We have some exciting news to share: NexScale has been named one of the top 10 finalists in Innovation Factory's 16th annual LiONS LAIR pitch competition, one of Ontario's most anticipated startup showcases.
On September 24, 2026, we'll take the stage at the Oakville Banquet & Conference Centre to pitch in front of more than 350 entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders — and field questions from the "LiONS," a panel of experts who will decide who takes home the cash prizes.
How we got here
This wasn't a form we filled out. The top 10 were selected from 40 companies that went through Innovation Factory's Founders Fast Track — an intensive program of training, mentorship, and strategic connection that culminated in a speed-pitching event judged by angel and venture capital investors. The startups with the strongest investor scores earned an invitation to the LiONS LAIR stage.
For our team, the program was more than a path to a pitch competition. It sharpened how we tell the NexScale story: what it means to build an AI Business Partner for studio owners, why retention is the highest-leverage problem in boutique fitness and wellness, and how AI that takes action — not another dashboard — changes what a lean team can accomplish.
Why this matters to us
LiONS LAIR has a real track record. Over the past 15 years, the competition has supported 185 high-potential companies and awarded more than $1 million in cash and in-kind prizes. Being selected puts NexScale alongside a remarkable group of founders — this year's finalists span healthtech, biotech, mobility, and AI, including Sensible Vascular, Remmen Brakes, LIVESENS, TOMI, Tiny Tube Bio, Twish Cart, HumanisRx, NewGen Health, and Gasner HealthTech.
But the part that resonates most with us is what the competition celebrates. As David Carter, CEO of Innovation Factory, put it: "LiONS LAIR is all about celebrating our region's entrepreneurs."
That's the same belief NexScale is built on. Every day, we work with wellness, fitness, and community-driven business owners and operators who are entrepreneurs in the truest sense — people who opened a studio, gym, wellness center, or community-based business because they wanted to change lives, and who now carry the full weight of running it: retention, scheduling, follow-ups, team management, and everything in between. Our AI Business Partner, Chloe, exists to help those owners move from founder-mode to system-mode — so their business runs on systems, not on their exhaustion.
Standing on a stage built to celebrate entrepreneurs, pitching a product built to support entrepreneurs, feels exactly right.
What happens next
Between now and September, the finalists will go through a series of training sessions to prepare for the gala and for the investment and commercialization journey beyond it. We'll be refining our pitch, but the substance won't change: practical, human-centered AI that helps wellness and fitness operators grow retention, reduce overwhelm, and scale sustainably.
We also want to say thank you. To the Innovation Factory team, for a Founders Fast Track experience that made us a sharper company. To our fellow finalists — we're genuinely looking forward to cheering you on. And to the studio owners in our community: this milestone belongs to you, too. Everything we've learned about your businesses is what got us on this stage.
Join us on September 24
The LiONS LAIR gala is an annually sold-out evening of networking, dinner, live pitches, and awards in Oakville, Ontario. If you're part of the wellness and fitness community, the startup ecosystem, or you'd simply like to see Chloe's story pitched live, we'd love to see you there. The evening wraps with live winner interviews on Cable 14.
Tickets and tables are available at lionslair.ca.
And if you're a studio owner curious about what an AI Business Partner could do for your business, reach out to our team — we're always up for a conversation.
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NexScale is a Toronto-based, AI-native software company. Our flagship product, Chloe, is an AI Business Partner that helps boutique fitness and wellness studio owners improve member retention, streamline operations, and scale from founder-mode to system-mode. Learn more at nexscale.ai.
Meta description: NexScale is a top 10 finalist in Innovation Factory's 16th annual LiONS LAIR pitch competition, pitching live in Oakville on September 24, 2026.
