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Emily Bitze

Founder, Bunz

MarketplaceToronto

Emily Bitze started Bunz in Toronto in 2013 as a money-free Facebook trading group for friends, after finding herself broke and unable to afford ingredients for a pasta dinner. She was the public face of Bunz as it grew into an app company. The Logic reported in December 2019 that she had fully stepped away by fall 2017.

Emily hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Emily co-founded Bunz, which appears in 2 talks in the archive.

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Quick answers

Who founded Bunz?

Emily Bitze. The Globe and Mail reported in February 2016 that she was broke, reached out to her Facebook network and started the group as a money-free trading space for her extended social circle, first called Bumz Trading Zone. BetaKit dated the launch to 2013 in March 2017.

How did Bunz go from a Facebook group to a company?

The Logic reported in December 2019 that Sascha Mojtahedi, then CEO of the trading app Shufl, courted Bitze for months before she agreed at an October 2015 dinner to merge under the Bunz name, with him leading the company. CBC News reported in March 2016 that Bunz had its own app, an angel investor and more than 40,000 members.

Is Emily Bitze still involved with Bunz?

No, according to reporting. The Logic's December 2019 investigation cited several former co-workers saying she had fully stepped away by fall 2017 amid disagreements over whether and how Bunz should make money, and said she did not answer its interview requests.

What else is Emily Bitze known for?

Music. The Globe and Mail described her in February 2016 as a musician in the Toronto bands Milk Lines and Wish, known in the community as Mother Bun. HuffPost Canada reported in September 2017 that she was born in Montreal and studied fashion design there.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 15, 2026