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Curated opportunities, talks, workshops, and events for those interested in creating a startup, growing one, or who want to connect with GTA startups.

Techstars Startup Digest Toronto

Locally curated opportunities, talks, workshops, and other events for those interested in creating a startup, growing one, or who want to connect with startups in the Greater Toronto Area.

Hello Toronto startups and entrepreneurs! Great news! After a two year hiatus, Techstars is planning for a return of its Toronto chapter. Techstars Toronto made the announcement last month on LinkedIn:

Together, we’re building Techstars Toronto. In the coming months we’ll be building the team to take this ecosystem to the next level and hiring our next Managing Director, a leader who can unlock scale for founders, mobilize the community, and help Toronto’s best companies grow faster and think bigger.

The revived program will be financed by Techstars' global platform, as well as a group of local limited partners to promote sustainability. There is no application timeline as of yet, but one will be announced once Techstars hires a managing director and completes funding formation.


If you're working towards tools to help adapt to climate change, have a look at MaRS' Adaptech Accelerator. It's designed to help ventures speed up the development of climate change adaptation and resilience solutions. Applications are now open. If you're not sure whether the accelerator is a good fit, be sure to attend Monday's info session. Scroll down for more details.


Have a great week!



Ian Stevens ◦ ianstevens.ca@istevens

Community Opportunities

Here are some upcoming deadlines for applying to accelerators, grants and funding, or other competitions and programs. Don’t miss out! If you know of others, please submit any application deadlines and I’ll post them if they’re relevant.


Apply now - MaRS Adaptech Accelerator


As climate shocks intensify, Canada must harness new tools and processes to better prepare for and respond to a changing world. With a comprehensive suite of services, MaRS’s Adaptech Accelerator is designed to help ventures speed up the development of climate change adaptation and resilience solutions. This accelerator aims to help build climate resilience in three key ways: attract and support eight to ten ventures helping Canadians prepare, prevent, recover or respond to the impacts of climate change; increase capital flows going toward adaptation and resilience solutions; and advance the adoption of Adaptech solutions across Canada. The Adaptech Accelerator will provide up to ten Canadian startups with tailored programming, market research, PR, advisory support, network building, as well as connections to capital, world-class labs, and industry partners and governments seeking resilience solutions. Through this program, we aim to bring adaptation technologies to the forefront of Canada’s climate economy, scale up solutions and accelerate the adoption of adaptech across the nation.


Apply now - Parkdale Centre for Innovation Programs


Parkdale Centre is an incubator and accelerator that supports entrepreneurs, with a focus on equity, accessibility, and inclusion for underrepresented people, namely women, Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and newcomers to Canada. The Centre is accepting applications for both its Women Founders stream, and Early Stage Startup stream. Both programs are intended for those looking to set and meet revenue and growth goals for their business over the next three to nine months, and willing to execute on the program’s short-term milestones, stay on track with consistent webinars and mentorship. The Women Founders stream focuses on providing accessible and inclusive leadership, business training and entrepreneurship skills to self-identifying woman and/or non-binary founders, while the Early Stage stream supports entrepreneurs with a focus on preparing for user growth, team growth, revenue growth, and fundraising.


Apply now - DMZ Incubator Program


DMZ formally onboards Incubator startups twice a year (fall and spring), with applications open year-round. Be one of the ten to fourteen companies — never one of hundreds — to scale alongside driven, battle-tested founders who know what it takes. Unlike traditional accelerators, DMZ’s Incubator is designed to meet you where you are, so you can scale faster on your terms. You'll get a custom growth plan, unlimited meetings with our experts for strategic guidance, fractional support and mentoring, as well as fundraising and investor access, global exposure and media opportunities, exclusive perks and partner benefits (including $1M+ in tech credits, discounts, and resources), and a top-tier workspace with a vibrant founder community.


Apply now - YSpace Tech Incubator


This YSpace incubator membership aims to support early-stage entrepreneurs developing innovative technology-based startups with a unique network and support system of mentors, subject-matter expertise, and workshops designed to elevate their entrepreneurial journey. Participants will develop and strengthen their knowledge through virtual webinars and educational workshops, and engage with program advisors, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and industry experts to build strategic direction and drive tactical execution of their company goals. Come join a network of like-minded individuals and discuss business challenges in peer-to-peer circles. This program has an open intake throughout the year


Apply now - YSpace Women in Tech JumpSTART Incubator


The Women in Tech JumpSTART Incubator program is a bespoke and flexible membership program supporting Ontario-based women-led tech ventures to scale and grow. This program is offered in partnership with YSpace, Schulich School of Business and Treefrog Accelerator and was created with generous funding through the York Region Innovation Fund. With a network of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and advisors, the membership is designed to help founders to navigate the growth journey beyond the launch. Participants will develop and strengthen their knowledge through virtual webinars and educational workshops, and engage with program advisors and industry experts to build the strategic direction and drive the tactical execution of their company goals. Come join a network of like-minded women tech founders and discuss business challenges in peer-to-peer sessions. Applications are open year round, with selected ventures incubated for six months.


Apply now - DMZ Pre-Incubator Program


The DMZ’s Pre-Incubator program helps turn your vision into reality, validate your business idea, establish a minimum viable product, and secure customers for your venture. Participants receive over twelve hours of curated on-demand content, hands-on support, including regular 1:1s with in-house experts, relevant workshops, and progress check-ins, and are eligible for over $470K in perks from 80+ partners, exclusive invites, and the opportunity to proceed to DMZ Incubator's program, with up to $10K in grant funding, and over 18 months of additional support, office space, and more. Applications and program intake occurs on a rolling basis, with new startups joining the program at the beginning of each month.


Apply now - Brampton BHive Startup Incubator


BHive is an initiative powered by the City of Brampton with a goal to empower the next generation of innovators, accelerate their journey, and create a positive impact for the entrepreneur, economy, and community as a whole. The program has been strategically designed to ensure startups have everything they need to scale and grow. Successful applicants will have access to an unrivaled ecosystem and expertise to support exceptional founders in building successful companies. Our integrated approach involves thoughtfully designed programs, one-to-one mentorships, and access to our entire portfolio of service.


Apply now - Futurpreneur Canada Black Entrepreneur Startup Program


This program, delivered by Futurpreneur, will provide young, Black entrepreneurs age 18-39 across Canada with a comprehensive offering of $5,000–$60,000 in startup loan financing, as well as up to two years of mentorship, opportunities to engage with a national network of Black entrepreneurs, leaders and community organizations at a range of entrepreneurship events, and a variety of relevant tools and resources. Participants who are keen to scale their businesses even further will also be eligible for up to $40,000 in follow-on financing funded by RBC, based on the first two years of successful business performance.


Join - Science Discovery Zone at TMU


At the Science Discovery Zone (SDZ) we help people take evidence-based approaches to test big ideas and discover new ventures. We aim to serve as a model for strong collaboration across all disciplines (not just the science ones) that fuels innovation and entrepreneurial discovery. What makes the SDZ stand out amongst other incubators are the unique services and opportunities we create for our community, which are geared towards fostering your goals and success!

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I write this newsletter each week to encourage those with an idea for a tech product or service to take it to the next level, with the help of the many startup resources Toronto has to offer. If you know someone who could use a nudge towards that first step on their startup journey, get them to subscribe. They might thank you for it.


Events this week

Monday

14:00-15:00 ◦ MaRS Adaptech Accelerator Info Webinar


As the effects of climate change get worse, Canada needs new tools and processes to respond to our changing world. The MaRS Adaptech Accelerator aims to support ventures developing solutions to help Canadian communities predict, prevent, respond to and recover from the impacts of the climate crisis. MaRS will provide selected ventures with tailored programming, market research, PR, advisory support and network building, as well as connections to capital, labs and industry partners and governments seeking resilience solutions. This webinar is an opportunity to learn more about the accelerator from MaRS’s programming team.


17:30-20:30 ◦ Rotman Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Association (REVCA) Spark Night


REVCA is thrilled to host one of Rotman's most exciting events to meet people from the Toronto startup ecosystem! Join us to watch the most innovative startups pitch, network with investors, startup operators and entreprenerial students at Rotman. This is an event for University of Toronto students, and you will be required to present your U of T student card to enter.

Tuesday

10:00-12:00 ◦ Excel for Entrepreneurs: Cash Flow and Budgeting Made Simple


Take control of your business finances with this hands-on Excel session designed for entrepreneurs. You’ll learn how to build a simple yet powerful cash flow and budgeting worksheet that helps you track income, expenses, and profitability. This event is perfect for anyone who wants to better understand their numbers and make smarter business decisions using easy-to-follow Excel tools.


10:30-14:30 ◦ Founders in Focus Lunch: Building with Resilience


Founders in Focus is a monthly speaker series bringing together a diverse panel of voices to share honest stories and hard lessons. In this session, panelists will share how they sustain their well-being and overcome setbacks for long-term success. This month we are excited to present a special edition with two free bonus wellness sessions (optional) before and after lunch to help you walk away with practical experiences to help build your own resilience.


12:00-13:00 ◦ Launchpad: Campus Resources for U of T Startups Online


This is an orientation to U of T campus resources for those with startups or interested in startups, including accelerators, courses and programs, library resources, commercialization, funding opportunities, and community resources. You will leave with knowledge of how the university supports student and faculty startups through space, training, and mentorship; an understanding of campus accelerators, pitch competitions, and funding opportunities; additional library workshops available to further support and boost your entrepreneurship journey; and a guide of where to go to find more information at U of T, around Toronto, and the broader startup ecosystem.



18:00-20:00 ◦ YSpace Founder Fundamentals Workshop Series: Customer Discovery and Research


Interested in building your entrepreneurial skills to launch your startup? Founder Fundamentals is a twelve-week workshop series brought to you by YSpace and powered by the Markham Small Business Centre (MSBC) designed to help you kickstart your entrepreneurial career. Whether you are a professional services company, brick and mortar or technology startup, the program aims to equip you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to succeed. Spanning across topics such as business plan writing, bootstrapping, and setting up a Shopify store, this program provides a wide range of learning. The program also connects you with local resources for potential next steps as you progress in your entrepreneurial ventures.


18:30-21:00 ◦ TO Founders Brew Mixer


We are bringing together some of the most ambitious people in Toronto. ​​Give a quick intro about what you're working on, meet your next co-founder or investor, and demo your latest work. ​​No entry fees, no corporate agenda, just vibes. The perfect way to end the night.


19:00-22:00 ◦ Startup Pitch and Networking Toronto


Join our focused pitch night with live startup pitches, direct investor feedback, and time to meet relevant founders and peers. We design these sessions to help founders sharpen their thinking through direct, candid feedback, and to give strong investors access to serious teams. Pitch to the audience with your project and receive feedback from angels and VC partners focussed on real decisions and next steps. We also invite angel investors and VC partners to participate as judges and contributors. Join the discussion, meet other investors, and see what teams are building early.

Wednesday