With seven business accelerators underway and another in the works (see more about this here), and more than 50 courses, programs, labs and clubs devoted to entrepreneurship, U of T offers a huge variety of resources for students and faculty who think they have the next big idea. Now, the university is bringing these pieces together conceptually under the Banting & Best Centre. Named for two of the men credited for discovering insulin at U of T, the centre will help members of the U of T community navigate the university’s vast entrepreneurial ecosystem. Visit entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca.
CREATIVE DESTRUCTION LAB
Rotman School of Management
FOCUS: Information and communications tech
ENROLMENT: 130 applicant companies; 18 admitted; one team is cut from program every two months
Funding: Potential investment by a successful entrepreneur
Services: Mentoring with a successful entrepreneur; working with MBA students
THE HATCHERY
Applied Science & Engineering
hatchery.engineering.utoronto.ca
FOCUS: Engineering enrolment: 13 mostly undergrad teams admitted from 50 applicants
Funding: $5,000 summer fellowship, plus grants from a prototype fund
SERVICES: Mentorship, business support
THE HUB UTSC
FOCUS: Information and communications tech
ENROLMENT: 26 undergrads currently enrolled; 10 projects
FUNDING: None
SERVICES: Work stations, break-out space, boardrooms, MaRS workshops, mentorship
I-CUBE
U of T Mississauga
FOCUS: Open to all disciplines; undergraduate, graduate, alumni
ENROLMENT: Ramping up to 10 teams, 50 students
FUNDING: Modest stipend to be determined
SERVICES: Meeting/office space in the Institute for Management and Innovation, 3-D printer, workshops, hackathons, mentors
THE IMPACT CENTRE
Arts and Science
FOCUS: Natural sciences
ENROLMENT: 30 companies currently enrolled, mostly grad students and postdocs; 70 start-ups since 2010
FUNDING: None
SERVICES: Office/lab space, small-scale production; mentorship, networking
TECHNA INSTITUTE
U of T and UHN
FOCUS: Medical technology
ENROLMENT: 43 principal investigators, engineers, post-docs, medical trainees
FUNDING: Principal investigators raise own project funds from industry, grants
SERVICES: Equipment, project management, financial services, software engineering
UTEST
U of T and MaRS Innovation
FOCUS Early-stage software companies
ENROLMENT: 80 to 100 applicant teams a year, five admitted
FUNDING: $30,000 per company
SERVICES: Office space, MaRS workshops, mentoring. U of T takes 2.5%; MaRS Innovation takes 2.5%, with option to invest up to $200,000 in second round of funding
Recent Posts
New Paths to Recovery
Every year, thousands of Canadians seek help for addiction. Which treatments work best?
Can Electric Vehicles Save the Planet?
Eliminating gas-powered cars and trucks may help avert a climate catastrophe. But they are only part of the solution
The Theatre of Tomorrow
A U of T lab is working with actors, writers and directors on how they could harness AI and other emerging technologies to generate new ideas and – just maybe – reinvent theatre
