INNOVATE™ Toronto

INNOVATORS, SCHOLARS & EXPERTSCIFAR is a global leader in the research community, bringing together top researchers across disciplines to advance our understanding of the most complex and far-reaching questions. Our researchers establish new fields of inquiry — reimagining our health, our understanding of the Universe, the prosperity of our societies,...

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...

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...

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is transforming the future of child health through an innovative approach we call Precision Child Health. Building on our long legacy of paediatric clinical and research innovation, and a 2022 ranking as the top children’s hospital in the world*, over the next decade we’ll...

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...

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...

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...

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....

Through technology and automation, Perch’s free analytics platform gives users detailed insights into all aspects regarding homeownership, all of which is supplemented by a dedicated mortgage advisor that strategizes with clients to help them achieve their homeownership goals. Perch’s mission is to empower Canadians to make more informed decisions when...

How salmon & sangria started a green revolution.Some of the most inspiring inventions come at the most innocuous times. In 2017, Just Vertical co-founders Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela were completing their Masters of Science at the University of Toronto. Bright eyed and full of enthusiasm, they hoped to equip...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

At BlueRock, our mission is to create authentic cellular medicines to reverse devastating diseases, with the vision of improving the human condition.   Built on the research of some of the world’s foremost experts in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biology, BlueRock has revolutionized and scaled methods for creating authentic...

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...

The Foundation awards the annual Canada Gairdner Awards to leading scientists from around the world whose discoveries have had a major impact on scientific progress and human health. The awards are Canada’s only globally recognized international scientific prize. Since 1959, more than 400 scientists from 40 countries have received a...

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...

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”)...

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...

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...

FoundersBoost Toronto is the city’s only 100% free, not-for-profit preaccelerator program for early-stage founders. We are a volunteer-only organization that runs six-week boot camps that prepare founders for accelerators, investment, and revenue. We take no equity and charge no fees from any of our startups. FoundersBoost Toronto is led by...

In the spring of 2020, just as the devastating first wave of the pandemic began to hit businesses, healthcare and our communities, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good was born. At $100 million, the Pollinator Fund is one of the world’s largest corporate impact funds. The Pollinator Fund invests in...

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...