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MaRS Impact Health 2026 returns connecting Canada’s top health ventures with investors and partners

Canada’s premier health venture summit returns this April, bringing together global investors, breakthrough ventures and healthcare leaders to scale health innovation.

As global demand for scalable healthcare solutions grows, Impact Health 2026 positions Canada’s innovators at the centre of what comes next.

TORONTO, March 31, 2026 — MaRS today announced the return of its flagship health innovation summit, MaRS Impact Health 2026. This year’s conference will take place on April 23 at the MaRS Centre in downtown Toronto. Headlining speakers include industry leader John Valliant, former CEO of Fusion Pharmaceuticals, as well as Arun Menawat of Profound Medical, Brad Sorenson of Providence Therapeutics and Frank Gleeson of Satellos Bioscience. They will be joined by venture experts like Brian Bloom from Bloom Burton and Johannes Fruehauf from BioLabs, as well as neuroscientists Dr. Liisa Galea from CAMH and Dr. Natasha Rajah from TMU.

This year’s summit expands to two stages, alongside an investor-focused networking program and a dedicated startup showcase. The program will focus on pressing challenges in healthcare innovation, including AI adoption, navigating regulatory hurdles for precision therapies and bridging the funding gap for scaling health ventures. Nearly 100 speakers will participate, including entrepreneurs, investors, corporate partners, policy-makers, clinicians, researchers and journalists.

“We are at an inflection point where advanced technologies are fundamentally rewriting the rules of patient care, diagnostics and drug development,” said Louise Pichette, director of health sciences at MaRS. “Impact Health 2026 is about moving from breakthrough to market. We are bringing together corporate innovators and deal-makers to ensure that Canada’s most promising, high-impact ventures scale to global markets.”

Programming for 2026

  • Catalyst stage: High-level keynotes and panels focused on macroeconomic trends, key health innovation opportunities for Canada, cross-border commercialization and scaling lessons from leading health experts.
  • Founder Forum: Tactical sessions for founders, including navigating regulatory hurdles, de-risking healthtech innovation and securing funding in the current market.
  • Curated deal-making: Enhanced networking that pairs high-growth startups with potential investors and partners.
  • Innovation showcase: Four live pitch events featuring emerging biotech, digital health and medical device companies from across the country.

Attendees will hear about solutions across the following areas:

  • Biotech and life sciences: Highlighting breakthroughs in targeted therapeutics, gene editing applications, AI-accelerated drug discovery, RNA-based delivery systems and advanced genomic mapping technologies among other clinical applications.
  • Digital health and medical devices: Exploring how advanced health platforms and predictive analytics are actively reducing clinician burnout, personalizing patient care and automating billing and workflow optimization, while also showcasing the latest in minimally invasive procedures, smart diagnostics and emerging health-tech solutions.

Impact Health is made possible through the generous support of more than 20 critical partners and sponsors. They are: AbbVie; bioMérieux; Blakes; Canadian Cancer Society; CAN Health Network; DECIEM, The Abnormal Beauty Company; Concordia University, District 3; FACIT; Fasken; Gattefossé; Kids Brain Health Network; MaRS IAF; OBIO, Ontario Brain Institute; Ontario Institute for Cancer Research; Scalpels & Spreadsheets; SteriLabs; TIAP, UHN and Xtalks.

Registration is now open. For more information on the agenda, speaker lineup, and to secure tickets, please visit impacthealth.marsdd.com.

About MaRS Impact Health

MaRS Impact Health is the premier gathering for the innovators solving today’s most urgent healthcare challenges. By connecting entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and clinicians, the summit catalyzes the growth of the companies that will define the future of global healthcare.

About MaRS

MaRS Discovery District is a charitable organization and North America’s largest urban innovation hub, dedicated to helping Canadian technology companies succeed. With a focus on climate, health sciences and other emerging technologies, MaRS supports startups tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues. Founded in 2000, MaRS spans more than 1.5 million square feet of cutting-edge office, lab, meeting and event space in downtown Toronto across two locations — the MaRS Centre and MaRS Waterfront. Since 2010, MaRS has helped ventures generate $11.5 billion in cumulative revenue, raise $19 billion in funding, and create and maintain more than 33,000 jobs.

For media inquiries or additional information, please contact:
media@marsdd.com