On May 26, the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) at Toronto Metropolitan University came alive as more than 450 students gathered for the grand finale of the 2026 Innovation Invitational. The full-day competition highlighted how young changemakers are developing future-ready skills, tackling real-world challenges, and pitching innovative solutions.
The energy in the auditorium was electric as students from across the TDSB cheered on their peers. The event represented a massive scale-up for the program, which expanded rapidly from just four participating schools last year to 21 schools across the TDSB this season.
Stepping onto the stage for a Dragons' Den-style experience, student teams pitched their concepts live to a panel of powerhouse entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders. As an epic highlight of this year's journey, the young innovators even had the rare opportunity to meet the real Dragons on the actual CBC television set for Season 20, receiving direct guidance and inspiration from Canada's top business mentors.
Taking home the coveted first-place title was the team representing Weston CI. Students Vedanti S. and Ella R. wowed the panel with their grand-prize-winning creation, The Thork, an innovative, temperature-sensing fork designed to protect individuals from overly hot food. Backed by the thunderous cheers of their teammates from the school's P.O.W.E.R. Project initiative, the duo earned top marks for their creativity, empathy-driven design and professional presentation style.
Congratulations to all participants for their truly innovative designs and participation.
