HAMILTON & HALTON, ON – September 26, 2025 – Innovation Factory is pleased to announce the winners of its 15th Annual LiONS LAIR pitch competition and awards gala, held on September 25, 2025. The anniversary celebration drew more than 400 attendees from across the region’s business and innovation community as ten finalists competed for $50,000 in cash prizes.
Innovation Factory’s LiONS LAIR is a premier annual pitch competition, celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship. This prestigious gala event marks the culmination of months of preparation for the finalists, who participated in workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions with industry leaders including Gowling WLG and Deloitte. This comprehensive training, covering business model validation, financial planning, and presentation skills, is designed to prepare the companies for investor discussions and partnerships that extend well beyond the competition itself.
CoLab Education claimed the evening’s top honour and the 30,000 grand prize for its professional network for educators. Unlike existing tools that limit collaboration to individual schools, CoLab’s AI-powered platform uniquely connects entire districts and communities—reducing duplicated work, combating isolation, and empowering education systems to evolve cohesively in response to rapid change. By giving administrators visibility into collaboration patterns and professional growth needs, CoLab helps accelerate literacy initiatives, support technology adoption, and improve teacher retention.
“This was an incredible milestone for CoLab! Having the opportunity to share our mission of transforming teacher collaboration and professional networking in front of 400 live attendees, plus many more watching on TV, represents a game-changing moment for our company and the educators we serve,” Ariella Racco, founder and CEO of CoLab Education. “I’m deeply grateful to the Innovation Factory team and all the ecosystem partners we’ve connected with for their support. Every door opened brings us closer to our goal of connecting millions of isolated educators into a powerful, thriving professional network that will drive better outcomes for students across the region, Canada and the world.”
Beck’s Broth took home the second place prize of $12,500 as well as the $2,500 People’s Choice Award, winning over both the judges and the audience. The company is redefining comfort drinks with a nourishing collection infused with organic, pasture-raised bone broth, delivering 15g of protein per cup and now available in more than 200 Canadian retailers and Amazon.
Atorvia, an early-stage biotech company on a mission to end organ failure, secured third place and $5,000. Leveraging proteomics and machine learning, Atorvia is developing novel treatments to target the regulated cell death pathways that cause organ failure.
The finalists were evaluated by an experienced judging panel including Aaron Goldstein, lawyer at Gowling WLG; Mark McQueen, director at Deloitte Burlington Gi3; and Carley-Rose Horowitz, investor at Wittington Ventures.
David Carter, CEO of Innovation Factory, reflected on the quality of this year’s participants. “The caliber of this year’s finalists is a testament to the innovation ecosystem here in the Hamilton-Halton region. These companies aren’t just competing for a prize; they are forging new paths in their industries, creating jobs, and driving economic growth right here in our community. LiONS LAIR is a showcase for that future-focused talent, and we are proud to play a part in their success.”
Since 2010, LiONS LAIR has supported more than 165 companies while distributing over $1 million in cash and prizes, all made possible through the support of dedicated partners and sponsors. Special thank you to the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development Office, Gowling WLG, Deloitte, McMaster University, Matrix Venture Studio, Soundbox Productions and Cable14.
About Innovation Factory
Innovation Factory is a not-for-profit business accelerator, serving as the catalyst for technology innovation in the Brant, Halton, Hamilton and Norfolk regions since 2010. Innovation Factory provides business services, training, mentorship, and strategic connections to drive market adoption, leverage intellectual property, and increase revenues, investment, and jobs. Innovators can also access sector-specific resources including exclusive smart transportation test environments and data; and a formal life science and health innovation ecosystem.
