Meet the Founders of FIRE Cohort 1
Angella
Ella Events & Marketing
Ella Events & Marketing is an experience design and marketing agency that helps brands bring meaningful stories to life both online and off. They partner with hospitality, beauty, entertainment, corporate, founder-led and lifestyle brands to create experiences that are catalysts for human connection and transform ideas into meaningful results.
A LâQUE wines, Canada’s first Filipino-inspired boutique tropical fruit wine brand. Bold, fruit-forward wines that taste like an adventure. Made in Canada by Filipino creators, every bottle is a bridge between home and the world, carrying pride, modern boldness, and proof you don’t have to choose betweenm your roots and your dreams.
Gian
Denim Dealer
Bjorne
A LâQUE wines
Denim Dealer is a Toronto and Manila–based label founded by Gian Caballes on the belief that denim is more than a material: it is a record of the life lived in it. Built on mystery, exclusivity and timelessness. Denim Dealer Artisanal creates bespoke, numbered 1-of-1 garments reworked from pre-loved vintage clothing, made to be passed down as heirlooms. TRIBO ("tribe" in Tagalog) is its ready-to-wear line of timeless essentials.
Samantha
WALTO®
WALTO® specializes in gourmet dog treats & desserts, inspired by the flavors of our favorite human snacks, handmade in small batches in Scarborough, ON. The brand was born out of wanting to see better design and better treats in the world of commercial pet food / in our own pantry - Walter’s a pretty picky guy, after all.
Paola
Lunan App
Property managers are exhausted. They carry up to five buildings each, live in email and phone calls, run in emergency mode, and still have to prove to a board that nothing is slipping. Asking them to learn a new app on top of that is a non-starter, and I learned it the hard way when a ten-building deal fell through over change management rather than over the product itself. So Lunan doesn't ask them to change anything. They keep emailing, calling, and sending voice notes the way they always have, and Lunan turns all of it into a single record, with the building history, the audit trail, and the board reporting already handled.
Enrique
EXPLORERS
EXPLORERS is a creative content company producing branded, scripted and unscripted audiovisual content across film, tourism and events. Working with brands, organizations and creative partners to tell stories through video and photography, with the goal of turning experiences and ideas into work that connects with audiences.
Jennifer
Happy Natural Products
Happy Natural Products is wellness care rooted in culture for a global community. Proudly making history as the first Filipino-Canadian-born brand to launch nationally in Walmart Canada. Dedicated to earth conscious, sustainably sourced personal care essentials, Happy bridges time honoured traditions with today's global and culture centric consumer needs. Happy is driven by cultural connection, community empowerment, and breaking barriers in the retail landscape. Ensuring that authentic diaspora stories and true quality natural wellness products have a prominent place on shelf.
Noreen
INIHAUS
INIHAUS [a combination of the words inihaw (grilled) and haus (house)] is a modern, Filipino street food brand serving up delicious plates of charcoal-grilled marinated meats, and other street foods mixed with our own unique twist, that give customers the experience of comfort and nostalgia through food. We are the result of individual pieces coming together to make a whole, conceiving something bigger than itself. Like our team, who each bring something to the table, INIHAUS is the culmination of authentic connection, openness to everyone having a seat at the table and pure love for good food.
Michael
L88K SHOP
L88K SHOP is a community focused barbershop in Toronto built around more than just haircuts. Our vision is to create a space where culture, community, cuts and conversation come together. As co-founder, I bring years of experience in barbering, including working within Toronto’s music and entertainment community. With L88K SHOP, our goal is to use that experience to build something lasting, a business that provides quality grooming while creating opportunities, mentorship and meaningful connections within the community.
Styld Spaces Events Studio is a Toronto-based event venue and event services company specializing in weddings, milestone celebrations, and culturally meaningful events. We combine venue, décor, catering, and other event services to give clients a more seamless and personalized experience. The business has grown from a small rental operation into a full event studio, building our inventory, team, and services largely through hands-on experience.
Olivier
Traning Zone Gym
Daniel
Styld Spaces
Training Zone Gym is a training facility built around a strong sense of community, with a mission to promote a healthy, active lifestyle and create an environment where people can challenge themselves, grow, and become the best version of themselves. We believe that a healthy mind and body can positively influence every aspect of life.
Arvian
Untold Stories
Untold Stories is a Toronto-based creative commercial studio founded by filmmakers Arvian Ordonez and Anthony Nguyen. We develop and produce commercials and branded films built around strong concepts, human stories, and a healthy sense of humour.