Event category: BetaKit Keynote Stage

Our judges have shortlisted the best of the best! Now get ready for an epic showdown at the PitchFest Finale Throwdown, where innovation and creativity collide in a riveting clash of wits and business smarts. With live audience polled results, we’ll find out which company will reign supreme and be our PitchFest Winner for 2025.

In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, startups are facing major shifts in how work gets done — and who does it. Faced with rising pressure to stay lean and competitive, some companies are significantly reducing headcount to adopt an "AI-first" model, trading traditional teams for smaller, more agile groups powered by smart tools and agents.
This session explores the real-world challenges and bold decisions tech leaders are making: from workforce reductions to radically redefined roles, to rethinking who (or what) you hire next. We'll unpack the rise of tiny teams, share strategies for navigating workforce change with intention, and explore what an efficient, AI-augmented org chart really looks like.

This isn’t your typical “success formula” talk. Join a candid, reflective, and forward-thinking conversation about what it truly means to lead, fail fast, and reinvent — both as entrepreneurs and as people. Our panel of SaaS veterans will share raw career highs and lows, personal growth stories, and how they’ve embraced reinvention to reshape their businesses and themselves.
We’ll challenge founders to shed conventional definitions of success and lean into the messy, unpredictable journey of true entrepreneurship. Expect honest lessons on navigating failure, trying bold new ideas, and leading with heart in an ever-changing business landscape. This session sets a big-picture table for what it means to build not just companies — but lasting legacies — in SaaS today.

Get an inside look at how Hai is building the future in real time. From concept to working prototype, see how far he's come, live on stage.

Closing Day 1 with a door prize, highlights and a look ahead to what’s next.

We’re putting a spicy spin on the classic Dating Game- SAAS NORTH style. One lucky investor plays Bachelor or Bachelorette, and three bold, bootstrapped, or Series A founders will battle for their attention. But forget candlelight dinners- it’s charisma, traction, and total addressable market that will win hearts here.

Expect rapid-fire questions, snappy pitches, and hilarious one-liners as our mystery investor gets to know the contenders without seeing them. Who will they swipe right on? Which founder has the perfect blend of chemistry and ARR? It’s part matchmaking, part market validation, all in good fun.

SheBoot is a national investment-ready program for early-stage women-led tech and tech-enabled companies that culminates in a pitch competition. The 2025 cohort winners will be announced on stage at SAAS NORTH.

This is the story of a SaaS company that skipped the hype and focused on what mattered—building. Led by a tight-knit founding team, they scaled from humble beginnings to a global presence in 20+ markets. This is a company few in Canada had heard of—until they grew well past $500M annual revenue. No media frenzy, no viral hype—just smart moves, intentional leadership, and a culture built for staying power. In this candid conversation, Vitaly shares exactly how they did it. From humble beginnings building a minimum viable product for one client, to making a $500/mo salary and raising minimal VC funding, to becoming one of Canada's largest startups today.