Soraya Gadit and InoCrowd: A People’s Choice Win That Inspires

Last week at Canopy’s Lisbon Demo Night, the energy was electric. More than one hundred founders, early-stage investors, students, and ecosystem partners filled the room at Nova Business School. The event showcased what makes Lisbon one of Europe’s most exciting hubs for startup validation and investment readiness.

Among three standout demos, one voice captured the crowd with clarity, experience, and passion: Soraya Gadit, CEO and founder of InoCrowd. By the end of the evening, she had achieved something no other founder in Demo Night history had done—winning the People’s Choice Award with over forty votes more than the runner-up.

From Pharmacist to Founder

Soraya’s journey shows why entrepreneurship is often sparked by personal expertise and frustration. A trained pharmacist, she spent more than a decade in pharmaceutical R&D before spotting a problem: companies were struggling to find the right solutions for innovation challenges.

In 2012, she imagined a platform that would connect corporate challenges with the right global solvers. That vision became InoCrowd, now a Web 2.0, AI-powered platform with 1.6 million solvers worldwide.

For an early-stage investor, the business model is compelling: organizations submit a challenge, InoCrowd’s algorithms deliver it to the most skilled solvers, and within four to six weeks, tangible solutions arrive—boasting a 95% success rate. From airport innovation to sugar substitutes in fruit to drug discovery, InoCrowd proves that MVP testing and customer validation at scale can transform industries.

Why the Pitch Won Over the Room

At Demo Night, Soraya didn’t just describe her platform. She focused on customer success stories and measurable outcomes. Instead of jargon, she shared real-world validation that investors crave. The result? A captivated room of first-year students, professors, and potential investors hanging on every word.

Soraya reflected: “It’s not only about explaining what InoCrowd is, but showing the real benefits and success cases. That’s how people understand the value.”

Her preparation mattered too. Years of refining her pitch, rehearsing, and learning from mentors allowed her to present with both clarity and passion. For a first-time founder watching, the lesson was clear: knowing your product deeply, rehearsing your pitch, and speaking with love for your mission is what wins both customers and investors.

Lessons for First-Time Founders

When asked what advice she’d give to emerging founders, Soraya offered three essentials:

• Know your product and market need. Are you solving something urgent? Is there customer demand?

• Train relentlessly. A pitch is not just words—it’s practice, feedback, and rehearsal.

• Communicate with passion. Investors and customers are more likely to trust a founder who believes wholeheartedly in their vision.

These are the same foundations we emphasise in the Canopy Membership and our Emerging Founder incubation program: clarity of customer problem, validation through early MVPs, and storytelling that secures early-stage investment.

Why Demo Nights Matter for Investors

For early-stage investors, Lisbon Demo Night highlighted why backing founders at the start of their journey is so powerful. Events like this give investors direct insight into how a founder thinks, communicates, and validates their product. Soraya’s ability to link her platform’s technology to customer outcomes provided exactly the kind of evidence-based storytelling that helps derisk early investment.

And for students attending their first Demo Night, it was a glimpse of what it means to be an entrepreneur—messy, passionate, and deeply rewarding. Who knows how many new founder journeys began in that audience?

Congratulations Soraya & InoCrowd

On behalf of the Canopy community, congratulations to Soraya Gadit and InoCrowd. Your journey from pharmacist to founder, your commitment to solving real customer problems, and your ability to inspire both first-time founders and investors remind us why the Lisbon startup ecosystem is thriving.

If you’re a founder preparing your first pitch—or an investor looking for authentic validation stories—Soraya’s win is proof that clear problem definition, strong customer outcomes, and a passionate pitch are the keys to early success.

Watch the full interview back - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrMrateB2yVVf3BrnWuVR9WYX1ExPw_Hq&si=qhfkRw7muOCGhIhm 

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