These 3 GTA startups are on their way!
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! You may recall that, just over a year ago, Gradient Spaces, a local organization with an incubator for queer founders, got acquired by Montreal's QueerTech Labs, with the aim to scale their impact through sharing of resources and expertise.


It's one year post-acquisition, and QueerTech Labs recently unveiled the eighteen participants for its inaugural twelve-week Founders Catalyst Program, designed to give 2SLGBTQIA+ founders a leg up with resources and networking opportunities to scale their companies. This initial cohort features startups from all across North America, including three from the Toronto area.


Those three local program participants include Chromatic Data, a data tech company empowering social impact investing, consumer research, and media teams with AI-driven solutions to amplify their impact; Elite Explore, with a platform which simplifies travel recommendations and builds custom trip plans tailored to every kind of explorer, and The Empowerful Project, helping people healing after mental health crises with post-discharge care and intentional, human-centered support.


Congratulations to all three Toronto startups in QueerTech's new program! If you have a startup or an idea for one, scroll down for opportunities and events to help you on your way.



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.



May 4 - DMZ Basecamp Sprint


Basecamp is DMZ's startup incubation program designed to catapult ambitious students into the tech world. Its Sprint stream is a four-week program tailored for university students eager to accelerate their business ideas, offering a curated selection of development opportunities aimed at expanding an entrepreneurial mindset. Selected startups will pitch their ideas in June at a new Toronto Tech Week, with an opportunity to win travel grants to explore new markets worldwide. Upon completion, graduating participants will move on to DMZ Basecamp Voyage.


May 11 - DMZ Basecamp Voyage


DMZ's Basecamp Voyage is an eight-week program for both high school and university students, designed to deepen entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. Participants will receive tailored coaching in marketing, product development, lean canvas business models, consultations, and financing, and gain invaluable insights through personalized mentoring sessions with staff as well as alumni and partners. The program culminates in a pitch competition for a chance at one of three grant prizes, with a first-place prize of $20K. Don't have an idea or team? We’ll set you up with a team of other like-minded students, and put you on a path to ideate and build the next greatest tech idea!


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 - Parkdale Centre for Innovation Fall 2024 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 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

Wednesday

10:00-12:30 ◦ Angel Investing 101: How Intellectual Property Fuels Startup Growth


Intellectual property (IP) is not just for legal protection; it's a business asset which drives growth and investment potential. Join us as we highlight What to Look for When Evaluating IP. Whether you're an experienced investor or just getting started, this session offers actionable insights to help you make informed decisions. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from experts and network with the Brampton Angels community!


11:00-12:00 ◦ From Lab To Market: Pathways To Commercialization of Innovations


The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT) is pleased to host an exclusive webinar featuring a panel of three leaders in biotechnology, social impact, and research innovation. This event is for Innovators and researchers working to commercialize groundbreaking research, entrepreneurs interested in understanding the commercialization process, and post-secondary institutions looking to enhance their collaboration with innovators.

Wednesday and Thursday

DiscoveryX Conference


Join us for DiscoveryX, a conference and tradeshow like no other. This is where ground-breaking ideas meet the resources, partners, and opportunities to become a reality. Touch and feel the latest in Ontario innovation, everything from tech to health to automotive — it’s all at DiscoveryX, along with inspiring keynote speakers, exhibitors, networking opportunities with industry, government leaders, investors, and academia.

DiscoveryX, powered by the Ontario Centre of Innovation, brings together entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, government, and industry leaders to showcase the power of Ontario innovation.

Thursday