Bootstrap Awards 2023

Please join us for presentation of the Bootstrap Awards at

Tech Tuesday, March 7th 2023

The Marshes Golf Club, Kanata

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The Annual Bootstrap Awards celebrate self-capitalized businesses that have “bootstrapped” their growth with limited outside funding and achieved commercial success. The awards were created to recognize the outstanding achievements of early stage companies in all industries, both for-profit and non-profit, and across a range of distinct criteria-based categories. The awards are proudly presented by The Ottawa Network and national intellectual property (IP) firm Smart & Biggar.

The Bootstrap Awards are given to founders and entrepreneurial businesses who have demonstrated innovation and creativity in growing their self-funded start-ups and early-stage companies in all industries, both for-profit and non-profit, and across a range of distinct criteria-based categories. Each winner is an entrepreneur or company from Eastern Ontario or Western Quebec who has been in business for less than seven years operating successfully without having received more than $500,000 in outside funding (excluding non-convertible debt and grants).

This year’s Bootstrap Awards ceremony will be held in-person on March 7, 2023 as part of Tech Tuesday at The Marshes Golf Course in Kanata through generous support from event sponsor Wesley Clover.

Meet the 2023 Bootstrap Award Winners!!

Green Award | RoCo Industries Inc., Roderick Costain

RoCo Industries has developed a high-efficiency, semi-flexible photovoltaic (PV) building product using plastics instead of tempered glass and metal. This material allows for higher throughput manufacturing techniques and is fully recyclable with existing recycling infrastructure. RoCo has patented the core technology, the product design, and is currently patenting certain manufacturing advances to ensure protection of all building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products created with its core technology.

Innovation Award | Convergence Design Services, Ben Seaman

Convergence Design Services has become an industry leader in rugged electronics, aerospace and defence, robotics and electric vehicles, AI and vision that specializes in mechanical and hardware engineering. The team of engineers has worked on everything from vision detection and classification for AI (robotic land-based and drone-based), to space projects. They have designed military subsystems for harsh environments for major companies and helped local startups like PlantaForm pass EMI compliance testing.

Award Categories

GREEN AWARD The winner demonstrates how their company or organization is striving to improve the environment or contribute to environmental health or awareness through a combination of environmental and economic (commercial) sustainability.

INNOVATION AWARD The winner demonstrates how their company has applied scientific and/or engineering expertise and technology to solve a problem in a way that is unique and innovative.

SAAS AWARD The winner demonstrates how their company uses Software as a Service to provide a product that has customer uptake and enthusiasm as shown in number of customers and/or growth.

MARKETING AWARD The winner demonstrates how they used innovative marketing strategies to attract media attention and stakeholder involvement while cost-effectively acquiring customers and clients.

BOOTSTRAP CAPITAL AWARD The winner demonstrates their ability to self-finance and “bootstrap” their enterprise with limited or no help from Angel or Venture Capital investors, and grow their business while remaining economically viable and profitable.

DISRUPTOR AWARD The winner demonstrates how they are boldly trying to turn a business or paradigm on its head or changing an industry and have received some early traction from supporters. This award celebrates those who have a big vision and are taking a risk to make their vision a reality.

COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD The winner demonstrates how their efforts or organization has had an impact on the community in terms of social good by improving diversity, providing a service or product to an under-served community, raising awareness of a cause or initiative through a unique event, campaign, or fundraising program and by using innovative and/or entrepreneurial techniques. This award may be given to an individual entrepreneur or company.

FOUNDER OF THE YEAR AWARD This winner demonstrates exceptional leadership and ability to grow their company and build their business through stakeholder engagement and networking, and/or shown themselves to be a leader and influencer in the business community, acting as a peer role model for other founders.