Binta Financial has claimed the top prize at this year’s New Ventures BC Competition, outlasting 216 startups from across the province to capture the $110,000 Innovate BC First Place Prize.
The Vancouver-based fintech is developing infrastructure to make credit histories portable across borders. Its platform allows newcomers to carry verified credit records when moving to a new country, giving them faster access to housing, loans, and employment. Binta also offers tools like rent reporting and an AI-powered financial literacy companion to help users build local credit from day one.
“Winning the New Ventures BC Competition marks a major milestone for us,” said Paschal Okwundu, CEO and co-founder of Binta Financial. “Not only does this further validate our vision, but it gives us the extra publicity and recognition we need to accelerate our growth, refine our product, and expand our impact here in B.C. and beyond.”
Other winners
PeerSupport.io, which builds referral and care navigation tools for clinics, earned the $55,000 Innovate BC Second Place Prize Package. Originally founded in Yukon, the healthtech startup has relocated to B.C., where its platform is helping clinics cut patient wait times and ease administrative burnout.
BuildMapper, a fast-growing platform delivering real-time construction project insights, took home the $30,000 Innovate BC Third Place Prize. The company also received the $10,000 Leap to the Cloud Prize, presented by National Bank.
Other awards included:
Innovate BC Sustainability Prize ($10,000): Baerfell
Innovate BC Health and Life Sciences Prize ($10,000): ImageCyte Technologies Inc.
Innovate BC Women-Led Venture Prize ($10,000): Maddie Aliaslkhiabani, Co-Founder of CanDry Technologies
Top Science Award: ImageCyte Technologies Inc.
Diamond-in-the-Rough Prize: Syrina Therapeutics, recognized as the most promising pre-revenue and pre-investment startup
Aspect Biosystems, a global leader in bioprinted tissue therapeutics, was honoured with the Alumni Impact Award for its contributions to regenerative medicine and its role in inspiring the broader B.C. tech ecosystem.
Competition milestone
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the New Ventures BC Competition, presented by Innovate BC. Since its inception, the program has supported more than 4,000 startups, which have created over 13,000 jobs and raised more than $3.2 billion in financing.
“Innovation is both an essential driver of British Columbia’s economy and a powerful tool for tackling our most pressing challenges,” said Peter Cowan, president and CEO of Innovate BC. “The competition continues to be a launchpad for our most promising startups, helping them transform ideas into scalable businesses that create jobs, strengthen industries, and generate solutions with global relevance.”
Angie Schick, executive director of New Ventures BC, added: “Now in its 25th year, the competition continues to show how innovation drives economic opportunity. This year’s winners are not only advancing technology through the use of AI, but also fueling growth in key sectors like healthcare, food, finance, and manufacturing — industries that touch the lives of every British Columbian.”
B.C. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey also congratulated the winners and finalists, calling them part of “a long trend of talented and dedicated innovators in B.C.’s tech sector whose work is fueling our economy and making a difference in people’s lives.”