On May 28, 2026, nearly 50 guests gathered to celebrate the 8th annual Discovery Foundation’s Discover your Pitch Finale, where six finalist teams from across British Columbia showcased innovative business ideas and entrepreneurial thinking.
Discover Your Pitch empowers high school students to identify real-world challenges, develop entrepreneurial solutions, and build the confidence to present their ideas to industry leaders. This year’s finalists tackled issues ranging from sustainability and food waste to agriculture, education, productivity, and responsible consumer products, showcasing the creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of B.C.’s next generation of change-makers.
After an afternoon of impressive pitches and thoughtful questions from the judging panel, the top honours were awarded to:
First Place ($3,000): Aquora150
Presented by Tiya Aggarwal (Grade 12, Burnaby South Secondary)
Aquora150 is a smart irrigation system that uses humidity-capturing technology to sustainably hydrate houseplants while reducing water, plastic, and glass waste. Designed for busy, eco-conscious plant owners, the system automatically adjusts care for more than 150 plant species.
Second Place ($1,500): CareerCompass
Presented by Olivia Colaco (Grade 11, St. Johns Academy Shawnigan Lake)
CareerCompass is a youth-led platform that helps students navigate post-secondary pathways through career discovery content and mentorship from diverse professionals, empowering young people to make informed decisions about their futures.
Third Place ($500): GroundWork
Presented by Anushka Jain (Grade 10, North Surrey Secondary) and Erin Sweeney (Grade 10, McMath Secondary)
GroundWork addresses plastic pollution in agriculture through a biodegradable alternative to plastic mulch, helping protect soil health while reducing waste and microplastics.
Fan Favourite Award ($500 each): CareerCompass and GroundWork
For the first time in Discover Your Pitch history, the Fan Favourite vote resulted in a tie, with both teams earning the audience’s support and sharing the award.
Beyond the innovative ideas themselves, students spoke about the personal growth they experienced throughout the program. As finalist Olivia Colaco shared, “You don’t have to be confident or comfortable to be successful. It’s more important to just stand up there and do it.”
First-place winner Tiya Aggarwal echoed that sentiment, reflecting that the experience “built a lot of confidence and how much I believe in myself.”
The event was emceed by JA Alumni BC members Bennett Chiu and Saliha Shajani, who returned to the Discover Your Pitch stage after earning second place in the 2025 Provincial Finals with their venture, Seedlet. Attendees also heard remarks from David Harper of Discovery Foundation and Brandi Wingrove of KPMG, who highlighted the importance of investing in young entrepreneurs and supporting the next generation of innovators.
Thank you to our judging panel:
Thank you to our partners:
Congratulations to all six finalist teams for their hard work, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Their ideas demonstrated not only a deep understanding of today’s challenges, but also the passion and determination needed to create solutions for tomorrow.