🔥 Get in while it’s hot: new brewery launch, campaign extension and FIFA news

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

🍻 Collective Arts Launched

Collective Arts combines exceptional beverages with the world’s most inspiring emerging artists. Every product showcases authentic art, exceptional taste, and a purpose-driven approach, resonating deeply with a new generation of consumers who demand more from the brands they support.

Invest in Collective Arts | 88 Investors | 20% of target

🚁 AIRmarket extending to August 6th!

One more week to invest in AIRmarket! They are powering real-time drone traffic infrastructure across Alberta, with 12 live RTM sites, $5.1M in total revenue, and $4.7M in public-private funding secured. Read more about their announcement here.

Invest in AIRmarket | $112K Raised | 45% of target

🥬 Fieldless featured in the Startup Canada Podcast

Jon Lomow is the Founder and CEO of Fieldless Farms, uses innovative farming technology to grow fresh crops indoors. On the podcast he addresses challenges and opportunities in Canada's food sector, highlighting food sovereignty and technology's role in modern farming.

Invest in Fieldless | $2.5M Raised | 97% of target

🔔 Alumni updates

📈 Manzil featured on Betakit’s Most Ambitious Canadian companies. The list features companies and people challenging Canada’s comfort zones and driving competition across industries.

🍺Sheringham Distillery featured on Vogue in the article “Why Coastal Gins Are Waves Making Right Now”. The article encapsulates the spirit of modern gin and highlights Sheringham Distillery’s Seaside Gin as an introduction to coastal gin. 

🌷FLOWER TURBINES has been chosen to exhibit their small wind turbines at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), a premier architecture museum in Frankfurt, Germany. The exhibit explores the question “How to build in the age of climate change?”

🤔 What’s on our minds

⚽ Game On: What FIFA 2026 Means for Canadian Businesses

With Canada set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Vancouver and Toronto are bracing for a historic influx of tourism, global attention and economic opportunity. With 13 matches scheduled across Vancouver and Toronto, the tournament is forecast to deliver up to $3.8 billion in total economic output and over 24,000 jobs created or sustained nationwide between 2023 and 2026.

While much of the spotlight is on stadiums and national teams, the real action for restaurants, retail shops, and cultural hubs across the host cities.

Key sectors could benefit:

Hospitality & Food Service:
Restaurants, cafés, breweries and bars are expected to see major demand spikes during game days. Extended hours, special menus, and fan-focused experiences could double or triple daily foot traffic in busy zones.

Retail & Merchandise:
Retailers can expect increased tourist spending on gifts, essentials, and local goods. FIFA's strict licensing rules mean most can’t sell official merchandise, but there's still huge demand for Canadian-themed, culturally relevant, or fan-inspired products.

Cultural & Indigenous Vendors:
Vancouver’s hosting agreement includes key partnerships with local First Nations (Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh) to ensure Indigenous businesses and cultural programming are front and centre. Artisans and food producers can expect new platforms to reach global audiences.

Not Without Challenges:

FIFA’s “clean zones” near stadiums will restrict unlicensed vendors, signage, and food sales on match days. Businesses within the BC Place zone will need to plan for limited access and temporary rules during the event period as it could disrupt regular operations, deliveries, and customer foot traffic.

There’s also a risk of displaced regular customers and supply chain pressure. Loyal local customers may avoid high-traffic areas due to congestion, security, or perceived inconvenience. Without preparation, some businesses could experience unexpected slowdowns, staff shortages, or supply chain disruptions during what should be a peak economic window.

Bottom Line:

FIFA 2026 will bring international attention and has real economic potential for Canada’s local business scene. For food & retail entrepreneurs, the time to plan is now. Whether it’s optimizing your operations, securing vendor space, or simply getting your story out to the world, this is a rare opportunity to put your business in front of a global audience.

🎙️ Hear from our latest founder feature

Building the Future of Unmanned Aviation: The Story of AIRMarket with Founder, CEO & CTO, Lindsay Mohr

💡 On the inspiration: I didn’t set out to build a drone company, I saw a critical infrastructure gap. While leading innovation at Shell, I began working with drones and quickly realized they weren’t just flashy tech, they had massive potential across industries. By 2018, it was clear: if drones were going to scale, they’d need safe, integrated systems to operate in shared airspace. That’s what inspired me to build AIRMarket.

🛰️ On the market: We’re not here to dominate the drone market, we’re here to enable it. AIRMarket is focused on building the foundational infrastructure for unmanned aviation in Canada: surveillance systems, communication networks, and regulatory coordination. Think of us like a “baby NAV Canada” for drones. Our work with projects like Sherwood Park’s “drone as a first responder” shows what’s possible when drones are integrated into public infrastructure.

🔓 On leadership: What sets us apart is our collaborative mindset. While many players try to own the entire drone stack, we’re building open systems that work with third-party providers and align with NAV Canada’s long-term vision. Our mission isn’t just to participate in the drone economy, it’s to help define what it becomes.

🎧 Want to listen to the full episode?

Spotify / YouTube