Meet TissueTinker Bio.: Winners of the $100K 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize
Last week, in Montréal, queer founders from across the country took the stage at Startupfest to compete for the $100K 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize, presented by QueerTech and delivered with support from Spring and TD Ready Commitment.
Queer founders are building groundbreaking advancements from health tech to AI, and they deserve the support and capital to match their innovation. The $100K 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize was created to provide 2SLGBTIA+ founders with capital, visibility, and investor connections.
“Every year, Startupfest works to bridge the large gap between founders and the lack of resources from capital to knowledge sharing. For 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, that lack of capital and support runs deeper. The 100K 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize was created to help bridge the gap by putting queer founders in front of investors, open doors to capital, and make sure our community isn’t just represented in the room but receiving space and opportunities to thrive!” - Naoufel Testaouni, CEO, QueerTech
Meet the Investor Judges
The $100K 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize would not have been possible without the support of our incredible panel of Investor Judges who provided their time, expertise, and support.
A huge thank you to:
- Albert Lam, RBC Borealis
- Andrew Jackson, CEO, 5D Differentiation™
- Barry Marshall Inouye, BMI Impact Assets Inc.
- Bradley Breton, Board Chair, QueerTech
- Florencia Herra Vega, CEO & CTO, Toboggan Labs
- Naoufel Testaouni, CEO, QueerTech
- Nima Jalalvandi, CEO, Ready Plan Go
- Steven Heidel, OpenAI
- Trevor Loke, QT Impact
The Finalists
This year’s finalists showcased the depth of talent and innovation within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community!
- Laura Shoots - Take Care
- Dorian Verdier Grand - loriginal.org
- Madison Santos - TissueTinker Bio.
2026 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize Winner
On Friday, July 10, TissueTinker Bio. was the recipient of the $100k 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize. TissueTinker’s 3D bioprinted modelling platform captures key aspects associated with cancer growth and metastasis to better replicate human cancer as it appears in the body. With their proprietary solid tumour model library, TissueTinker aims to accelerate cancer therapeutic development through validated and democratized preclinical technology.
“This prize means that authenticity wins and we are one step closer to making sure patients get the impactful therapies that they need.” - Madison Santos, Founder & CSO of TissueTinker Bio.
Get Involved
Interested in being one of the Investor Judges for the 2027 2SLGBTQIA+ Investment Prize? Connect with Naoufel Testaouni at [email protected].
For founders interested in future opportunities with QueerTech and our partners, sign up for a free QT Community Membership.
Your Next Opportunity
Are you a 2SLGBTQIA+ founder, company, mentor, or ally looking for more ways to connect, share resources, and celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ impact across the innovation economy?
Join QueerTech on November 18 & 19, 2026 in Toronto for QT Qonference, Canada’s largest 2SLGBTQIA+ tech conference! This year’s theme is Power, Participation & Accountability and asks, who gets to trust AI?
QTQ brings together Canada's 2SLGBTQIA+ tech community for two days of advancing inclusive AI conversations, building careers, companies, and partnerships, connecting talent with opportunity, and celebrating queer and trans impact across the innovation economy.
Don’t miss out! Get your ticket today by visiting the QTQ ticketing page.