Turn your idea into a startup with these events and opportunities
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 and welcome to the week! Scroll on down for opportunities and events to help make your startup dreams a reality.



See you next week!


Ian Stevens ◦ ianstevens.ca ◦ @istevens

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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 - 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

Monday

08:00-17:00 ◦ Medventions Toronto Innovation Day


Medventions Toronto Innovation Day is a dynamic event showcasing groundbreaking advancements in healthcare technology and key insights in medtech entrepreneurship. Held annually, this forum brings together leading innovators, healthcare professionals, investors, and industry experts to explore the latest innovations aimed at transforming patient care. From cutting-edge medical devices to innovative digital health solutions, the Medventions Toronto Innovation Day serves as a platform for collaboration, networking, and fostering new ideas. This year’s theme is image-guided therapy, digital health and AI in medicine.


17:00-19:30 ◦ TechTO: Canadian Rocketships 2024 at Toronto City Hall


TechTO is proud to shine a spotlight on the most promising tech startups in Canada! Through an open nomination process, we will select five standout startups that have achieved significant milestones in innovation, growth, and impact. These trailblazers will take the stage at City Hall to present their journey, share key insights, and inspire the next wave of tech leaders.‍ We are honoured to have Olivia Chow, 66th Mayor of Toronto, joining us and delivering a speech at the event!‍ This event is a must-attend for anyone passionate about the future of Canadian tech, offering a rare opportunity to connect with the entrepreneurs and visionaries driving the country's tech ecosystem forward.

Tuesday

10:00-18:00 ◦ Thrive with EDGE Bootcamp


Ready to turn your idea into the next big thing? Thrive, mentorship program launched by Sheridan EDGE is here to help you bring your entrepreneurial dreams to life. Whether you're just starting out or already have a venture in mind, this program offers personalized mentorship and coaching to guide you every step of the way. Our flexible approach means we'll meet you where you are, helping you develop the right mindset, build a solid business plan, and accelerate your venture. This bootcamp is your launchpad. You'll gain the knowledge and skills you need to succeed, and will connect with like-minded peers. If you're ready to take your idea to the next level, Thrive is your chance to make it happen!


12:00-13:00 ◦ Scale Smarter: Supercharging Startup Operations with Back-Office Tech


Running a startup is no small feat, and while most founders focus on product development and growth, operational efficiency is often an overlooked secret weapon. A streamlined back-office is the backbone of a successful business, helping you scale faster, cut costs, and reduce operational bottlenecks. In this webinar an experienced fractional CTO and technology advisor will show you how to leverage back-office systems and applications to supercharge your startup’s productivity.


17:30-19:30 ◦ DMZ Masterclass: Optimizing Startup Operations


Whether you're taking the first step into entrepreneurship or looking to sharpen your skills, the DMZ Masterclass is tailored to provide you with actionable insights and practical knowledge. This week founders will learn how to get their time back by optimizing startups operations through an audit of all tasks to extract only high payoff activities, by updating existing workflows to eliminate waste, using automation to increase capacity without increasing headcount, managing and delegating effectively to create accountability and results, and increasing value for customers and employees. Reduce your time spent "in the business" (rather than on it) and increase profitable outcomes.


18:00-20:00 ◦ YorkU YSpace Founder Fundamentals Workshop: Startup Law


Interested in building your entrepreneurial skills to launch your startup? Founder Fundamentals is a twelve-week workshop series brought to you by YSpace and 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. The program also connects you with local resources for potential next steps as you progress in your entrepreneurial ventures.


18:00-20:00 ◦