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We’re more bullish on Canadian innovation than ever

By MaRS Staff  |  November 10, 2026

We’re more bullish on Canadian innovation than ever

MaRS’s CEO, Grace Lee Reynolds, on our bright future.

In 2001, we were founded on the optimistic and bold belief in the power of Canadian innovation. While there’s been a lot of iteration over the last 25 years, our mission — helping entrepreneurs bring great ideas from the lab to the world — remains constant. Below, our CEO, Grace Lee Reynolds, muses on MaRS’s vital role in a mercurial world — and answers a few, somewhat more personal, bonus questions.

Stories from the ecosystem
The hottest jobs this week

Clearing the path

A facility that extracts critical mineral resources from mine tailings. A self-driving lab that expedites the discovery of life-saving medications. A platform that halves the energy consumed by large language models. These are the kinds of groundbreaking solutions in our orbit at MaRS.

We work with founders who are extraordinary problem-solvers. But it’s one thing to engineer a device or pinpoint a novel therapeutic; it’s a different battle to bring it to market. MaRS was founded to make that easier: Twenty-five years ago, physician and civic leader Dr. John Evans recognized Canada needed a place to incubate the best ideas in science and technology more than it needed another condo. Then, as now, the country’s innovators struggled to commercialize their innovations. He established MaRS to help clear obstacles so that we can all see the impact of their solutions faster.

I’ve been a MaRSian for the better part of the past decade and a half, and I still find myself marvelling at what a privilege it is to have a hand in shaping a better future. In 2011, I was flipping through The Globe and Mail and spotted a “finance director wanted” ad. (An ironically analog origin story for the CEO of a tech hub.) It was a very different time, for MaRS and for the world.

But in any ecosystem, the species that flourish are the ones that evolve and adapt to their surroundings. MaRS is no exception. The past quarter century has required constant iteration and recalibration of where our resources are most needed. Although MaRS remains committed to inclusive innovation with the twin goals of social impact and economic prosperity, it’s our agility and eagerness to meet the moment that have allowed us to thrive. The mercurial geopolitical landscape informs our sense of the role Canada plays within a broader system; the global market is integral to our pursuit of digital sovereignty and domestic growth. In turn, our understanding of the importance of place has expanded — catalytic connections can happen in the atrium of the MaRS Centre, online during a livestreamed panel or abroad during a market visit for one of our mission-based cohorts. We’re the spark that transfers that energy from node to node to node.

When I responded to that ad, I had only a vague notion of what MaRS was. But as I connected with MaRSians, it became apparent they shared a distinctive quality — a get-it-done pragmatism paired with a drive to pursue the loftiest dreams. That’s when I thought: Oh, my gosh, I really want to be part of this. That essence is still at the heart of the organization. We are resolute in our mission to help Canadian entrepreneurs make global impact while strengthening the foundations of our country.

As Mark Carney and François-Philippe Champagne say in the new federal budget, “Canada is turning global uncertainty into national opportunity.” This country, they add, is now “the best place in the world to invest.” There is still much work ahead to realize these ambitions. But with the world in flux, when accelerating change seems like the only constant, domestic innovation continues to be a powerful driver of progress. — Grace Lee Reynolds

Lightning round

We grilled our CEO on her fave things, dreams and predictions for the future.

What innovations most inspire you?

“So many do! Feats of physics and engineering like fusion machines and medical devices that help people maintain their independence. I’m equally inspired by systems-level innovation, like rethinking how we generate energy or reimagining elder care. Japan and Denmark have active and ambitious approaches — very different scales and challenges, but all driven by human ingenuity. It’s amazing what people can create when they agree to work together.”

Favourite cultural representation of the tech sector?

“Probably Halt and Catch Fire, which is really about people and partnerships.”

What’s your favourite spot at MaRS?

“Anywhere in the MaRS Centre atrium and the Lake Lounge at MaRS Waterfront. They’re both places where you’ll collide into conversations (and you can also sometimes hide in plain sight and get some work done).”

What innovation would make your life easier?

“Teleportation or memory multiplier.”

What new innovation would you like to see in the world?

“As a parent of three adult children, I deeply want to see more solutions that make the future feel promising to their generation and beyond. Cleaner energy, better health and dramatically lower costs so their future is affordable and sustainable.”

What will MaRS be working on in 2051?

“Problems that we haven’t imagined yet, with founders who are currently in kindergarten. I hope we will have helped make Canada a place where great companies can grow and stay.”

Stories from the ecosystem

INNOVATION: A moonshot idea: Calvin Stiller tells the story behind Canada’s largest innovation hub. (MaRS)

SECURITY: Budgeting for a stronger Canada. (Toronto Star)

GOVERNANCE: Introducing Barbara Stymiest, financial world icon and MaRS’s new board chair. (MaRS)

AI: Ada to merge with Dialpad in deal reportedly valuing firm at $600 million. (BetaKit)

FUNDING: Ottawa merging EDC and BDC and setting up a sovereign wealth fund. (Globe and Mail)

BIOTECH: Molly Shoichet’s groundbreaking research could improve treatments for diseases once thought irreversible. (BeGiant)

AI: The future of AI will be shaped by a few dozen people. (New York)

Solve for X: Automatic for the people

In a special bonus episode of the pod, Manjula Selvarajah chats with robot ethicist Jason Millar. It’s a lively, provocative conversation that raises a number of complicated questions: Should robots feel pain? What do we mean by trustworthy AI? And why is C-3PO so dang annoying?

Upcoming events

  • MaRS’s Better Buildings: Hospitality and Recreation program, which helps owners and operators of hotels, motels and inns reduce expenses and increase efficiency, hosts an informational webinar on November 10.
  • At this month’s Technically Speaking, “Get your story straight,” an expert panel — DECIEM’s Silvia Stanica, Neuraura’s Claire Dixon and MaRS’s Amanda Whalen — breaks down how a powerful brand narrative can transform the way your venture is seen by investors, partners, customers and talent. November 10.
  • MaRS Climate Impact, featuring XPRIZE CEO Anousheh Ansari, Qikiqtaaluk Corporation president Harry Flaherty and General Fusion CEO Greg Twinney, among others, is November 17 and 18.
  • On the second and final day of Climate Impact, MaRS’s First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Lab hosts a venture showcase with Carbonova, Exterra Technologies, Green Graphite Technologies, Hyperion Global Energy and Planetary Technologies. November 18.
  • The Canadian Disability Tech Summit, the national conference on assistive technology and disability innovation, is November 18.
  • This year’s QueerTech Conference, “Who gets to trust AI? Power, participation and accountability,” is November 18 and 19.
  • At the next MaRS Morning, “Designing for access: Women’s health equity,” Toronto Star health reporter Megan Ogilvie hosts a conversation with leaders in women’s health research about new innovations that target systemic healthcare inequities. November 26.

For more, visit our events page

In the queue: What we’re reading, watching and listening to at MaRS

Lee Cadesky is a food scientist, engineer and the author of Grub: Why We Eat, Why It Matters and the Seven Forces that Shape Our Food. She’s also the innovation director at Maple Leaf Foods and will be speaking at Climate Impact on November 17. This week, Cadesky shares her current obsessions.

  • A Substack you’ll gobble up: “Snaxshot is the Variety of the food industry. It covers the business, the brands and the oddities of food in a way that’s actually fun to read. Written by Andrea Hernández, whom the New York Times dubbed ‘the Nostradamus of snacking.’”
  • A forum for Freudian foodies: “r/somnigastronomy is a subreddit where people post, discuss, make and eat the food they see in their dreams. It’s a reminder of what food creativity can be when nobody is worrying about real life. Completely unhinged, in the best way.”
  • The clotheshorse’s fave podcast: “Avery Trufelman’s Articles of Interest, a show about the social history of what we wear, is a surprisingly good listen for anyone in food. Or maybe not that surprising. Food and fashion share many of the same challenges and origins: agriculture and fibre production, military development, circularity and sustainability, and shifting consumer trends.”
  • A deep dive into food innovation: “In Jasper Is Hungry, Jasper Sturtwagen covers a wide range of food tech topics. The highlight for me is his Friday round-up of recent food patent applications — a great window into where food innovation is headed.”

Careers: The hottest jobs in tech this week

For more, visit our jobs page

Did you know that MaRS is a charity?

Your support helps us advance Canadian innovation and science, bring our community together and transform the world for the better. For instance, through our carbon removal donation program, you can help support Canada’s most promising CDR companies through tax-deductible donations. Learn more here.

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks.

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