Accelerating AI Startups in 2026: Insights from Founders, Operators, and Investors
Join us for this informative panel discussion, bringing together two founders from PRAKTIKAI’s KAI Accelerate program and an investor from our Toronto network for an honest, practical conversation about building and scaling AI startups. We’ll cover what’s actually working in early-stage AI, how teams are using data and model-driven workflows to accelerate product development, and what investors are looking for in 2026.The discussion will focus on the challenges of building startups in Canada's AI ecosystem, real founder experiences, how to prototype and build MVPs, and how to navigate early customer adoption in a market crowded with hype. Attendees will walk away with practical insights they can apply immediately, if they’re building, investing, or leading teams through AI adoption.
About the Speakers
Dr. Andrew Reaume is founder of Melior IQ, Inc., (IQ) a company that is pioneering the use of machine learning in preclinical in vivo pharmacology studies to address study reproducibility and improve signal detection. Prior to founding IQ in 2025, Dr. Reaume founded Melior Discovery, Inc. (Discovery) in 2005, a company that has innovated a method of in vivo drug profiling and drug repositioning. In addition to building a robust, proprietary, clinical candidate pipeline, the company has attracted the partnership of many of the leading global pharmaceutical companies through its capabilities with in vivo profiling. From its drug pipeline, the company spun out Melior Pharmaceuticals I, Inc, in 2008 and Melior Pharmaceuticals II, in 2016, both which went on to complete 3rd party licensing deals. Before starting Discovery, Dr. Reaume was a senior business analyst at Pfizer, where he spearheaded a global discovery research initiative. Dr. Reaume received a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Connecticut and an MBA with honors from the Wharton School.
Nissrine Saidi is the Founder and CEO of Seniconnect, an AI-powered platform providing companionship and monitoring for seniors aging at home through voice interactions, health tracking, and family alerts. With a background in AI, IoT, and industrial systems from her education at École Polytechnique de Montréal, she currently serves as OT Security Manager at Deloitte in Toronto. Her work focuses on bridging human care with technology to reduce loneliness and detect early cognitive changes while prioritizing privacy.
Wendy Huang is the Canada Representative of Sony Innovation Fund and the Founder of Maple Leaf Venture Club, a non-profit community platform connecting founders, investors, and operators through pitch nights, panels, founder socials, and sports-driven networking events. In her role with Sony Innovation Fund, she focuses on sourcing and supporting high-potential Canadian startups while helping bridge relationships across the global tech and venture ecosystem.
She has also led initiatives like Comma Maple, supporting Canadian founders through early-stage funding opportunities, ecosystem access, and cross-border networks, with a strong emphasis on backing ambitious builders with long-term conviction.
Moderator
Mark McAllister is an award‑winning journalist with more than three decades of experience covering local, national, and international news. Over the course of his career, he has worked as a political correspondent, investigative and feature reporter, host, and anchor. Mark is currently the Queen’s Park reporter for CityNews in Toronto, where he focuses on provincial politics and major public‑interest issues.
PRAKTIKAI's KAI Accelerate offering is a flexible technical partnership program designed for AI startups at any stage, offering hands-on mentorship, advisory support, collaborative building of core components like MVPs, go-to-market strategies, and investor introductions to help founders overcome common hurdles with pragmatic, experience-based guidance. Learn more at prktk.ai/accelerate
Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com