August Demo Night: Two Startups, One Joint People’s Choice

https://www.youtube.com/live/2tqlDAtnZF0. watch the full live stream from todays demo night

August’s Canopy Demo Night took us on a global tour of innovation without anyone leaving their chair. Hosted virtually to make the most of the summer, the evening brought together founders, mentors, and startup enthusiasts from across London, Lisbon, and beyond. Two standout startups took the spotlight: Cobuntu and Equisy.

While September will see us return to in-person events in London, Lisbon, and Cornwall, this remote edition proved that distance is no barrier to founder energy, bold ideas, and engaged debate.

Cobuntu – Monetising and Energising Online Communities

First to the virtual stage was Diogo César, co-founder and CEO of Cobuntu, a platform designed to build sustainable community ecosystems.

Cobuntu’s vision is simple but ambitious: when members thrive, the community thrives. Their platform allows community members to leverage the audience of an existing community to promote their own work. In return, community leaders earn a commission.

Currently integrated with Slack and Discord, Cobuntu gives community leaders full control over what’s promoted, by whom, and how often. Automated bots ensure posts follow community rules, preventing spam and keeping engagement authentic.

For content creators, the platform connects with Gumroad and supports affiliate tracking. This means creators can promote their work directly to highly relevant audiences and share revenue with the community owner. Premium users enjoy lower cooldown times between posts, more customisation, and higher commission rates.

The underlying goal? Replace unsustainable subscription models with a value-sharing ecosystem where both creators and communities benefit.

Equisy – AI-Powered Fundraising, Smarter and Faster

Next up was Rami Mrad, co-founder of Equisy, an AI-native fundraising platform connecting investors, startups, and accelerators.

Equisy’s proposition is twofold:

1. Investment Readiness Tools – Startups can calculate their valuation using multiple recognised methodologies, track key metrics, manage their cap table, run scenario modelling, and even get AI-powered pitch deck reviews. The goal is to eliminate guesswork and prepare founders with data-backed answers before they approach investors.

2. Matchmaking – Rather than handing over a generic list of investor emails, Equisy’s AI matches startups with investors whose profiles, preferences, and criteria align.

The platform offers dedicated modules for startups, investors, and accelerator partners. For accelerators, Equisy acts as a white-label solution to manage cohorts, track startup progress, and combine human expertise with automated assessment.

Currently used by 14 accelerators globally, Equisy is positioning itself as the “Bumble for fundraising” – replacing cold outreach with curated, data-driven connections.

A Joint People’s Choice

After in-depth Q&A sessions for both startups, the Canopy team and audience faced the familiar challenge of choosing the People’s Choice Award winner. This time, the quality and impact of both pitches made the decision impossible – in the best way.

For the first time, the award went jointly to Cobuntu and Equisy, celebrating their different but equally compelling visions.

Connect With the Founders

Got questions about building sustainable communities or navigating fundraising with AI?

• Reach out to Diogo César to learn more about Cobuntu’s vision and roadmap.

• Connect with Rami Mrad to explore how Equisy can accelerate your fundraising journey.

They’re both open to conversations, collaborations, and sharing their founder experience.