Poptronic accepted into two Canada-wide entrepreneurial programs

Poptronic is excited to announce that their business has been recognized and accepted into two pitch competitions that will help launch their growth and connect them with valuable mentors in the female and Indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Founded by Kelly Bergeron and Chatnie Herne, this pair of female entrepreneurs envision a future where tech is sustainable and accessible for all.

Chatnie recently participated in Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous pitch competition that connects Indigenous entrepreneurs with mentors and cash prizes of between $500 and $25,000.

Chatnie’s incredible pitch clearly stood out to the judges as Poptronic was accepted into the semi-finals, just one of 124 pitches to do so out of 2,500 entrants.

“If Poptronic wins the 25K prize we would use the money to purchase tech devices, raise our brand awareness and move into a storefront,” says Chatnie.

Winners of Pow Wow Pitch will be announced on October 19.

Around the same time, Poptronic received more good news, that they had been accepted into the SheBoot program. Poptronic is one of just 15 businesses that have been accepted into the program out of 105 from across Canada.

SheBoot is a six-week bootcamp based in Ottawa, Ontario, that prepares women founders across Canada to pitch their business and secure investment. The SheBoot program aims to help address the funding gap facing women entrepreneurs by increasing the number of women making and receiving investment.

“We are thrilled to be included with such a high calibre cohort of women across Canada. We are grateful for our first customers who have helped us test this idea and to have a space like the Co. Lab in downtown Cornwall, which has allowed us to reach more customers and develop new relationships,” says Kelly Bergeron.

Through their business model, Poptronic wants to create equitable access to technology while also promoting a circular and sustainable economy. This hardware rental service seeks to be the Blockbuster of tech.

According to the Global E-Waste Monitor, there was a record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste created in 2020, which they say is a 21 per cent increase from five years ago.

Closing this sustainability gap is a part of Poptronic’s value proposition.

About Kelly & Chatnie

With over 25 years of tech experience combined, both Kelly and Chatnie are passionate about building equitable tech and promoting the circular economy to help create sustainability in the hardware supply chain.

Kelly has worked in various tech roles in various industries and most recently, at two Fortune 500 companies. She was nominated for the Ontario Colleges’ Premier’s Award in Tech in 2018.

Herne brings not only her expert skills in tech, which includes earning a Masters Degree in IT Management during the pandemic (with distinction), but also brings a strong background and wealth of experience in finance and marketing.

Poptronic is proud to be another Cornwall-built tech startup following in the footsteps of FanSaves who previously participated in the 2020 SheBoot program.

About SheBoot

SheBoot is a six-week bootcamp based in Ottawa, Ontario, that prepares women founders across Canada to pitch their business and secure investment. Launched in March 2020 during International Women’s Week by founding organizations Capital Angel Network and Invest Ottawa, this program aims to help address the funding gap facing women entrepreneurs by increasing the number of women making and receiving investment. Designed and delivered by women investors and entrepreneurs, SheBoot arms technology and technology-enabled startups with fundamental business skills with a focus on investment and market readiness. It culminates in a pitch competition for a minimum of $250,000 of equity-based capital. This investment is made by women investors committed to fueling the next generation of women-owned and led firms. SheBoot has partnered with Mistral Ventures and is delighted to receive funding support from NRC IRAP. It also benefits from previous investment through the Pan-Ontario ScaleUp platform supported by FedDev Ontario. For additional information, please visit: www.sheboot.ca