TORONTO – The City of Toronto has awarded financial prizes to three standout women-led climate ventures as part of the fifth annual Women4ClimateTO pitch competition, celebrating innovation in the fight against climate change.
After a rigorous selection process, Amanda Horn was announced as the 2025 competition winner, taking home a $20,000 financial award for her company Shower Thoughts. The business is reimagining personal care with seaweed-based biomaterials that eliminate the need for single-use beauty packaging—an initiative that intersects both environmental responsibility and self-care.
Two $5,000 runner-up prizes were awarded to:
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Chloe Doesburg, founder of SeaFoam, which is developing carbon-storing insulation made from seaweed, offering a regenerative alternative to traditional greenhouse gas-emitting materials.
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Lea Baribeau, whose venture HOT Architecture is transforming sustainable housing with prefabricated, energy-efficient homes that aim to reset industry expectations in construction and urban design.
The winners were announced at a celebratory event held Thursday evening to honour the achievements of the full 2025 Women4ClimateTO cohort. The evening featured a keynote address by Heather Mak, a sustainability advocate known for promoting equity and accessibility within the climate action space.
“Congratulations to the winners and all of the mentees and mentors who have participated in this fifth edition of the Women4ClimateTO mentorship program,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “Your environmental commitment and business excellence are critical to creating a sustainable future for our city and our planet.”
“Women are leaders in climate action in Toronto and around the world,” added Councillor Dianne Saxe, the Mayor’s Environmental Champion. “I am proud to congratulate these three green economy heroes, entrepreneurs who are building businesses that support our economy while preserving a liveable future.”
The Women4ClimateTO program provides mentorship, training, and networking opportunities for local women entrepreneurs tackling the climate crisis through innovation. Since its launch in 2020, the program has supported 61 women and 59 climate-related ventures.
The initiative supports Toronto’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy, which aims to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040.
Learn more about this year’s mentees, mentors, and award recipients at toronto.ca/women4climate.
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