INNOVATE™ Toronto

We believe in the power of arts and creativity to contribute to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of our city. For over 30 years, Artscape, a not-for-profit organization, has made space for creativity for artists and creatives to thrive. This has resulted in Artscape developing and operating 15 unique...

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...

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...

As digital transformation accelerates across industries in Canada, companies are looking to build a much stronger digital foundation to fundamentally change the way their business works. Artificial Intelligence (AI), hybrid cloud and quantum computing are playing a significant part in helping private and public organizations further advance and contribute to...

Like Benjamin Franklin knotting a key to a kite in a lightning storm, today’s AI researchers are unlocking technology that is reshaping our world. From quantum neural networks and natural language processing, to AI for drug discovery, the path to future innovations and commercialization is charted by a small subset...

Currently amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we are witnessing unprecedented technological change triggered by a multitude of disruptive forces. These changes have shaken Canada’s business ecosystem, causing new players to rise and existing leaders to fall.   Consequently, incumbents are faced with a harsh reality where constant innovation and technological...

Brickeye is a leader in industrial internet of things (IoT) and data analytics for risk mitigation in construction and infrastructure management. We empower customers to build and manage their projects and assets safer, smarter, and better. By integrating actionable, real-time data from IoT-enabled sensors and predictive analytics, we enable customers...

Thornhill Medical is a leading developer of innovative mobile medical technologies. Thornhill Medical’s ground-breaking solutions are produced to be used around the world by emergency health care providers, military medical teams and disaster relief responders.   Renowned Canadian research scientist and physician, Dr. Joseph Fisher, has spent his career achieving...

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...

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...

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...

At Deloitte, we have a big-picture vision of innovation—it’s not only about what we produce but also about where it takes us and how it enables our people, clients, communities, and country to thrive. To realize this vision, we work to inspire and empower our people to be innovative at...

Toronto is the driving force behind Canada’s tech, finance, manufacturing, creative and service sectors. It’s also a cultural powerhouse. The most diverse city on the planet, Toronto is a place to convene, create, play, do business and launch the next great idea that could change the world.   Top of...

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...

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...

Today, as Toronto strives to be a model of wellness and sustainability, the city looks to learn from Indigenous communities, combining many traditional practices with contemporary medicine, design and green technologies....

OTI Lumionics develops advanced materials—by design—using quantum simulations, machine learning and in-house automated testing in pilot production. OTI works with the largest mobile device and display manufacturers in the world to enable materials for OLED displays used in next-generation consumer electronics and automotive applications. Their advanced electrode materials, and associated...

Carlos Secada as a child with his parents and sister lived alone in the middle of the Amazon jungle. He grew up deprived of any initiative coming from modernity and technology. It was only after returning to the city and studying, that he managed to start working for Accenture, and...

Ericsson has been a critical part of Canada’s innovation and R&D story for 69 years. We are committed to driving the country’s digital agenda through turning-point technologies such as 5G. This means enabling Canada’s industries and service providers to lead on the world stage, supporting major service providers on their...

Owning one of Canada’s most successful Healthcare Recruiting Agencies, Workwolf’s Cofounder and CEO, Erik Simins, spent years working with enterprise companies to help establish more efficient ways to identify, attract and hire talent. Overseeing thousands of hiring cycles, one thing was very clear; resumes were the prominent source of data...

Gene editing holds the potential to cure a wide range of genetic diseases by altering DNA in the genome inside cells – but today’s gene editors have limitations. To better realize the significant opportunity of this therapeutic approach, and allow for its application to new therapeutic areas, Specific Biologics (“Specific”)...

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...

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...

Amplify Capital is a Canadian-based investment fund that provides early-stage companies long-term equity solutions and strategic support to develop their business to solve challenges affecting our future. Led by veteran private equity executive Kathryn Wortsman, Amplify Capital invests exclusively in impact ventures that demonstrate significant, measurable impact alongside market-rate returns....