October 12, 2026 · By FilAfrik
Meet the LIFT 3.0 Pitch Lab Winners
Six finalists, three minutes each and CA$3,500 in prizes. Meet the founders who won the first LIFT Pitch Lab.
The LIFT Pitch Lab made its debut at LIFT 3.0 on August 8, 2026. From nine applications, six finalists from London, Scarborough and Niagara Falls took the stage at Western University. Each had three minutes to pitch and two minutes to answer the judges, while the audience voted live for its own favourite.
The prize pool of CA$3,500 was made possible by our Pitch Lab sponsor, Pesa, with FilAfrik funding the Audience Choice award.
First place: The Blank Room Inc. · CA$1,500
Founded by DeLauren Shepherd in London, Ontario, The Blank Room took the top prize and CA$1,500 to put toward its next stage of growth.
Second place: Blessinglicious · CA$1,000
Blessing Alasan travelled from Scarborough to pitch Blessinglicious and took second place, proof that LIFT’s reach now extends well beyond London.
Third place: NATRL Collective · CA$500
Justine Morgan’s NATRL Collective, based in London, earned third place in a tightly contested final.
Audience Choice: Xenvia.io · CA$500
The room had its own say. Akinyemi Babafemi’s Xenvia.io won the Audience Choice vote, powered by FilAfrik.
What every finalist showed us
A strong pitch answers three questions fast: what problem you solve, who you solve it for, and what you need next. All six finalists, including Kenny Adesoba of PUDO App and Saheed Awojide of LinkBridge Innovations, answered them under pressure, in front of a full house. That takes courage, and it is exactly what LIFT is for.
The Pitch Lab returns at LIFT 4.0. Join the LIFT 4.0 list to be first to hear when applications open.
