CISO Vice President, Desjardins
Canadian innovation in the spotlight!
INCYBER CANADA STARTUP AWARD
in partnership with
For the first time open to all Canadian companies, the 2025 Start-up Award aims to recognize young companies that are particularly innovative in the fields of cybersecurity and digital trust.
Through a call for applications across Québec and Canada, a jury made up of CISOs from major companies as well as senior officials and experts from both the public and private sectors will select young companies to be auditioned.
2025 Award Winners
STARTUP AWARDS
GRAND
PRIZE
CYBERDEFENSE.AI, winner of the Grand Prize, stands out as a pioneer in defensive AI. Its AI-WAF technology, a multi-protocol behavioral firewall, detects, correlates, and neutralizes complex attacks that traditional systems cannot counter. The company already supports governments, municipalities, and MSSPs in protecting their critical infrastructures.
STARTUP AWARDS
Jury's
AWARD
MindShield, winner of the Jury’s Choice Award, distinguishes itself with its cognitive cybersecurity solution, the first SaaS platform capable of measuring and reducing mental vulnerabilities to digital manipulation. By combining artificial intelligence and behavioral analysis, MindShield helps organizations strengthen human resilience at the heart of their security strategy.
Startups auditioned this year:
jury 2025
CISO, Energir
Former Canadian Cyber Forces Chief of Staff - Operations & Ambassador-at-Large & Director
CISO, SAQ - CANADA
President and CEO, Cybereco - CANADA
Director, Information Security and Compliance (CISO), Cirque du Soleil - CANADA
Associate Deputy Minister for Government Information Security and Cybersecurity Government Chief
Director Cybersecurity (CISO), RISQ - CANADA
Director, Private Equity and Impact Investments – Climate and Information Technology, Solidarity
Detective-Sergeant, CyberCrime Unit Supervisor, Montreal Police (SPVM)
Opportunities
Winners of the INCYBER Canada Startup award will receive :
STARTUP AWARDS
GRAND
PRIZE
A complimentary booth in the "Innovation" area of the INCYBER Europe Forum, taking place in France from March 31 to April 2, 2026. This is the largest cybersecurity event on the European continent, welcoming over 20,000 visitors, making it an ideal opportunity for you to launch into the European export market.
STARTUP AWARDS
Jury's
AWARD
A complimentary booth in the "Innovation" area of the INCYBER Canada Forum 2026, designed to accelerate business development domestically.
The winners will benefit from increased visibility on the Forum’s communication media and social networks.