Scale up with funding and investment opportunities

Building your business takes hard work, dedication… and well… money!

Our team can work with you to help identify and navigate possible funding programs, loans or investors that could be best for your business. Plus, you can access training and workshops to help you prepare for an investment or product pitch.

Are you ready for investment? Will you be planning for investment in the future?

Let us help you understand what type of investment source is right for you and what you need to prepare, providing strategic introductions, expert advisors, angel investor panels and more.

Please note, we are not a funding agent.

HEALTHI Program — Hamilton Ecosystem to Accelerate and Leverage Trials of Health Innovation

Reduce the time and effort required to stand up a clinical trial or collaborative project with a research hospital. Leverage up to $15,000 to work directly with the research administration groups at Hamilton Health Sciences or St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Applications are open.

CAMEDA Program — Canadian Medtech Alliance

Leverage up to $100,000 in matching funds to collaborate directly with a contract development and manufacturing organization to help build your manufacturing know-how and capacity in Canada.

Applications are closed.

SOPHIE Program — Southern Ontario Pharmaceutical and Health Innovation Ecosystem

Access up to $100,000 in matching funds to work on a collaborative commercialization project with a world-class research hospital or academic institution in Hamilton’s health ecosystem.

Applications are closed.

i.d.e.a. Fund

Access up to $20,000 in matching funds to support strategies such as talent attraction, raising follow-on investment, product development, market value propositions, commercialization of intellectual property, and market diversification.

Applications for Cohort 3 open from September 9 to September 30, 2024.

Investment Readiness Program

The Investment Readiness program was developed by David W. Wright of Cassio Capital Advisors in collaboration with Angel One and Equation Angels. It is primarily focused on preparing early-stage companies for raising capital; whether that involves pitches to individual angel investors, venture capitalists or corporations (merger and acquisition (M&A) activity). You will work with proven tools and templates for gathering the information necessary to close a deal! You will pitch, get feedback and gain skills and knowledge required to satisfy potential investors.

Offered twice a year.

Founders Fast Track Program

Prepare for your first fundraise. The Founders Fast Track program helps your start-up with customer development, crafting a successful pitch, financial planning strategies, and understanding market trends. The program concludes with a speed pitching event with investors, and the top 10 start-ups are invited to compete for cash prizes at Innovation Factory’s LiONS LAIR competition.

Offered twice a year.

LiONS LAIR Pitch Competition

The top 10 start-ups from Founders Fast Track are invited to compete for cash prizes in the region’s largest pitch competition. Participate in three months of workshops and training designed to support Canada’s next generation of innovators. The competition is designed to help entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market, increase revenues, attract investment and create jobs.

Finalists are selected from Founders Fast Track.

Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition

Compete for cash prizes and in-kind prizes in Ontario’s leading life science pitch competition. Participate in three months (January – March) of intensive workshops and training designed to support Canada’s next generation of life science start-ups. The competition is designed to help entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers to bring their ideas to market, increase revenues, attract investment and create jobs.

Applications open annually in October.

YWCA Uplift Data Lab

Unlock access to top-tier candidates to support your start-up’s data science and data analytics projects and drive a shared vision of developing a highly qualified gender-balanced workforce in high-tech industries.

Applications are closed.