Pitch to the Chief™

Welcome to the 2026 edition of our competition for entrepreneurs and innovators driving excellence in police technologies, crime prevention, community safety and development.

Powered by the V13 Policetech Accelerator with the support of SPUR, Capita and Fresh Founders.

Pitch to the Chief™ is delivered by the V13 Policetech Accelerator, a joint initiative of Nventure and the Cobourg Police Service. Policetech start-ups compete for up to $30,000 in investment and prizes, presenting their innovative community safety solutions to police leadership and VCs in Ontario, gaining insights into product development based on market-driven, real-world requirements.

2026 WINNER: SPECTRA PLASMONICS

Following an exciting Finals event at Venture13 innovation centre, the V13 Policetech Accelerator is pleased to announce that Spectra Plasmonics has won the 2025 edition of Pitch to the Chief™. Spectra specializes in chemical analysis technology, particularly through its flagship product, Amplifi ID, which is used for drug testing and chemical detection.

Previous Winners

2025: HYPER

*Acquired by Motorola.

2024: CHIMERA XR*

*Acquired by Street Smarts VR.

2023: EYE3

Rules

Pitch to the Chief™ is a flagship event hosted by the V13 Policetech Accelerator, an innovative partnership between Nventure and the Cobourg Police Service. This event brings together Canadian entrepreneurs and police leaders to explore cutting-edge solutions that enhance policing services and community safety through innovation. Finalists pitch live to a panel of Ontario police chiefs, showcasing technologies that reduce administrative burdens, optimize resource deployment, and support frontline operations.

The official rules for Pitch to the Chief™ can be reviewed here (last changed: January 21, 2026 - start time for Finals corrected).

Note: the Youth Edition of Pitch to the Chief™ is organized separately in coordination with post-secondary institutions and follows a different format.

The official rules for Pitch to the Chief™ are posted on this webpage and may be changed from time to time at the sole discretion of Nventure.
Applicants must be duly registered businesses in good standing, Canadian-owned and located in Canada, and are normally incorporated.
Companies that have been Finalists in a prior edition of Pitch to the Chief may apply to pitch again in future editions (in response to new challenge statements).
Former winners of Pitch to the Chief™ are not eligible to apply (with the exception of Pitch to the Chief™ - Youth Edition winners).
Applications must be received by not later than 5:00 PM ET January 14, 2026.
The applicant must designate and authorize an individual to share information privately with Nventure and to make a public presentation if selected for the competition.
Participating companies may pitch collaborations such as pilot projects and field testing, applied R&D, academic partnerships, etc. as well as investment and other forms of support for technology commercialization and business development.
The competition involves competitive down selection from an initial pool of applicants submitting proposals via nventure.ca to a group of no more than 12 Semi-Finalists.
Semi-Finalists will pitch at a preliminary event to be held on January 28. 2026, from 1 PM to 6 PM ET at:
- SPUR, 2240 University Avenue East, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2K 0A9.
Semi-Finalists are determined by a selection committee of Deputy Chiefs, chaired by the Deputy Chief of Police of the Cobourg Police Service.
Selected Finalists are notified of the decision and invited to pitch at the live Semi-Finals event. This is entirely voluntarily (applicants may withdraw at any time).
Pitches are made at the live event in alphabetical order by company
Pitch format:
- 3-minute pitch (30-second warning provided)
- 5-minute Q&A with judges.
The judging panel for the Semi-Finals is chosen by the Deputy Chief of Police of the Cobourg Police Service.
The Deputy Chief, in consultation with the judging panel, selects up to 6 winners to advance to the Finals in his sole determination.
The Deputy Chief of Police may make additional awards at his sole discretion, in consultation with his panel of judges.
Up to 6 Finalists will pitch again at a live event to be held at Venture13 in Cobourg on March 4. 2025 from 10 AM to 2 PM ET at:
- Venture13, 739 D’Arcy St., Cobourg, ON, Canada, K9A 0H6.
The pitch format for the Finals is the same as the Semi-Finals.
The judging panel is chosen by and chaired by the Chief of Police of the Cobourg Police Service.
The ultimate Winner of Pitch to the Chief 2026 is determined by the Chief of Police in his sole discretion, in consultation with his judging panel.
The Chief of Police may make additional awards at his sole discretion, in consultation with his panel of judges.
The scorecard used to assess pitches is based on five equally-weighted criteria:
- Ability to eloquently describe your company and technology in the time allotted
- Ability to clearly demonstrate the end user need and why your technology is important for police services
- Demonstrate how your technology can be implemented with limited disruption to existing police operations.
- Illustrate how your company can remain viable and sustainable during the proposed initial deployment and beyond.
- Highlighting how your technology/company/team will help solve a key problem or operational bottleneck for police services.
Semi-Finals
Semi-Finalists prizes to be announced.
Finals
The company with the winning pitch will be awarded a $5,000 prize package (a combination of cash and in-kind services) and the opportunity to be considered by Nventure for up to $25,000 in investment (conditional upon completion of further assessment and extended due diligence by Nventure) plus one year of free office space (up to three seats) at Venture13 innovation centre and ongoing advisory services and support from the V13 Policetech Accelerator.
No amount of investment, funding or support is guaranteed to any applicant, company, Semi-Finalist or Finalist participating in Pitch to the Chief™.
Questions? Contact us.