Calgary-based Knead Technologies is gaining national traction after securing investment at one of Canada’s leading showcases for women entrepreneurs.
The company was awarded $50,000 in investment commitments this week at the fourth annual DMZ Women Innovation Summit in Toronto, where 10 women-led startups from across the country pitched to investors and ecosystem leaders.
Earlier this year Calgary.tech named Knead one of 10 homegrown Calgary startups to watch in 2026.
Knead is building an all-in-one platform designed to help organizations reduce food waste—an increasingly urgent challenge for both economic and environmental reasons. Its inclusion among this year’s finalists highlights the growing role Calgary startups are playing in addressing global sustainability issues.
The Summit, hosted by Toronto’s DMZ in partnership with Elevate, brings together founders, investors, and operators with a focus on scaling women-led innovation. This year’s cohort spanned sectors from AI and defence to healthtech and climate solutions.
“Women founders across Canada are building in some of the most important and fast-moving sectors right now,” said Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures. “Our goal is to connect founders to the capital, networks and insights they need to scale.”
For Knead, the investment represents both validation and momentum as it looks to scale its platform and expand its impact.
In 2025, Knead took top honours in the AgTech & Food category at the SXSW Pitch competition in Austin, Texas, standing out among 45 global startups for its innovative approach to tackling food waste and food insecurity.
Leave a Reply