2025 COHORT
From left to right: Katrina Galas, Pascal McCarthy, Aisha Mayne, Alli Carry, Manoj Raheja, Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, Delphine L. Gilbert, Manuella Widjaja, Sarah Major, Sarahi Cardenas, Olivia Tworzyanski, Dr Sasha Gollish, Emily Smiley, Michael Grimes, Jamie Hutcheson
2025 COHORT’S VENTURES
RETIRED PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER JAMIE HUTCHESON & PROUD HUMAN HOOPS NAMED VICTORY VENTURE’S 2025-2026 WINNER
“Proud Human Hoops is on a mission to make her feel like she can dream, through basketball.”
JAMIE HUTCHESON, Retired Professional Basketball player | MFSc | Founder of Proud Human Hoops
This year’s Pitch Competition raised the bar. Our athlete-founders delivered incredibly compelling pitches for ventures with clear business plans, revenue models, and meaningful impact.
After thoughtful deliberation from our judging panel, we are proud to announce Jamie Hutcheson as the winner of the Victory Ventures Accelerator’s 2025-26 cohort, earning the $10,000 cash award to accelerate her venture.
A retired professional basketball player, Jamie knows firsthand what it feels like to be the only girl in the gym – told she didn’t have the “right” body and navigating systems built largely for boys. After a career-ending injury, she turned that experience into action, founding Proud Human Hoops to create the space she never had: one rooted in belonging, mentorship, and growth.
1 in 3 girls in Canada drops out of sport by their late teens due to a lack of belonging, autonomy, and clear pathways. Especially in 3x3 basketball. Proud Human Hoops is tackling that gap head-on, building a development ecosystem designed by women who’ve played at the highest levels of the game.
This is impact in action.
OWN YOUR FUTURE
SPEAKERS & PANELISTS
2025 COHORT
JENNIFER HEIL
Olympic Champion | CEO & Founder revvel | Chef de Mission Milano Cortina 2026
CHANTAIE ALLICK
Co-founder Re—Work | Founder & Chief Story Teller, Ramsay & Co
NATASHA SINGH
Co-founder Re—Work | Creative Consultant | Business Coach | ex-Shopify
JP SHEARER
Associate Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Impact & Academic Advisor, Smith School of Business
REY LAMBIE
Founder, Founder Athlete Inc. | Ex-Hockey Player | Ex-PwC
KATE KERNAGHAN
Director, In Studio at The National Ballet of Canada | Dance, Fitness & Movement Specialist
WE TRANSFORM IDEAS INTO RESPONSIBLE VENTURES