MaRS and Innovate UK launch second cohort for advanced manufacturing startups

Seven UK ventures in fields such as electric vehicles, 3D printing and artificial intelligence look to scale in North America

TORONTO, October 12, 2022 – MaRS Discovery District today announced that it’s teaming up with Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Programme again to support the global expansion of some of the UK’s most promising advanced manufacturing ventures. Seven startups will participate in the program’s second cohort at the Toronto-based innovation hub as a launch pad to find international partners and customers, and to scale into the North American market.

“Based on the success of last year’s cohort, we are confident this partnership can accelerate the North American growth of UK startups as well as strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem here,” said Jason MacFarlane, VP, Venture Services Products at MaRS. “We want to extend the long history of partnership between Canada and the UK’s innovation economies in both countries.

Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency is creating a blueprint for future programs with MaRS and collaborations among accelerators, incubators and private ventures around the world.

The second round of advanced manufacturing companies spans the worlds of machine learning, computer vision systems and the Internet of Things. This sophomore group includes a maker of small-format autonomous electric vehicles, a platform for the automatic precision sizing of clothing and a custom 3D printer provider.

The members of this latest group of advanced manufacturing ventures are:

The four-month Manufacturing Incubation Program includes targeted workshops, advisory support and networking opportunities to help the participants sharpen their value proposition and pitches. By integrating the UK ventures into the MaRS ecosystem, the cohort will get a comprehensive understanding of the shape and needs of North America’s manufacturing community.

“We’re building on the success of last year’s program with MaRS to provide new strategies and pathways for UK advanced manufacturing companies to expand into North America,” said Jon Hazell, Partnership Manager – North America and Global Incubator at Innovate UK. “There continues to be a huge opportunity here.”

This is the second iteration of the advanced manufacturing program within this strategic partnership between MaRS and Innovate UK. Success stories from the first cohort include vegetable harvesting robotics company Muddy Machines, electron beam 3D printing venture Wayland Additive Ltd. and precision robotics provider True Position Robotics Ltd.

Learn more about the MaRS Innovate UK advanced manufacturing program and this cohort.

 

About MaRS

MaRS is North America’s largest urban innovation hub. A registered non-profit, MaRS supports high-growth startups and scale-ups tackling key issues in health, cleantech, fintech and other sectors. In addition, MaRS convenes all members of the tech ecosystem to drive breakthrough discoveries, grow the economy and make an impact by solving real problems for real people — in Canada and around the world.

About Innovate UK
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is the UK’s national innovation agency. We support business-led innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK regions. We help businesses grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive, and easy to navigate.

Media Contact
media@marsdd.com