The On-Ramp

Funding: No programmatic cheque; runs the Market Diversification matching fund separately
Cost: Membership-based; free tiers available · Cohorts: Rolling membership; programs run continuously
Applications: Rolling
Format: Mentorship and coaching for startup and growth-stage companies · Kelowna, in-person + community

Federal ElevateIP money delivered in BC, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, covering the legal cost of protecting intellectual property. Three streams: free IP education, one-to-one mentorship, and up to $25,000 toward IP strategy or $60,000 toward implementation. The funded streams need 25% co-investment from you, or 10% if the company is majority Indigenous-owned. Only mentorship is taking applications now; both funded streams are closed until 2027 pending renewal.
Type: Program support
Amount: Up to $25K (IP strategy) and up to $60K (IP implementation), both currently closed; mentorship is unfunded support
Cadence: Mentorship is open until spaces fill. The funded streams reopen in 2027 if ElevateIP is renewed.

Funding: No funding in this program (AC:Studio is the one with money). Up to $600K in partner perks: AWS, Google for Startups, HubSpot
Cost: FREE. No equity, ever: you keep 100% of your company and IP. Funded by the Province of Ontario and the City of Waterloo · Cohorts: Cohorts of 30 companies
Applications: CLOSED: join the notify list for the next cohort
Format: 9 months · Waterloo, in-person workshops plus virtual mentorship

Funding: No direct funding: mentorship and investment-readiness education
Cost: No equity, ever · Cohorts: Rolling
Applications: ALWAYS OPEN: no deadline. The flagship program
Format: Structured four-phase programming · Waterloo HQ, supports startups virtually across Canada

Funding: No direct funding: tools, mentorship and support
Cost: No equity, ever · Cohorts: Rolling
Applications: Check the site: no deadline published
Format: Waterloo HQ, virtual support available

Funding: No direct funding: go-to-market and revenue acceleration
Cost: No equity, ever · Cohorts: Cohort-based
Applications: ⚠️ DEADLINE AUGUST 14, 2026. That date has passed; watch for the next call
Format: Waterloo, with virtual support

Funding: Up to $100,000 in NON-DILUTIVE funding
Cost: No equity, ever: you keep 100% of your company and IP · Cohorts: Cohort-based
Applications: CLOSED: the July 31 2026 deadline has passed; watch for the next cohort call
Format: Rapid venture development · Waterloo

Life Sciences BC's annual full-day conference on how BC research becomes health and economic impact. The 2026 edition, the 11th, ran on the theme "Discovery to Impact: Life Sciences in Action", covering the path from discovery through development, commercialization and adoption, with AI across the sector as a running thread. Industry, research and government in one room.
When: Annual, late February. 2026: February 25, Vancouver Convention Centre West.
To present: No open presenting application published. Speaker line-ups are curated by Life Sciences BC; the route in is membership and direct contact.
To attend: Paid registration, opens in the new year.

Funding: Program benefits + pitch/investment pathways into AARP's ecosystem (terms vary by track)
Cost: Free to join. AARP's words: 'We don't ask for fees or equity to join the program.' · Cohorts: Four cohorts a year, each eight weeks, run completely virtually
Applications: Rolling, with no published deadline. Four steps: submit an application to pitch, pitch at an event for three to five minutes, sit a 45-minute startup interview, then final notification
Format: Eight weeks, completely virtual, at about three to five hours a week

Festival of co-located life-science events (BioProcess International, Cell & Gene Therapy International, LSX USA Congress + more): 5,000+ attendees; RESI Boston runs the same week
When: Sep 22–25, 2026 (Hynes Convention Center + venues)
To present: Speaking/presenting varies by co-located event: check each event's call for speakers
To attend: Separate registration per event (free to $5K+); early-bird pricing typically expires over the summer

Funding: Up to $300K equity-free; the Capstone Grand Prize alone is $250K. No restrictions on use of the funds
Cost: FREE: no application fee, NO equity · Cohorts: ~20 selected per cycle; 2026 cohort was 30
Applications: Applications open in OCTOBER and close ~Dec 1 for the following-year cohort. 2026 closed; the 2027 waitlist is open now at biotoolsinnovator.org/apply
Format: Virtual, June to mid-October, plus two mandatory in-person events (Innovator Summit at the start, Showcase and Finals in October)

A Life Sciences BC speaking series hosted at the Blakes Vancouver office. The September 2026 session, "New Capital in Play", covered how new Canadian funding initiatives are reshaping life sciences investment. THE USEFUL PART FOR A FOUNDER OUTSIDE VANCOUVER: the virtual ticket is free. In-person includes breakfast and a half-hour of open networking after the programme, which is the part you cannot get on Zoom.
When: September 22, 2026, 7:30-10:00 AM PT in person, 8:00-9:30 AM PT online. A recurring series; the next session date is not published.
To present: Not a pitch event. Speakers are invited by Life Sciences BC.
To attend: Virtual: COMPLIMENTARY. In person: $25 plus tax for Life Sciences BC members, $49 plus tax for non-members. Register through the Life Sciences BC events calendar.

Canada's flagship healthcare investor conference: ~66 presenting companies (public, venture-backed and pre-venture) + investor 1-on-1s (Toronto). Hosted by Bloom Burton & Co., healthcare-dedicated investment bank
When: Annual, ~late April (2026: Apr 21–22 · 2027 ~April, TBA)
To present: Presenting-company selection by application/invitation: contact bbloom@bloomburton.com; no public deadline, engage ~winter for spring conference
To attend: Registration opens ~winter

Funding: Ignite up to $150K (early validation) · Fuel up to $500K (mature solutions): non-dilutive, plus tailored acceleration services
Cost: FREE: no fee, no equity · Cohorts: Program intakes vary
Applications: Watch program calls (Ignite/Fuel intakes announced on site)
Format: Program-based + acceleration support, Toronto HQ + remote

Convened by the CVCA, the national body for Canada's private capital industry. It brings the world's largest allocators together with Canada's private equity, growth-stage venture and fund-of-funds managers, its pensions, and the companies they back, timed to the federal government's global investment summit. Sector-agnostic, and the stage is growth and institutional rather than early.
When: One day: SEPTEMBER 14, 2026, downtown Toronto
To present: No pitch slots. Founders attend rather than present - 'Founder / Company' is one of the categories on the request form
To attend: INVITATION-ONLY, by request. Attendance is limited and curated, one representative per firm, and requests are 'reviewed individually' and do not guarantee admission. There is no published cutoff; it closes when the room fills. A fee applies, with a CVCA member rate quoted alongside the invitation

Funding: No cheque at the ASCENT and RIDGE tiers. SUMMIT, which is by invitation, adds funding, rent-free lab placement and 300 hours a year of consulting
Cost: FREE: their own FAQ says CBV programming is offered at no cost · Cohorts: Three tiers, rolling entry · see each programme page for start dates
Applications: Rolling applications, no deadline
Format: ASCENT is six months for therapeutics · RIDGE is a year of gap analysis, 40 hours of consulting and investor-conference representation · SUMMIT is two years by invitation

Funding: No cash investment. The money flows the other way, as a programme fee.
Cost: Programme fee, figure on request. Installments and grant support toward the fee are both offered, so ask for the number at first contact: info@cels-sfo.com · Cohorts: Cohort-based, applications open now
Applications: OPEN NOW. Apply at celsconnect.com/apply. Cohort dates are announced at the info sessions listed on celsconnect.com/events
Format: Includes two days in the San Francisco Bay Area, plus mentorship and peer learning streams

Funding: Equity-free programme, plus access to $100K investment for Acceleration-phase companies
Cost: FREE: no fee, no equity for the Propulsion phase · Cohorts: 2 (fall + winter)
Applications: CALL FOR PROJECTS CLOSED. An interest form for the next cohort is on their site and NO next date is published: submit your interest rather than watching the page
Format: 12 wks (Propulsion) → 2 yrs (Acceleration) · Montréal

Funding: No standard funding (program-specific supports vary)
Cost: Membership-based; many programs free · Cohorts: Rolling
Applications: Rolling
Format: Hub model: programs, peer groups, talent

CQDM and CPDC have opened a national call for Canadian radiopharmaceutical work, and the door is a non-confidential pitch deck emailed by October 15, 2026. Read the offer precisely: there is no grant and no research money attached. Selected teams pitch CPDC's scientific and investment team at a virtual Pitch Day on December 2, 2026. CPDC built Fusion Pharmaceuticals and AtomVie. CQDM says it will also steer selected participants toward its own non-dilutive programmes such as SynergiQc.
Type: investor pitch day (no direct funding)
Amount: No direct funding. Access to CPDC's investment team through a virtual Pitch Day.

Québec's biopharma consortium co-funds drug-discovery R&D run jointly by a public research centre and a Québec company. Up to 40% of eligible expenses, capped at $1.5M over three years, with TRL 1 to 6 in scope, so discovery-stage work qualifies. The applicant is the academic researcher, who may be you if you hold a position at a Québec public research centre. Your company is the industry partner, and at least one partner business must put in 20% of eligible expenses in cash. In-kind does not count.
Type: Matching project funding
Amount: Up to 40% of eligible expenses; max $1.5M over 3 years (CQDM total capped at $500K/year)
Cadence: Calls for proposals every three months. Notify CQDM no later than 7 days before a deadline of your intention to submit.

Funding: CDL writes no cheques: 'There is no guaranteed investment at CDL.' The capital route is the room: its mentors 'include a number of investors (VC's and angels) who often invest in portions of the participating cohort.'
Cost: No fee, no equity, and no relocation: 'Do I need to relocate? No.' · Cohorts: One cohort a year, October to June, with full-day sessions every eight weeks
Applications: The 2026/27 cycle closed 24 July 2026 and that cohort starts in October. One intake a year, so the next leads into October 2027. Register for an info session or write to admissions@creativedestructionlab.com
Format: Nine months, October to June, with up to five full-day in-person sessions. Canadian health sites are Rotman (U of T) and Sauder (UBC)

Funding: $20,000 grant on completion for startups meeting the agreement's requirements, plus dedicated funding programs, Circle of Partner Funds access, and the Green Light pitch day in front of partner investors
Cost: $750 + taxes residual fee (partners cover the rest, under 2% of actual cost) · Cohorts: 1 per year (10 startups, two groups of five)
Applications: Applications typically open ~May and close mid-July (2026 cycle: opened May 25, closed July 13) for an August kick-off
Format: 5 to 6 months, 3 to 6 hrs/week, Aug 2026 to Mar 2027 · Québec

Funding: DMZ Ventures, TMU's for-profit investment arm, writes $100K to $250K into pre-seed and seed companies drawn primarily from DMZ's portfolio, up to 10 a year. The Incubator adds $1M+ in tech credits.
Cost: No fee, but the Incubator takes a 2.5% equity stake in common shares and the Pre-Incubator 2.0%. Their words: 'We don't charge fees, we don't take board seats.' · Cohorts: Applications year-round, with two intakes a year, fall and spring
Applications: Incubator and Pre-Incubator applications are open now. The Women Innovation Summit pitch closes 25 September 2026 for Canadian women founders, with a bootcamp in November and pitching in Toronto in March 2027
Format: Incubator 18 months, Pre-Incubator 9 months, both with a desk at DMZ HQ on Dundas Street East in Toronto. Cohorts cap at 10

Prizes: Two non-dilutive awards of $100,000: one cardiovascular stream, one general health stream
Applications: ⚠️ Applications close Aug 3, 2026 for the Oct 2026 cohort · pitch competition Oct 2027

Funding: Seed investments + Prospects awards (typically ~$100K–$350K range per public announcements)
Cost: Free; investment terms per deal · Cohorts: Rolling + annual calls
Applications: Rolling (watch their calls)
Format: Investment + hands-on commercialization support

Funding: No funding published. Training, mentorship, land-based gatherings and a pitch night.
Cost: No fee and no equity advertised. · Cohorts: Annual, 12-month cohort. The 2026 cohort is the first.
Applications: CLOSED for 2026 and the inaugural cohort is underway. No date is published for the next intake. Register interest at hello@thefireweedinstitute.com to hear when it opens.
Format: 12 months, including in-person land-based gatherings at locations the site does not publish

Funding: No cash investment. What you get is space, staff and network.
Cost: No fee or equity is advertised. Fogarty is a non-profit and the programmes provide lab and office space, so ask what a residency costs before you plan around it. · Cohorts: Company-in-Residence uses rolling admissions, so there is no cohort deadline for it. The other three programmes each take applications through their own form
Applications: ROLLING for Company-in-Residence, and you hear back within two weeks of submitting. The Company Accelerator, Invention Accelerator and Strategic Accelerator each have their own application form
Format: Company-in-Residence typically runs two to three years · Mountain View, California, on site

Funding: No programmatic cheque; angel investment from members at their own discretion
Cost: Free to apply as a founder · Cohorts: Monthly pitch nights, plus the annual GAIN Innovation Investment Summit
Applications: ROLLING. Founder applications are open continuously, so apply when you are ready. The annual GAIN Innovation Investment Summit ran on 18 September 2026 at BDC's Toronto office, ten startups pitching to angels, family offices and funds behind closed doors, run with BDC and the Canada Startup Association. Watch for the 2027 call
Format: Not a cohort programme: a pitch night plus capital-readiness coaching. The Summit is a single closed-door day and is not a competition in their own words, so there is no prize; the value is the room

Funding: No funding: this is customer-validation training, and what it delivers is clarity rather than capital
Cost: $200 to join the cohort · FREE for current students. Childcare support during sessions may be available: flag it on the application if it is critical to your participation · Cohorts: Multiple cohorts a year · fall cohort begins October 8, 2026
Applications: ⚠️ APPLICATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 21, 2026: extended from the earlier September 11 date. Cohort begins October 8
Format: 7 weeks, in person for the fall cohort · Thursdays 5–7 pm required, 3–5 hours a week total · plus at least two 1:1 coaching sessions and a founder Slack

Your company joins as the Sector Partner in a co-investment: you bring a challenge that requires genomics, plus at least 50% of project funding with a letter of commitment. Genome BC awards up to $250K against a minimum 1:1 match, over 6 to 24 months. The academic partner must lead: faculty or a permanent position at a BC post-secondary institution, affiliated hospital, research institute or federal lab. Apply through Proposal Central, after engaging a Genome BC Research & Innovation Manager.
Type: Matching grant
Amount: Up to $250K from Genome BC; min 1:1 match; projects $100K+

Funding: No funding, equity or fee published. What you get is 18 months of space, people and programming: dedicated Entrepreneurs in Residence advising on company development, sales and marketing, recruiting and fundraising
Cost: No fee or equity published. Ask Innovation UBC when you apply · Cohorts: Annual - 'teams who meet this criteria will be invited to apply on an annual basis'
Applications: BY INVITATION, once you are eligible. No public application and no published dates; the date that matters to you is Venture Founder's, which closes OCTOBER 11, 2026 for the Spring 2027 cohort
Format: Up to 18 months of programming, support and access to the spaces

Funding: Up to $200K convertible notes + sequencing credits + reagents/instruments + Bay-Area labs
Cost: Free to apply; equity via notes · Cohorts: ~2 cycles/yr
Applications: Rolling global application; confirm cycle dates before applying
Format: 6 months · SF Bay Area (+ Cambridge UK legacy)

Two things worth separating. The Ignite program funds natural resources, applied science and engineering projects, not therapeutics, and requires an industry-plus-academic team, Technology Readiness Level 3 or higher, and a BC-based project; it covers 30% of costs to a $300K maximum and is currently closed. The Innovator Skills Initiative is a separate grant toward hiring and is far more broadly available.
Type: Grant/voucher
Amount: Ignite ≤$300K (30% of costs) · Innovator Skills Initiative smaller

Up to $50,000 per project to move Nova Scotia university, college and university-affiliated HOSPITAL research toward market, across IT, life sciences, clean technology and ocean technology. Money covers market assessment, go-to-market strategy, business planning, IP strategy, proof of concept and prototypes. Preference goes to spin-out potential over licensing. The applicant is the academic, and that may well be you if you are a faculty or clinician founder.
Type: Grant (via university PI)
Amount: Up to $50,000 per project
Cadence: Runs in calls, most recently a Fall 2026-2027 round.

Up to $40,000 non-repayable and non-dilutive, covering up to 90% of eligible costs, plus guidance from business professionals; up to six awards. Built for the industrial-biotech end of life sciences: fermentation processes, bioproducts such as biofibers, biocomposites, biomaterials and bioplastics, plant genetics, crop science, aquaculture, bioenergy, precision agriculture, agri-food innovations, natural health products and cannabis technology. Sustainable products made by fermentation are squarely in scope.
Type: Non-dilutive award
Amount: Up to $40,000, to a maximum of 90% of eligible costs; up to six awards
Cadence: Annual competition with a published call.

Funding: No cheque: advisory, mentorship, investor connections and desk space at Bayview Yards
Cost: FREE · Cohorts: Quarterly cohorts
Applications: Applications accepted year-round; cohorts start quarterly
Format: 10-week bootcamp · Ottawa

Funding: No direct funding - coaching, workshops and a closing pitch to pre-qualified investors
Cost: No fee is published. Ask when you enquire · Cohorts: Annual cohort running October to March
Applications: The 2026-27 cohort is CLOSED. It runs annually from October to March and no date is published for the next intake, so ask LSBC directly on 1-877-994-4727
Format: October to March

The industry's biggest annual healthcare investor gathering: 8,000+ executives, investors and dealmakers (San Francisco). Presenting slots and attendance are INVITATION-ONLY (J.P. Morgan clients)
When: 45th annual: Jan 11–14, 2027 (Westin St. Francis)
To present: No open application: invitation-only. The open-door route for early-stage companies is RESI JPM and the week's satellite events
To attend: Invitation-only; satellite events around the conference are open

Funding: No funding: lab space + J&J ecosystem (JJDC invests separately, case-by-case)
Cost: Residency fees (subsidized lab space) · Cohorts: Rolling
Applications: Rolling
Format: Residency model, MaRS Toronto

Prizes: A $20,000 prize envelope, plus coaching and mentorship
Applications: ⚠️ CLOSES September 23, 2026 · semi-finals filmed September 28 to October 2 at UdeM's Innovation Centre · finale November 4

Funding: $10,000 Mitacs stipend per accepted team
Cost: Free · Cohorts: Annual per hub: applications through September, cohorts the following spring
Applications: 2026 intakes: Ontario CLOSED Sept 11 · Pacific (BC and Yukon) CLOSED Sept 19 · Quantum CLOSED Sept 25 · ATLANTIC CLOSES OCTOBER 5. Cohorts start March 2027
Format: 16 weeks

BC's premier life-science investment gathering, built around Invest in BC presented by Lumira Ventures. Over 100 investors expected; last year's room included adMare, Amplitude, BDC, Bloom Burton, CTI Life Sciences, Genome BC's I2 Fund, InBC, J.P. Morgan, Lumira, Pender, Providence Health Care Ventures, Novartis, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer. Pitch sectors: digital health, devices, medtech, diagnostics, biotech
When: Week runs NOV 2-5, 2026, Vancouver. The Invest in BC conference itself is NOV 3-4 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Side events: invitation-only investor reception Nov 2, Blakes Women in Life Sciences breakfast Nov 4 am, UBC Life Sciences Day Nov 5 (apply to attend; registration details not yet announced)
To present: 2026 presenting slots are CLOSED - the 25 companies are already selected and named on the event page. Next pitch window ~spring 2027
To attend: Open. EARLY-BIRD CLOSES FRIDAY OCT 2: $449 LSBC members / $549 non-members. From Oct 3 it is $549 / $649. Pass covers both conference days, the BIO Partnering meeting system and the Nov 3 networking reception. Partnering meeting requests open a few weeks out

A pitch competition you cannot enter directly. The only route onto the LiONS LAIR stage is Innovation Factory's Founders Fast Track, a free eight-week training programme ending in a demo day in front of at least three angel or pre-seed investors. The ten best-performing companies are then invited to pitch for cash prizes at the LiONS LAIR gala, in front of 350 people. Life science is one of the named eligible sectors, and the programme costs nothing.
Type: Competition prize
Amount: Cash prizes at the gala; Founders Fast Track itself is free
Cadence: Founders Fast Track applications open twice a year. The gala is annual, late September; the 2026 edition is 24 September and finalists were announced 8 July.

Funding: Up to $10,000 in matching funds per project, covering up to 50% of eligible costs
Cost: Free to apply · Cohorts: Call for proposals open for 2026/27
Applications: OPEN NOW: 2026/27 call for proposals
Format: Project-based · inquiry form, then a program alignment call

Funding: No cheque from membership itself. Three draws: the MaRS Capital Program, free one-to-one support for companies preparing a seed or Series A raise; wet and dry lab space at the MaRS Centre, 700,000 square feet and the largest concentration in Canada; and introductions into hospitals and research institutes. MaRS IAF is a separate fund.
Cost: FREE, no membership fee. They are a registered charity and what they ask in return is feedback and regular progress updates · Cohorts: Rolling membership, no cohorts. 1,200+ ventures across all sectors; 300+ in the health portfolio
Applications: Rolling. Apply any time through MaRS Connect. Expect to hear back in about a week, then a screening call, two to three weeks end to end. You may reapply if you were declined before
Format: Open-ended membership, no fixed timeline · Toronto, with unlimited access to core services

Funding: Equity-free cash prizes (historic $10K–$100K awards; $19M+ awarded program-wide)
Cost: FREE: no fee, NO equity · Cohorts: 1–2 (varies by year)
Applications: Apps ~Jan–Apr for summer programs
Format: ~4 months · hybrid (Boston hub)

A ladder of funding for McMaster's own people. The McMaster Seed Fund provides up to $250,000 for research translation and early-stage venture development, open to faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, on a cycle that varies by competition. The Whelen Fellowship offers up to $45,000 to graduate students and postdocs. The Post-Doctoral Entrepreneurship Fellowship is $75,000 plus mentorship. The Student Seed Fund is $10,000 for students at any level.
Type: University seed funding and fellowships
Amount: $2.5K–$250K depending on the fund

Funding: Up to $500K in equity-free prizes for early-stage (pre-Series B) companies, in their own words on the apply page. Their page headline advertises "$1M in awards" across the whole programme, but the only figure attached to the early-stage competition is $500K: quote the $500K
Cost: FREE: no fee, NO equity · Cohorts: 50+ into the accelerator; the 2026 cohort took 65 companies from 1,835 applicants
Applications: 2026 applications CLOSED (extended deadline was Dec 16). NO 2027 dates are published: the waitlist at medtechinnovator.org/apply is the only action available today. Historically opens ~Oct and closes early-to-mid December
Format: ~6 months · virtual + conference showcases

A company with a solution at technology readiness level 4 or above and a real dual-use case, civilian and defence, can win 100,000 euros of contractual funding, paid in full before the programme starts rather than reimbursed afterwards. Teams down-selected to the Mission Track can take up to 300,000 euros more. Canada's accelerator site is in Dartmouth and no relocation is needed, with travel to the site up to six times. Universities and non-profit groups cannot apply.
Type: Grant/contract
Amount: 100,000 euros upfront; up to 300,000 euros more on the Mission Track
Cadence: The annual Challenge Call runs in June and the innovators selected start the programme the following January, so the cohort is named for the year after the call. Dynamic Challenges can launch at any point in the year and carry no Accelerator place.

Prizes: Over $250,000 in cash and prizes. First prize is a $110,000 Innovate BC package holding $80,000 cash, second $55,000 with $40,000 cash, third $30,000 with $20,000 cash. Separate $10,000 cash prizes go to Life Sciences, Sustainability and Woman-Led ventures.
Applications: The 2026 round closed to entries on March 12 and finishes with the Awards Ceremony on September 21 in Vancouver, open to register now. The cycle runs yearly: registration in winter, a mid-March deadline, judging through to September.

Funding: Grant funding for selected ventures (historically up to ~$25K–$50K; verify current)
Cost: Free (equity-free) · Cohorts: 1 (annual)
Applications: Apps ~Oct–Jan for summer cohort
Format: ~8 months, Toronto

Funding: No cheque: a free programme; the value is manufacturing expertise, not capital
Cost: FREE, but gated: 'AMLab participants must be enrolled and accepted into the North Forge Founders Program' · Cohorts: Runs alongside the Founders Program cohorts
Applications: Via the Founders Program: next deadline 2 NOVEMBER 2026 for the January 2027 cohort
Format: Concept through commercialization · delivered with Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

Funding: Not funding: a $4M equipment resource on membership
Cost: Membership-based; training courses and tours available · Cohorts: Rolling membership
Applications: Rolling: no deadline
Format: Ongoing membership · in-person makerspace

Funding: No direct cheque. Their FAQ: 'While North Forge doesn't provide direct investment, we connect startups with funding opportunities through our North Forge Angel Network, investor readiness training, and curated introductions to private and public funding sources.' Acceptance is the only route into the NF Angel Network and into AMLab.
Cost: Free to apply and free to participate. All four stages are at no cost · Cohorts: Four cohorts a year · the next one starts January 2027
Applications: APPLY BEFORE 2 NOVEMBER 2026 for the January 2027 cohort. (The August 10 deadline for the September 2026 cohort has passed.)
Format: Four stages: Pathfinder (validate the idea) · Base Camp (product-market fit) · Ascent (MVP and go-to-market) · North Star (scaling toward Series A). Pathfinder and Base Camp run on Zoom, about two hours a week, so you do not have to be in Winnipeg

Funding: Not funding: a paid build service, and the only North Forge resource with NO membership or programme requirement
Cost: Paid per project; quoted after they contact you · Cohorts: Rolling: submit any time
Applications: Rolling: no deadline
Format: Per project · you submit a request, an expert maker contacts you to scope it

Federal grant to validate & commercialize university research; requires a university PI + plan to partner with a Canadian company.
Type: Grant (via university PI)
Amount: Phase I ≤$125K; IIa ≤$125K/yr; IIb ≤$350K/2yr; Ib supp ≤$60K

Canada's premier health-science investment event, hosted by the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (Toronto). The 2026 edition ran 100+ presenting companies, 190+ VC and corporate VC investors and 735+ partnering meetings; summit companies have raised $3.1B since 2018
When: 2027: FEBRUARY 2–4, Arcadian Court & Loft, 401 Bay Street, Toronto
To present: The company application window for 2027 is NOT YET PUBLISHED. Investor registration is live and presenting-company details typically follow in the fall: get on the OBIO newsletter now rather than watching the page
To attend: Investor registration is already open; general registration typically ~fall onward

Funding: NONE. Their own page: 'Pathway is not an accelerator.' What you get is access, not a cheque
Cost: $1,997 programme price ($1,697 early bird). This is the programme price, not an application fee · Cohorts: Rolling applications, 20 companies per cohort
Applications: ROLLING - no deadline. Silicon Valley immersions: NOV 30 - DEC 2, 2026 and JUNE 14-16, 2027. New York launching spring 2027
Format: Virtual prep with US investors and executives, then a 3-day Silicon Valley immersion, then milestone tracking

Funding: No direct funding. Mentors, market assessments, IP support, investor networks and PitchBook access
Cost: $400 + GST per month membership; co-working rent extra. No equity stated · Cohorts: Not cohort-based
Applications: YEAR-ROUND APPLICATIONS. Apply, then present to a selection panel. Referrals from VentureLabs or partners still complete the same form
Format: Open-ended - 'companies remain in the program as long as they continue to progress and meet their goals'

Funding: Up to $25,000 CAD non-dilutive, for tailored project work against commercialization milestones. No equity, no fee. ISED-funded
Cost: FREE: no fee, NO equity · Cohorts: 1 cohort a year · maximum six companies (4–6 typical)
Applications: 2026 applications CLOSED July 8; that cohort runs Sept 22, 2026 to Mar 11, 2027. NO 2027 date is published: ask them directly when the next call opens rather than watching the page
Format: 6 months, fully virtual · 160–200+ hours of 1:1 mentorship

Early-stage life-science partnering conference: curated investor 1-on-1s + Innovator's Pitch Challenge. Runs during Biotech Week Boston
When: Sep 22–23, 2026 (Westin Copley Place) + virtual partnering Sep 25, 28–29
To present: Innovator's Pitch Challenge applications are ROLLING, first-come-first-served with a waitlist: apply as early as possible
To attend: Paid registration open until the event; partnering platform opens ~weeks before

RESI partnering event held during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week: the open-application route into JPM week for early-stage companies (San Francisco)
When: ~Jan 12–13 annually (JPM week)
To present: Pitch Challenge + partnering applications rolling: apply early; fills fast
To attend: Paid registration open until the event

Funding: No direct funding of its own. It delivers AccelerateIP (up to $25K/$60K, mentorship stream only right now) and the Lab2Market Validate Pacific hub ($10,000 Mitacs stipend), which do carry money
Cost: Varies by programme. Perago membership $400 + GST/month, co-working rent extra; Discovery Foundation bootcamp CAD $500 per company · Cohorts: Rolling and cohort, depending on the programme
Applications: SEVERAL DOORS OPEN. Perago: year-round applications. Marketing PowerUp: open. AccelerateIP mentorship: open until spaces fill. Lab2Market Validate Pacific: closed Sept 19, next cycle Sept 2027. Discovery Foundation Health Sciences BD Bootcamp: waitlist. ScaleUp Accelerator: closed
Format: Varies - Perago is open-ended, Lab2Market is 16 weeks, the bootcamp runs September to October

Prizes: A $300,000 pool of EQUITY-BASED investment from about 30 women angels: top three take $150K, $100K and $50K. Default instrument is a convertible note, negotiable if you have already raised. This is not grant money
Applications: The 2026 cohort is CLOSED. Their words: 'They will open again in April 2027.' The six-week bootcamp runs September to November, and coaching plus a ghost board continue through March.

Funding: $10K stipend + curated investor/customer access
Cost: FREE, no equity · Cohorts: 1
Applications: Applications around February to April; confirm current dates
Format: ~6 months · virtual

Funding: Up to $550K as a pre-seed SAFE, and SOSV is almost always the first VC on the cap table. It keeps investing through seed, A and later: about 60 new pre-seed cheques and 150 follow-on rounds a year.
Cost: Free to apply. Capital arrives as a pre-seed SAFE, so the stake is set when it converts. Program investment terms are non-negotiable. · Cohorts: Rolling review. One to two Demo Days a year at each site
Applications: Rolling, no closing date. Apply at sosv.com/apply/sosv for New York, San Francisco or both. Solo founders: the free virtual Deep Tech Co-Founders Search, 9 to 13 November 2026, meets the two-founder rule
Format: Up to six months in residence, with full access to labs, equipment and staff

Prizes: Cohort of impact angels co-diligence Canadian ventures; a pool from angel entrance fees goes to the cohort winner; all finalists get investor exposure, publicity, and network access
Applications: Cohorts rotate themes: healthcare, climate, women-led. Watch for the next healthcare cohort

Funding: No direct investment: this is investor ACCESS. Their own description: an accelerator and introduction network, not a fund
Cost: Free to apply to programmes · Cohorts: Multiple programmes running on their own cycles
Applications: Rolling / by programme: check the site
Format: Programme-dependent · Washington DC base, programmes run nationally

Funding: Investment via membership model (modest cheque + long-term community)
Cost: Equity for membership; confirm current terms before applying · Cohorts: Rolling
Applications: Rolling
Format: Multi-year membership model

Prizes: Multiple $100K investment prizes (Best of Fest, Women in Tech, Black Entrepreneur, Impact + more)
Applications: Apps typically spring; event July

Canada's national stem cell and regenerative medicine network, funding translational research across more than twenty-six disease areas. Four award programmes run in parallel: up to $700,000 for work moving toward the clinic within five years, $290,000 for proof-of-principle experiments, $270,000 for early career researchers, and $215,000 for ethical, legal and social work. Joint awards with the Azrieli Foundation and Breakthrough T1D add about twenty percent for neurodevelopmental and type 1 diabetes projects.
Type: Grant
Amount: Up to $700K clinical translation, $290K impact, $270K early career, $215K ELSI
Cadence: Two peer-reviewed competitions across the 2025 to 2029 plan. Round 2 is open, letter of intent first, full applications after.

Funding: No cash investment. Non-dilutive, no equity taken.
Cost: No fee and no equity. Budget travel and accommodation for four in-person weeks across Tampa and Nashville. · Cohorts: Annual cohort with a rotating health theme, applications opening in late summer
Applications: The 2026 cycle closed 18 September. The cohort runs 26 October to 21 January with a demo day on 27 January 2027; use Notify Me on the application portal for the next cycle
Format: About three months · Tampa, FL and Nashville, TN, with four mandatory in-person weeks

Funding: Up to $800K seed as co-founding studio
Cost: Equity: studio co-founder stake (significant) · Cohorts: Rolling intake
Applications: Rolling
Format: 18+ months · in-residence Montréal

Funding: $220,000 on day one: $200,000 as an uncapped MFN SAFE plus $20,000 for 5% common stock, converting at a priced round of $1M or more. Baltimore states the same $220,000.
Cost: Free to apply. The cost is 5% in common stock. · Cohorts: One annual intake each. Applications open in late August
Applications: OPEN NOW. Three doors share one deadline: 18 NOVEMBER 2026 for Anywhere (remote), AI Health Baltimore and Northwestern Medicine (Chicago), all running 8 March to 3 June 2027. Permanente Mid-Atlantic (DC/MD/VA) closed 10 June and publishes no date for its next intake.
Format: Three months, 8 March to Demo Day 3 June 2027. Anywhere remote with three offsites; Baltimore and Chicago in person

Prizes: Three grand prizes of $125,000 in funding, technology and exposure · six Community Awards of $10,000 · a $25,000 People's Choice. NOTE THE WORDING: the $125,000 is a BUNDLE of money, technology and promotion, and TELUS does not publish the split: ask what portion is cash
Applications: ⚠️ CLOSES September 2, 2026, 11:59 pm ET. Winners announced October 1; People's Choice voting runs October 1–15

McMaster's business incubator for Hamilton, the GTA and Niagara is wholly university-funded: no equity, no fee, and you keep 100% of your company. Twelve months of incubation brings lead mentorship, co-working space and an address at McMaster Innovation Park, a makerspace, complimentary legal work, and warm introductions to 60+ angels and VC firms when you raise. The non-obvious part: Forge membership counts as campus-linked incubator affiliation, which unlocks OCI, Mitacs and Futurpreneur.
Type: Incubator, equity-free, 12 months
Amount: No cheque; in-kind support plus expense reimbursement

Funding: NO direct funding. A 3-month strategy program: a 3-year plan in your chosen stream (Finance, Leadership & Team, or Operational Systems), 1:1 support and warm introductions. Presented by RBC.
Cost: $500 / $850 / $1,250 sliding scale by annual revenue (full market value $5,000); NO equity. Free for founders in listed Elk Valley Resources / Teck regions (Elkford, Fernie, Sparwood, Crowsnest Pass, Trail & area). · Cohorts: 1 (Fall 2026 pilot cohort)
Applications: Fall 2026: applications close Aug 20, 2026; cohort selected by Sep 1
Format: 3 months · in-person kickoff mid-September in Vancouver and Toronto, closing session December · 10–12 hrs/month, hybrid · travel not covered

Funding: Up to $150,000 per company, always as a CO-INVESTMENT alongside your lead investor
Cost: Free to apply · Cohorts: Annual · intake June to August
Applications: DEADLINE Monday 31 August 2026, 5:00 pm ET
Format: Diligence September to December · decisions first week of December

A morning inside UBC's life-sciences research base rather than a pitch event. Innovation & Industry Breakfast followed by lab tours at the Life Sciences Institute and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Built for industry leaders, investors, UBC researchers and innovation partners looking for collaboration and licensing opportunities
When: November 5, 2026, 8:30 am to 12:45 pm, UBC Point Grey campus. Falls on the Thursday of Life Sciences Investment Week
To present: No pitch slots. Companies attend; UBC researchers present the technology
To attend: INVITE-ONLY, by request. Register through the event page and 'your registration will be reviewed by our team' before it is confirmed. Capacity is limited and tour sizes are capped, so register early. No cost published. No published cutoff - it closes when it fills

Open to the Université de Montréal community, and graduates count, so a degree earned years ago qualifies you alongside current students, faculty and staff. Millénium Québecor is the university's incubator and Percer is its life sciences and health technology track, a Biodesign-style course that carries a health innovation from idea toward market. Treat this as coaching, structure and community access rather than a cheque. The incubator runs in French, and Percer coaching is offered in French and English.
Type: Program support
Amount: No cheque; programme support and community access
Cadence: Percer runs one cohort a year, with application and payment deadlines in January and roughly twenty days of teaching over ten to eleven months. The Impact Millénium Québecor competition runs annually in the autumn, with a September application, semi-finals at the start of October and a November gala.

Funding: Velocity Fund is a separate pre-seed investor in the same building: $25K scout cheques, $150K to $1M core, leading rounds at 5 to 7.5 percent. Priced equity, not a grant.
Cost: The incubator is free and takes no equity, labs and workshop included. Velocity Fund is a separate investor that does take equity. · Cohorts: Year-round applications. New teams onboard every two months, January through November
Applications: The form is open now and takes about 30 minutes. With September onboarded, applying this week points at November. Then committee review, a 30-minute interview, milestones and a final review
Format: No fixed end date. In person at 280 Joseph Street, Kitchener: 45,000 square feet, 60 to 80 startups, hardware and wet labs on site

Funding: No funding or stipend published. 250+ mentors and advisors, 16 experiential workshops, introductions to partners and investors
Cost: No fee or equity published. Ask Innovation UBC when you apply · Cohorts: Annual cohorts
Applications: SPRING 2027 APPLICATIONS CLOSE OCTOBER 11, 2026. Programme runs February 3 to June 24, 2027
Format: 16 weeks. Weekly 3.5-hour online sessions on Thursdays plus four in person; expect 25-35 hours on your venture beyond session time

Funding: NO FUNDING: their FAQ: 'Volta does not provide funding directly to founders.' You get Halifax space, peer community, office hours, perks and 1:1 coaching once traction is observable
Cost: Coworking from $70/month (Focus) · $200/month (Build, waitlisted) · $100/month (Virtual Office), all + tax · Cohorts: No cohorts: rolling admission
Applications: Year-round through the ImpactOS Founder portal: 'no cohort deadline; applications are reviewed as they come in.' Screen, ~30-minute interview, then an accept or decline with the reason stated
Format: Open-ended residency, Halifax · target is $1M ARR within 18 months

Prizes: PITCH is the startup battle, capped at 105 companies. No prize figure or programme price is published
Applications: Event May 25-28, 2027. Applications for the 2027 startup programme are OPEN NOW and that is effectively the deadline: no closing date is published, places are scouted and capped and go as they are allocated, and pricing escalates in tiers

Funding: $500K standard deal: $125K for 7% + $375K uncapped MFN SAFE
Cost: Free to apply; 7%+ equity · Cohorts: 4 batches a year (W/Sp/Su/F since 2025)
Applications: WINTER 2027: applications open now, deadline 2 NOVEMBER 2026, 8:00 pm PT, decisions by 11 December. Other batches: ~Jul (Fall) · ~Jan/Feb (Spring) · ~Apr/May (Summer)
Format: 3 months, January to March for the Winter batch · San Francisco, in-person