BRIGHTSPARK
VENTURES
Brightspark Ventures is a
next-generation venture capital firm based in Canada that invests to build and grow early-stage software companies. Their model lets accredited investors directly invest in single purpose funds.
www.brightspark.com
CLEANTECH
NORTH
CleanTech North provides emerging Canadian clean technology companies with the mentorship and support required to enter into and succeed in the global marketplace.
www.cleantechnorth.com
COMMUNITECH
Whether you’re starting or growing
your tech business, Communitech can provide you access to world-class coaching and mentoring, talent, capital, professional development opportunities, connections, and much more! Communitech is a not-for-profit organization aimed at helping tech companies start, grow & succeed.
www.communitech.ca
CREATIVE
DESTRUCTION
LAB
Experienced entrepreneurs provide guidance on how to most effectively allocate scarce resources to maximize chance of venture success. Access to early-stage investors may also be available.
www.creativedestructionlab.com
STARTUP INCUBATORS AND ACCELERATORS
DRIVEN
ACCELERATOR
Their mission aims to make resources and opportunities available to underrepresented groups in business by promoting equal opportunity access to resources, providing direct access to startup capital, promoting mentorship/networking, and collaborating with other startup resources.
www.drivenaccelerator.com
HIGHLINE
HIGHLINE is an intense, founder-driven experience backed by major VCs, including BDC Capital and Relay Ventures, whose funds under management collectively exceed $2 billion. It focuses on startups that are close to product/market fit and have global ambition to scale. Led by digital product entrepreneurs, it gives founders an edge for the lifetime of
their venture through its exclusive
method, platform and community.
www.highline.vc
EXTREME
VENTURE
PARTNERS
EVP is successful venture capital fund
that acts as a technology accelerator
which focuses on Mobile (apps, payment, health, enterprise), Big Data (open/social data, natural language processing, machine learning and analytics) and the Internet-of-Things (wearables, robotics, drones and connected devices).
www.evp.vc
DIGITAL
MEDIA ZONE
AT RYERSON
UNIVERSITY
(DMZ)
The DMZ helps startups succeed by connecting them with customers, advisors, influencers and each other. Startups accepted to the DMZ enjoy four months of free co-working space and services (after which they can pay a membership fee to stay on).
HUMBER
LAUNCH
IDEABOOST
INCUBES
JOLT (MaRS
INVESTMENT
ACCELERATOR
FUND
PROGRAM)
HumberLaunch offers two annual
startup funding competitions: the New Venture Seed Fund and the LaunchPad Competition. Its mission is to cultivate innovative ideas into successful business ventures while promoting economic development by providing physical resources, business advice, knowledge, skills development, mentors and networking opportunities.
ideaBOOST is Canada’s own Digital Entertainment Accelerator. Companies selected get the budget, tools, training and mentorship to bring their product to market. ideaBOOST will invest up to $15,000 towards development costs and $15,000 of in-kind services, totalling a $30,000 interest-free loan.
INcubes offers game changing incubation programs. The Funnel program is the early-stage program for entrepreneurs that is designed around core product and business deliverables. The Acceleration Program is a highly-focused, hands-on,
intensive program designed to help companies engage customers and investors early and effectively.
At JOLT, a wide range of tools, resources and immersive experiences are provided to help move your thinking and company forward to the next stage of success. JOLT attracts investors and helps you to raise capital ($50k for 9% equity).
www.humber.ca/humberlaunch
www.ideaboost.ca
www.incubes.ca
MaRS
COMMONS
MaRS
INNOVATION
KINETIC
CAFE
MaRS works with an extensive network
of private and public sector partners to help entrepreneurs launch and grow the innovative companies that are building our future — startup ventures with broad economic and societal impact.
MaRS Innovation is the official commercialization agent for the intellectual property created by its 15 members. It taps into $1 billion of annual research and development, and is a not-for-profit organization independent from MaRS Discovery District.
Kinetic Cafe licenses its platform to clients and development partners under a SaaS model and provides it to the startup community free-of-charge to help them create and advance early concepts. It created a space where minds and networks come together to spark ideas, fuel invention and drive innovation forward from all angles.
www.marsdd.com
www.marsinnovation.com www.kineticcafe.com
LAUNCH
180
Launch 180 focuses on helping startups achieve first revenue within 180 days and spend substantially less money in their initial start-up phase. Their goal is to minimize initial costs and timelines by putting the startup’s core growth assumptions to the test as quickly as possible.
MULTIPLICITY
RIC CENTRE
MaRS
INVESTMENT
ACCELERATOR
FUND
Multiplicity is a not-for-profit group supporting education in the Toronto startup community. Multiplicity hosts a seminar and workshop series where local community experts share their knowledge on tactical, practitioner based topics that can be implemented quickly to help you solve problems and accelerate growth to improve success.
As the Entrepreneur and Innovation Hub for Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, the RIC Centre offers a comprehensive range of support services to entrepreneurs for free, including mentorship and advisory services, hands-on workshops and networking events. Using the expertise of RICC’s Entrepreneurs in Residence, RICC clients receive unparalleled professional guidance every step of the way.
The Investment Accelerator Fund helps build and strengthen Ontario-based businesses in the cleantech, ICT and life sciences & healthcare sectors. It offers two types of funding: 1) The IAF invests up to $500,000 in early-stage companies that have the potential to be global leaders in their field and provide sustainable economic benefits to Ontario and 2)The Youth IAF invests up to $250,000 in innovative technology-based companies where the majority of founders are under the age of 30.
www.multiplicityto.ca
www.riccentre.ca www.marsdd.com/funding/ investment-accelerator-fund/
RYERSON
FUTURES
THE
NEXT 36
TORONTO
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
CENTRE
RFI accelerates great companies, partners with great clients to deliver innovative, market changing solutions and invests in high trajectory startups. Ryerson Futures (RFI) is a “Founders First” Accelerator program that selects and assembles top technology based startups, accelerating their go to market success with real customers, real investors and actionable guidance. The Next 36 is a non-profit charity that is helping grow Canada’s long-term prosperity by fast-tracking the development of Canada’s most talented young innovators. For seven months, 36 young entrepreneurs are mentored by Canada’s top business leaders, taught by some of the world’s top business faculty, and work to earn funding from top venture capitalists.
TBDC is an independent non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to nurturing the growth of new and emerging businesses.
www.ryersonfutures.ca
www.thenext36.ca
www.tbdc.com
TORONTO
FASHION
INCUBATOR
The Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) is an award-winning and highly-acclaimed non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and nurturing Canadian fashion designers and entrepreneurs. TFI plays an essential role in the growth and promotion of the Canadian fashion community by helping creative entrepreneurs to develop the business and professional skills they need to thrive and survive.
TORONTO
FOOD
BUSINESS
INCUBATOR
UTEST
(UNIVERSITY
OF TORONTO
EARLY STAGE
TECHNOLOGY)
VENTURELAB
YEDINSTITUTE
(YORK
ENTREPRE-NEURSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
INSTITUTE)
The Toronto Food Business Incubator (TFBI) is a non-profit organization
that assists entrepreneurs in
establishing and growing food processing companies. TFBI assists new and emerging food processing business with the goal of supporting entrepreneurship and job creation in the food manufacturing industry. UTEST accepts companies in the earliest stages of idea generation — before they’re ready for traditional incubators — and awards each company up to $30,000 in startup funds. It provides nascent software companies with startup funding, office space in the MaRS Discovery District facility, mentoring and business strategy support.
ventureLAB applied a unique
combination of mentoring, partnering and connecting to help pioneering entrepreneurs turn their great ideas into globally competitive businesses with successful startup business training. It is a non-profit region innovation centre that has been cultivating, supporting and celebrating entrepreneurs in York Region, Simcoe County, and the Muskoka District since 2011.
YEDI is a rigorous entrepreneurship institute that is free to attend and grants formal York University certification upon graduation. It offers
an exclusive opportunity to pitch
your venture to investors and receive up to $500,000 in funding from the
institute’s very own venture capital
fund.
www.tfbi.ca
www.research.utoronto. ca/industry-and-
partners/entrepreneurs-and-start-ups/utest/
www.venturelab.ca
