INNOVATE™ Toronto

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...

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...

You know how to lend. But, to whom do you lend, when you don’t have the right data? Too many business lenders are constrained by partial data and manual processes. And, speed is paramount. Keren Moynihan, CEOBoss Insights empowers fintechs and lenders to respond faster, make underwriting decisions more quickly,...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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”)...

Docsie has one simple mission: helping businesses everywhere to write better documentation using reader insights, and removing barriers around web publishing and team collaboration.   Docsie brings product, support and development teams together, alongside their tools, in one AIpowered knowledge management system. Docsie breaks down silos and creates a fluid,...

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...

U of T consistently ranks as one of the world’s Top 25 universities, and it’s the hub of Toronto’s innovation ecosystem. For nearly 200 years, some of society’s most daring thinkers have gathered here to unlock human potential and bring about positive change. It’s where Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James...

For the past 15 years, Techstars has been running 3-month tech accelerators across the world. Names such as SendGrid, Digital Ocean, Latch, Classpass, Remitly and Kepler Aerospace are some of the 3000 alumni companies to have graduated from a Techstars program.   For 5 years Techstars has operated in Toronto....

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...

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....

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...

Balance is Canada’s largest digital asset custodian. Our solution powers financial services companies such as over-the-counter trading desks, exchanges, lenders, and ATM networks. The assets are kept secure on specialized hardware, kept fully offline in geographically distributed bank grade vaults that are access controlled, monitored, and guarded 24/7. Our internal...

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...

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...