NBIF Announces 10 Semi-Finalists for the Breakthru Startup Pitch Competition

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) has announced the 10 semi-finalists selected for the 2026 edition of its Breakthru Startup Pitch Competition.

This year’s edition offers a total prize pool of $200,000. The top three teams will move forward into due diligence with NBIF for equity investments, including a first prize of $100,000 and two second prizes of $50,000 each. More than 80 early-stage teams applied, highlighting the strength and diversity of the province’s startup ecosystem.

The 10 semi-finalists represent a wide range of sectors, from artificial intelligence and clean technology to healthcare, construction, and sports innovation.

The 2026 Breakthru semi-finalists are:

• Clearance Central AI Solutions Inc. – Ashish Deshmukh

• Hexoris – Lance Keddy, Isaac Richard, Joshua James Pothier

• Infralytix – Ethan MacLeod, Jeremy J. Bowmaster

• InspecTrack – Kazi Mahfuz Mamtazur Rahman, Farhan Fatei Faheem

• LigandQI – Mostafa Javaheri Moghadam, Stijn De Baerdemacker

• Luvera AI – Tessa Tristianti

• Mulli Swing Solutions – Brycen Munroe, Matt Ryan, Ethan Belliveau, Alex Khoshbakhtian

• Ozone – Michael Doiron, Nathaniel Dryden, Dominic Losier, Jake Profit

• Urai AI Corp. – Shanthi Shanmugam, Vagmi Mudumbai

• VoltCube – RajyaLakshmi Kotamraju, Girish Babu Venkatappa, Srinivas Tangella

Winners will be announced on March 19 during the live awards ceremony, celebrating innovation, entrepreneurship, and the next generation of New Brunswick startups.