse, stood out as Canada’s leading online therapy practice. With more than 125 social workers and psychotherapists, the company delivered over 41,000 client care sessions in 2025 alone.
On the marketing front, No Growth, founded by James Zhao, is building creative campaigns designed to feel native and engaging rather than disruptive, focused on ads that drive measurable brand impact.
Jonathan Hillis, co-founder of Techskis, said, “Over 200 people attended Techskis from across Canada and the United States, gathering in the beautiful town of Collingwood and the Blue Mountains.”
The Lift Pitches: Spotlight on Emerging Founders
Beyond the companies powering the ecosystem, the lift pitches spotlighted the next wave of breakout founders. Hosted at the base of the ski hill, the setting felt more like a community gathering than a formal pitch stage, yet the ambition was unmistakable. Many of the finalists were women led ventures, reflecting the inclusive tone of the event. Standout finalists included:
Beck’s Broth – a wellness brand redefining bone broth with hot chocolate, coffee, and matcha blends. Each cup delivers 15 grams of protein and gut nourishment, made with New Zealand pasture raised bone broth.
Awake – an award winning cleantech company helping cemeteries and funeral homes meet growing demand for sustainable memorial options.
Eat Radley – a new CPG protein brand diving deep into food science, prototyping, and co packaging to build a radically different approach to protein products in Canada’s retail landscape.
Miru Pulse – a workplace analytics platform that helps leaders understand team dynamics by analyzing patterns in internal language, offering data driven insights for people strategy.
By the end of the summit, what stood out most was not just the caliber of companies or the packed attendance. It was the atmosphere. Techskis continues to carve out a distinctive place in the Canadian tech calendar, where performance, community, and candid conversation intersect.
With high-energy talks, breakout companies, and a lift pitch competition that brought some of the most promising founders together, Techskis truly delivered what many are calling the tech event of the year. For details on the next Techskis summit, visit techskis.com
