When Cole Kinney agreed to drive from Brandon to Winnipeg on a whim, he had no idea he’d return home 55 hours later, $10,000 richer, with a fully formed startup and a storybook win at RampUp 2025. His best friend and future co-founder, Hashim Farooq, had pitched the idea of attending Manitoba’s biggest startup competition the night before. “He said he heard about it from a friend and thought it might be worth checking out,” Kinney recalled.
That impulsive trip would change their lives.
RampUp Weekend, hosted by North Forge, is a three-day sprint where raw ideas become viable startups. It’s Manitoba’s signature grassroots innovation event, held every April — and with 300 registrants, the 2025 edition was its biggest yet.
The event opened at Smartpark Innovation Hub with 75 one-minute pitches — a record turnout — before audience voting narrowed the field to the Top 10. Teams formed immediately and spent the weekend building logos, websites, and validating their ideas, supported by over 20 volunteer mentors. By Sunday, those early pitches had transformed into full-fledged startup stories, presented to a crowd of nearly 400 and judged for cash prizes and future funding opportunities.
During the drive to Winnipeg, Kinney and Farooq discussed problems they had faced in the events industry. That’s when Staff on Shift was born: A platform to help event organizers find qualified workers for last-minute shifts.
“What we were told when we were younger, and what all the TV shows tell you, is that you want to create an idea that solves a problem you’ve had. That’s how you know it’s going to have validity, because you’re already dealing with someone who needs it,” Kinney said.
Arriving Friday evening, neither Kinney nor Farooq had ever pitched a business before. Kinney, a Brandon University science student accustomed to presenting research, found the atmosphere electric and intimidating.
Despite their nerves, their idea was selected for the Top 10. They quickly recruited teammates Rio Germinario, Pavan Balani, Jonathan Van Bentham, and Andrii Provozin — each bringing marketing, sales, or web development expertise.
“We were walking in super nervous, but everyone was so welcoming and supportive — it was awesome to walk into a culture like that,” Kinney said.
By Saturday morning, Farooq — who graduated last year from BU’s Computer Science program — had already built the website’s backend. Users could start registering as “shifters,” and the platform was ready to demo.
The final RampUp 2025 pitch
By Sunday, the Top 10 teams pitched before a full auditorium for a shot at $10,000 in startup funding.
“I forgot to mention to my parents I was going to Winnipeg for the weekend,” Kinney laughed. “They didn’t know anything that was going on, neither did Hashim’s parents — we didn’t really tell anyone. And they would’ve loved to be there and support us too, so at least we had the winning moment recorded.” Notably, while only seven of the 75 pitchers were women, three made the Top 10, and two of the three prize-winning teams were female-led.
Second place and a $5,000 prize from Manitoba Innovates went to Labour Power, a hotline aggregator for worker rights, led by Jamie O’Neill. Third place and a $500 prize from KnowledgeGap went to Armoirie, a virtual wardrobe app pitched by Alexa Kozlowski.
From weekend win to startup reality
The Staff on Shift team didn’t just win prize money — they walked away as business partners. The group signed contracts after the event and now meets weekly to build the company.
“We want to see this business succeed,” Kinney said. “It’s really nice to see we were able to build a team that went all the way, and is still committed to the business even after the competition is over.”
They’re already in talks with local vendors and planning an expansion trip to London, Ontario, later this month. A minimum viable product is expected this summer.
A strong startup ecosystem
Kinney credits Manitoba’s startup community for their momentum.
“I don’t know if something like this would happen in Ontario or Alberta,” he said. “This sense of community, and people wanting to help other people. The amount of folks that have reached out and want to see us succeed is baffling, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
North Forge, the nonprofit behind RampUp Weekend, offers entrepreneurs mentorship, market research, IP support, funding navigation, and prototyping tools. Nine of the Top 10 teams expressed interest in joining North Forge’s Founders Program — a free staged accelerator supporting companies from ideation to scaling. “We’ve made so many connections through North Forge,” Kinney said. “We’re so grateful to them and everything they’ve done.”
Friendship at the foundation
At the heart of Staff on Shift is Kinney and Farooq’s friendship.
“Me and [Farooq] came up with the idea together, and we both wanted to tell our sides of the story and do it as a team… Win or lose we always wanted to make sure we were on the same page doing this together, because first of all, before the business, we’re best friends,” Kinney said.
Their dynamic is built on complementary strengths — and honesty.
“He knows I’m not a yes man, and I won’t sugarcoat anything for him. If I feel some type of way, it’s exactly how I say it… and with [Farooq], you have someone able to be that understanding, emotional, calm guy,” Kinney said. “We both complement each other so well in so many different situations, which is why it’s such a good dynamic we have.”
“I appreciate Hashim as a guy, as my friend, and I’m excited to go on this journey with him.”
For information about North Forge’s free programs, visit northforge.ca. To follow Staff on Shift’s journey, visit staffonshift.com.
