INNOVATE™ Toronto

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...

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...

OriginsFrom its Silicon Valley origins, Co-founders Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan have built an unparalleled global network of over 5,000 Portfolio Companies, across 200 cities with the largest mentor network in the world of 21,000 Mentors, innovators, investors and ecosystem builders. With chapters on every continent except Antarctica and $30B...

Since 2013, Ecopia AI has been on a mission to create a digital twin of the world using artificial intelligence (AI). Originally spun out of a Ph.D project at the University of Waterloo, Ecopia’s maps have grown from detailing a single small city to mapping entire continents while evolving from...

Innovation is about harnessing change, testing boundaries, and deciding to lead instead of follow. True, the process is rarely simple (let alone straightforward), but those who take the risk get a chance to write their futures. There’s no “right” path to innovation. As our experiences at KPMG’s Ignition Center reveal...

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...

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.  ...

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....

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...

York University is a leading international teaching and research University, and a driving force for positive change. Located in Toronto, Canada, York University is home to one of the largest and most diverse student bodies in Canada with 59,000 students from 178 countries. International partners are collaborating with VISTA to...

At MountX we build a safe and simple marketplace that eliminates the inaccessibility and bureaucracy of traditional investments by making real estate investments accessible to everyone, without a large financial investment or previous experience.   MountX Real Estate Capital Corp. is creating the next generation of digital financial products to...

Cancer is not just one disease. Each tumour is unique, and each person will experience cancer differently, requiring tailored therapies matched to the unique drivers of their disease.   To address this tremendous challenge effectively, it takes a diverse range of people working together in multidisciplinary networks on innovations in...

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...

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...

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...

Known for its diverse population and iconic skyline, Toronto is also the birthplace of the electron microscope, insulin, and pacemakers. And on a quiet side street south of the University of Toronto, one growing biotechnology company aims to contribute to the city’s entrepreneurial legacy. AmacaThera is a clinical-stage biotechnology company...

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....

A national, bilingual, not-for-profit organization, Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. This effort is supported by the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and other provincial and territorial governments. By driving economic growth and productivity, Mitacs creates meaningful change...

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...

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...

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...

Exact Imaging was incorporated in Ontario in 2013, and is the world’s leader in high resolution micro-ultrasound systems enabling real-time imaging and biopsy guidance for the prostate.   Exact Imaging’s ExactVu™ micro-ultrasound system, operates up to 29 MHz and enables a new level of resolution compared to conventional urological ultrasound...

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...

MERIC S. GERTLER PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ” INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE ” “U of T’s remarkable diversity provides both a springboard to social mobility and a superb environment for education, research and innovation.” – MERIC S. GERTLER, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO The strength of Toronto’s higher education, research and innovation enterprise...