Congratulations Rita Kastrati: People's Choice Winner at Canopy Demo Night
Jun 13, 2025
At Canopy’s flagship London Demo Night, early-stage Founders seeking validation, community, and growth take centre stage. And for the milestone first-anniversary edition, the People’s Choice Award went to one of the brightest stars: Rita Kastrati, Founder & CEO of Pioneering People.
From Pain Point to Platform: Why Rita Won
Pioneering People isn’t just another job board. It’s a purpose-driven, instant staffing platform that connects businesses with fully-vetted, right-to-work checked, highly-rated temporary workers—on-demand. As Rita puts it, it’s like "if Hinge and Uber had a baby".
Built from real-life pain as a hospitality manager, Rita’s product is solving a well-known but under-served problem: how to fill short-term shifts fast and fairly. On the worker side, Pioneering People guarantees above-living-wage pay and 24-hour payout—a powerful differentiator in the gig economy.
How She Built Her MVP
Rita spent a year on customer discovery before writing a single line of code. Speaking to students, workers, and employers, she learned that the problem was bigger than her own experience. The MVP she launched wasn’t perfect, but it was practical. And, crucially, she listened to every single piece of feedback.
She now has 60+ paying businesses and over 5,000 workers on the platform. And she’s just closed a pre-seed investment round. That’s the kind of startup validation Demo Night is built to accelerate.
What Makes Canopy Demo Night Different?
Demo Night, held monthly in London, is not a pitch competition. It’s a startup feedback loop.
As Canopy Founder and long-time Demo Night host Stewart Noakes explains:
“The number one reason startups fail is because they build something no one wants. Demo Night helps Founders listen, test and adapt early—when it still counts.”
The room is a curated mix of investors, startup operators, students, and first-time Founders. Everyone gets a seat at the table—whether you’re fresh out of uni, scaling your second venture, or just curious.
Rita demoed her platform live, held her nerve on the tech, and wowed the audience. She received LinkedIn messages the moment she stepped off stage. Days later, she was still booking meetings with new potential customers and supporters.
Community, Confidence and Customers
What changed between Rita’s first Demo Night appearance (December 2024) and this anniversary edition?
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She surpassed last year’s revenue in the first 3 months of 2025.
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She grew her Canopy-style tribe of early believers.
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She started a founder support circle: 15 Under 30.
Most of all? She got more confident.
Funding the Mission
Raising capital as a young, first-time female Founder with no existing network wasn’t easy. But Rita leaned into her story. The more she pitched, the more she believed. And the more people believed with her.
She closed her pre-seed round in March 2025 and now has 12+ months of runway to scale.
Top 3 Startup Tips from Rita:
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Love your idea: You’ll need that passion to survive the rollercoaster.
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Know your rhythm: Build your schedule around how you work best.
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Enjoy it: You can see the Founders who are having fun—and so can everyone else.
Why Early-Stage Founders Should Apply for Demo Night
Canopy Demo Night is designed for validation, not vanity. It’s for people who want to build something that works in the real world. If you want:
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Honest feedback on your startup
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Real-world validation from peers and investors
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Access to the Canopy Community and Founder support
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A stage to build confidence and find customers
...then it’s time to step up.
And for female founders especially, Demo Night provides a uniquely supportive environment to help overcome barriers of confidence, visibility, and access—something Rita’s journey proves can make all the difference.
🔥 Join the next Canopy Demo Night
Be part of a startup support system that works. Meet your future co-founder, investor, or first customer.
🌟 Apply now at www.canopy.community/demo-night
Watch the full interview with Rita https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cKrgyIcKqE