Pitch to the Chief™

A competition for entrepreneurs and innovators driving excellence in police technologies, crime prevention, community safety and development. Powered by the V13 Policetech Accelerator.

The Pitch to the Chief logo, showing the acronym PTTC, part of V13 Policetech Accelerator programming.
  • Group of ten men standing together in front of a black and red banner with white

    Start-Up Competition

    Pitch to the Chief™ is a flagship event hosted by the V13 Policetech Accelerator, an innovative partnership between Nventure and the Cobourg Police Service. This event brings together early-stage companies and policing leaders to explore cutting-edge solutions that enhance policing services and community safety. Finalists pitch live to a panel of Ontario police chiefs, showcasing technologies that reduce administrative burdens, optimize resource deployment, and support frontline operations.

  • A group of four people, including a police officer, holding a large check made out to 'Pin It Needle App' for $500. They are standing in front of a blue backdrop with the text 'Cobourg Police Service' and a police crest.

    Youth Edition

    Pitch to the Chief™ – Youth Edition is an innovation challenge for high school students to pitch ideas that support crime prevention and community wellness. The event connects youth with police and community leaders, offering mentorship and real-world experience. Finalists present to a panel of police chiefs and industry experts, with prizes and additional opportunities to further develop their ideas awarded to top teams.

Group of young people holding a large oversized cheque for their Pitch to the Chief™ winning pitch as part of the youth edition of the competition, shown with Cobourg's Chief of Police, Paul VandeGraaf.
V13 Policetech Accelerator logo.

  • The official rules for Pitch to the Chief™ are posted on this webpage and may be changed from time to time at the sole discretion of Nventure.

  • Applicants must be duly registered businesses in good standing and are normally incorporated.

    Companies that have been Finalists in a prior edition of Pitch to the Chief may apply to pitch again in future editions (in response to new challenge statements).

  • The applicant must designate and authorize an individual to share information privately with Nventure and to make a public presentation if selected for the competition.

    The competition involves competitive down selection from an initial pool of applicants submitting proposals via nventure.ca to a group of no more than 10 Finalists.

    Finalists are determined by a selection committee of Deputy Chiefs, chaired by the Deputy Chief of Police of the Cobourg Police Service.

    Selected Finalists are notified of the decision and invited to pitch at a live event before a studio audience at Venture13 (date to be determined). This is entirely voluntarily (applicants may withdraw at any time).

    Pitches are made at the live event in alphabetical order by company name and will not exceed 10 minutes in length (with Q&A to follow by the Chief of Police and his panel).

    The judging panel is composed by and chaired by the Chief of Police of the Cobourg Police Service.

    The Chief of Police selects the winner in his sole determination in consultation with his panel of judges.

    The Chief of Police may make additional awards at his sole discretion, in consultation with his panel of judges.

    Pitches may incorporate prototypes, demonstrations, and visual presentations (on screen pitch decks).

    Finalists may pitch additional collaborations such as pilot projects and field testing, applied R&D, academic partnerships, etc.).

  • The company with the winning pitch will be awarded a $5,000 prize package (a combination of cash and in-kind services) and the opportunity to be considered by Nventure for up to $25,000 in investment (conditional upon completion of further assessment and extended due diligence by Nventure).

  • No amount of investment, funding or support is guaranteed to any applicant, company or Finalist participating in Pitch to the Chief™.

  • Questions? Contact us.

Rules

The official rules for Pitch to the Chief™ can be reviewed here (last changed: October 30, 2025).

Note: the Youth Edition of Pitch to the Chief™ is organized separately in coordination with post-secondary institutions and follows a different format.

Cobourg Police Service Chief of Police Paul VandeGraaf presenting an award to Hyper for their winning pitch as part of the Pitch to the Chief™ competition at Venture13.
Three young men, students from Durham College, smiling, holding a large check made out to Command Line for $1,000, dated October 5th, 2019, part of Pitch to the Chief™ youth edition at Venture13.

Ready to Pitch?

Interested in bringing your community safety or policetech innovation to the Chief and his panel at the Venture13 innovation and entrepreneurship centre in Cobourg, Ontario?

Simply fill out this application form and we’ll consider your venture for the next edition of our competition.

Formally, the application period for the seventh edition begins on November 15, 2025 and ends January 1, 2026, however pre-applications are welcome at this time.

Side profile of a young man with glasses holding a notebook, standing against a wall with black, red, and gray stripes.
A winning student team from Durham College.
Policetech Accelerator leads (Paul VandeGraaf, Chief of Police, Cobourg Police Service, and Wendy Curtis, CEO, Nventure) with David Piccini (MPP and Ontario's Minister of Labour) and Lucas Cleveland (Mayor of Cobourg).
Coordinator Joe Miller, welcoming participants to Venture13 as part of Pitch to the Chief™.
A panel of Chiefs of Police (from Cobourg, Port Hope and Cornwall, Ontario).
Pitch to the Chief™ Finalists.
Chief of Police Paul VandeGraaf at a Pitch to the Chief™ seminar event at held at Venture13, to introduce new policetech solutions to stakeholders.

Questions? Connect with the Policetech Accelerator Team.