INNOVATE™ Toronto

At Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS (JLABS), our goal is to provide the optimal environment for emerging life science companies to catalyze growth by exposing them to vital industry connections, delivering entrepreneurial programs, and providing a capital-efficient, flexible platform where they can transform the scientific discoveries of today into...

Join the world’s leading community of ambitious people who are ready to build. We believe the world is missing out on the best potential founders, and we’re on a mission to change that.   Entrepreneur First (EF) is a global leader in cofounder matching, with a track record of 10+...

MaRS helps promising ventures become world-leading companies. The anchor of Canada’s tech ecosystem, MaRS connects all players in the innovation economy to turn breakthrough ideas into products and services with global impact. MaRS was founded on the philosophy that innovators require more than labs and offices. They need a platform...

The Ontario Mining Association is proud to represent an industry that provides the world with the building blocks of modern life and innovation. Minerals and metals are essential, irreplaceable components of everything from lifesaving medical devices to clean technologies, such as solar panels and EV batteries. We cannot have a...

Founded in 2011, NEXT Canada was built on the vision of supporting the growth trajectory of aspiring and scaling entrepreneurs. With the support and leadership from NEXT Canada’s Cofounders and Founding Patrons, NEXT has grown to become one of Canada’s top entrepreneurial networks, with graduates achieving significant milestones in their...

Accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, families are in dire need of home care, but labour shortages make accessible home care a challenge for most people in Canada and many suffer in silence. Take for example Mr. Jones*, who sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident. After spending several...

Over 33,000 Canadians have died of Covid-19, most of whom were alone in the hospital or in long-term care homes known for poor conditions and mistreatment of residents. Against the backdrop of a long-existing labour shortage, health care workers’ resilience and compassion are being tested, and many are quitting. It’s...

Co-founded by University of Toronto graduates, Bashir Khan, Ayaan Haider and Shayaan Haider in 2018, AirMatrix builds the world’s most precise drone road systems. AirMatrix is innovating at the bleeding edge and is affiliated with Communitech, MaRS, IRAP and DMZ. AirMatrix is a member of Transport Canada’s action team on...

e-Zinc is a company based in Toronto, Canada that has developed a breakthrough electrochemical technology for storing energy in zinc metal. This affordable, flexible, and long-duration energy storage solution is positioned to enable the world’s energy markets to be fully powered by renewable energy, enabling a zero-carbon energy future.  ...

Since its inception, TBDC has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs by helping them build and grow their ideas. TBDC helps international entrepreneurs aggressively scale up and choose Canada to grow their businesses. To date, TBDC has helped over 9,000 domestic and international entrepreneurial businesses establish themselves in Toronto and Ontario...

OMERS Ventures has been backing early-stage technology companies for more than a decade.   Currently managing CAD$2 billion, with close to 60 investments in disruptive technology companies across North America and Europe, we are proud to support some of the world’s biggest thinkers and builders.   Spanning three countries, OMERS...

The key to innovation is seeing opportunity in unlikely places. For Antibe Therapeutics, the place is a cloud of noxious gas; the prize is a new generation of painkillers. In the wake of the opioid crisis, there is an urgent need for safer analgesics. Almost one-in-10 Canadians prescribed opioid medications...

Located at the commercial centre of Canada, Ryerson University’s 10-incubator network provides Toronto’s ecosystem with an accessible first step for early-stage startups and entrepreneurs, as well as support for the growth of their ventures. At any time of year, you’ll find more than 300 startups on campus, and each incubator,...

Diabetes affects more than 422 million people worldwide, and according to the World Health Organization, the disease will be the seventh leading cause of death in 2030. Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes use insulin therapy to control hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels). Unfortunately, the most significant side effect of insulin therapy...

Venture for Canada is a national charity that fosters the entrepreneurial skills and mindset of young Canadians. We recruit, train, and support young people to work for innovative Canadian small businesses and startups. Participants develop the network, knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills to have more impactful careers through our programs. In...

One notable development is the move from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric vehicles (EVs). The lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries used in EVs are becoming more prevalent everywhere. These days, they are the go-to choice when it comes to powering everything from mobile phones to power tools, drones, EVs, and more....

Chronic pain affects approximately 1 in 5 people and is one of the most difficult to treat chronic conditions. It’s a leading reason people seek healthcare, use opioid medication, and go on disability. Often referred to as the silent epidemic, the burden of chronic pain carries immense costs to individuals,...

NRStor Incorporated is an industry-leading Canadian energy storage developer, owner and operator with experience deploying energy storage across the energy supply chain. Our vision is to deploy energy storage projects at scale in order to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon energy system. NRStor has successfully deployed numerous first-of-a-kind energy...

Portage Ventures (“Portage”) is a venture investor that partners with some of the world’s most innovative financial technology companies. Portage is the venture capital arm of multi-asset class alternative investment firm Sagard. It was cofounded in 2016 by Paul Desmarais III (Executive Chairman and CEO of Sagard) and Adam Felesky...

Established in 2017, Parkdale Centre is an incubator & accelerator that supports entrepreneurs to start and grow their business, with a focus on equity, accessibility, and inclusion for underrepresented people, namely women, Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and newcomers to Canada. As an organization, Parkdale Centre works to support entrepreneurs...

Influitive helps the world’s leading brands engage with their customers to drive business value across multiple dimensions. Customer referrals, references and reviews are now recognized as the most effective way to drive business growth and Influitive enables this at scale. Since 2010, Influitive has pioneered advocate marketing and built an...

At Muse®, we live at the heart of personal transformation through human-centered technology. We are a team of engineers, scientists, artists, marketers, and developers with a mission to help people live happier, healthier, and more connected lives through leading brainwave technologies and experiences. Muse has worked with top-tier goods, transportation,...

Fresh City is an award-winning urban farm and omnichannel retailer. With the recent addition of Mama Earth to our family of brands that includes Mabel’s Bakery and The Healthy Butcher, Fresh City is now the largest organic online retailer in Ontario. After a decade, the impact and belief in our...