MaRS-supported startup revenue since 2010
MaRS-supported startup GDP contribution since 2010
People employed by MaRS-supported companies in 2021
Join the MaRS Portfolio:
Access to advisors
Benefit from expert advice on every aspect of business with our network of advisors
Connections to talent
Attract and retain highly-skilled workers
Introductions to investors
Connect with like-minded VCs, funds and investors from around the world
Connections to partners
Build valuable relationships with potential customers, corporates, governments and fellow startups
Access to reporting
Access detailed reports on your target market including lead generation lists and sales insights
Access to community
Share your challenges with fellow founders and offer your support through virtual and real-life experiences
Startup Toolkit
Access our collection of reports, workbooks, courses, videos and more — all covering essential tech entrepreneur topics.
OUR PROGRAMS
MaRS helps companies go from idea to IPO.
From startups to companies with significant market traction and serial entrepreneurs looking to grow their latest venture, MaRS offers programs and services that will help you succeed — all tailored to your company’s stage of growth. To see if your company is eligible, apply now.
overview
Whether it’s in-person or online, we offer an extensive range of self-service and tailored programming to help you grow your business.
Who you are
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Have a minimum viable product -
Have early customer interest; are close to product-market fit/early validation
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Have raised or could raise (pre-)seed investment for product or service
What you get
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Startup Toolkit -
Startup Workshops -
Market Intelligence -
Entrepreneurship 101 -
Digital Community -
Fundraising Support -
Networking Events -
Media Contacts
Capital Programs
overview
This multi-sector, exclusive program provides advisory support to help ventures prepare for and execute Seed and Series A raises. Learn more.
Who you are
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Company is incorporated in Canada
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Keen to engage with expert advisors and peers
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In the process of raising or planning a Seed or Series A raise in the next 6-12 months
Services offered
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1:1 expert advisory on topics including:
• Fundraising strategy
• Investment material support
• Introductions to investors
• Board governance management -
Data-driven diagnostic and insight tools
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Access to a curated peer community
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PR and media opportunities
Growth Acceleration Program
overview
This intensive multi-sector program supports executives of scaling, high-growth companies on track to reaching $20 million in revenue. Learn more.
Who you are
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Headquartered in Canada with strong growth ambitions
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Keen to engage with expert advisors and peers
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Growing to $20 million in revenue within two years
What you get
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1:1 expert advisory on topics including:
• Revenue and growth strategy
• Talent and leadership
• International expansion
• Marketing and branding -
Access to data-driven diagnostic and insight tools
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Access to the MaRS ecosystem, peer-to-peer connections, and curated workshops and roundtables
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PR and branding opportunities
Momentum
overview
Taking your business from startup to scale-up is hard. But high-growth companies — on track to earning over $100 million — are the anchor firms of the Canadian economy, so it’s vital they receive the support they need to succeed. This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Learn more.
Who you are
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On track to reach $100 million in revenue within five years
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Headquartered in Canada with global ambitions
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Keen to engage with executive peers and global experts
What you get
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Access to a global, curated community of C-suite executives
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Data-driven diagnostic and insight tools
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Customized executive services (organizational design, culture, leadership, sales acceleration, international expansion, IP, risk, financial controls and M&A) -
PR, media, regulatory and public affairs assistance
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Growth, sales and marketing support
Ready to apply?
To see if you qualify for Growth Services, apply now. To inquire about our Momentum program, get in touch to learn more.
Venture Services Terms & Conditions
Our Success Stories
Nanoleaf
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Cyberworks Robotics
Krista Jones
Chief Delivery Officer
Krista has been the driving force behind the creation of Momentum, a MaRS program helping scaling Canadian companies reach $100 million in revenue by 2024. Krista has been a passionate innovator and builder of technology-based businesses for over 30 years. She has spent her career working in and advising over 200 organizations, including public companies, high-growth firms and startups. Krista is an engineer, entrepreneur, mentor and expert problem solver. She has a unique combination of strategic, technical, operational and marketing expertise. And she is known for her comprehensive knowledge of the existing and emerging enterprise tech stack (architectures, technologies) and commercialization practices. Her greatest joys come from working with and learning from diverse, talented and ambitious people, as well as being a mother to three amazing young adults.
Susan McLean
VP, Venture Success
Susan is VP, Venture Success, with MaRS Venture Services, where she is responsible for operational effectiveness, client service orientation and the implementation of strategic priorities across the Venture Services team. Susan brings a wealth of experience in the innovation sector to her role, most recently with Ontario’s Ministry of Research and Innovation/Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure (MRI/MEDEI) as Manager of Innovation Strategy and Programs for the Commercialization Branch. She was previously with Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), as Regional Director of Partnerships, and with TMX — leading their efforts in Cleantech Business Development and Strategic Initiatives. She is an active advocate of social finance and cleantech, and has held roles on the Advisory Board of SVX, at Corporate Knights and on the Board of Directors of the Access Community Capital Fund. Susan is currently on the Board of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and is Toronto Chapter Chair of the Manning Innovation Awards. Her career began in finance and strategy roles, building on Susan’s McGill BA. She also earned a CFA and MSc in Economics from the University of London.
Jason MacFarlane
VP, Venture Services Products
Jason MacFarlane is VP of Venture Services Products, where he leads the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster within Cleantech Venture Services at MaRS, supporting startups with product development and manufacturing while leveraging industry collaborations. He brings extensive product design and manufacturing expertise in a wide range of industries including automotive, industrial automation and machine, consumer, medical, transportation and advanced technology. Much of Jason’s experience comes directly from leadership roles, from supporting high-volume vehicle production at Chrysler to managing an engineering group driving product design and build in the transportation industry for Orion Bus. Over the past 15 years, as Director of Business Development and Engineering, Jason has played a prominent role in growing an engineering services company, CADmech Design Inc., to become a trusted partner to Canadian manufacturing OEM’s. Through this leadership role, he developed a highly qualified technical team, rolled out a full range of product development services, conducted all sales activities and developed brand marketing content and strategies, all of which culminated in lasting customer relationships. Jason is a registered professional engineer and has a degree in Applied Science, Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University.
Dennis Ensing
Executive in Residence
Scale-up experience:
- CEO of TransGaming (now FinDev, TSX-V: FDI), a leading digital media company Previously served as CFO/COO
- Took company public via RTO and raised over $25M
- Through strategic M&A acquired key talent and titles/brands to become first cloud-based games provider in cable TV segment
- CFO of Viron Therapeutics
- Raised US$20M Series B including venture and strategic investors
- Directly involved in over $500M of financing and M&A transactions in the past 10 years
- Past-CEO of Equation Angels, Canada's second largest Angel network, whose model he helped architect in 2017
- Investor and Past-Chair of the Board of Sensory Technologies, a health-tech venture
- Chartered Business Valuator
- Strategic Planning
- Inorganic growth / M&A
- Pitching for capital
- Mentorship
René Azeez
Senior Director, Strategy & Sustainability
René Azeez is the Senior Director of Strategy and Sustainability at the MaRS Discovery District where he leads the conception, prioritization, and execution of high-impact initiatives that drive value for the Canadian venture ecosystem and contributes to the long-term financial sustainability of MaRS. His MaRS experience has also included leading venture-facing teams responsible for driving engagement with the startup and growth stage portfolios across all technology and science sectors (health, cleantech, software, fintech, emerging technology), transforming operations to improve key performance indicators and corporate scorecard metrics, co-developing venture programs and products, designing and implementing departmental objectives and key results to drive organizational performance, and participating in ecosystem engagement and strategy. He brings a wealth of experience to MaRS, having spent time in leadership positions as both a senior strategist and management consultant over the past 13 years. He led a consultancy team that developed high stakes go-to-market strategies for some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical multinational corporations including Pfizer, Roche, and Baxter as a Senior Strategist with Publicis Health. As a Market Insights Manager with the Decision Resources Group (now Clarivate Analytics) he has also led global teams of analysts that produced syndicated and custom market research for the world’s largest medical device multinational corporations including Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Siemens to support IPO, global expansion and M&A, and product and pricing strategies. René attended Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, where he achieved an Honors BSc. in Developmental Biology. He also has an Executive MBA from HEC Paris, the number one ranked Executive MBA in the world (Financial Times, 2022), with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He was awarded the Best Award 2022 by HEC Paris in recognition of his academic performance.
Amol Deshpande
Senior Director, Health, Venture Services
Amol is the Senior Director, Health at MaRS. Past “lives” include an academic clinician in chronic non-cancer pain management for over two decades with research in cannabis in chronic pain, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and stints in the start-up world, occupational health, cardiac assisting, emergency medicine, travel insurance, workplace insurance and many more clinical areas. He has always been fascinated with innovation and over the last several years has decided to ‘double down’ on his passion. In addition to the MaRS DD role, he is co-chair of HaloHealth.ca (a physician angel group), Venture Partner at AIoT Health and founder/host of Reboothealth.io, a podcast dedicated to great health innovators trying to change the health system for the better. He is continually learning from those around him. As has been said by those much wiser than he “…the destination pales in comparison to the journey we take.”
Tyler Hamilton
Senior Director, Cleantech
Tyler Hamilton is senior director of cleantech at MaRS and guides all climate-related activities for ventures, corporate partners and investors, including the flagship Mission from MaRS program. Previous to joining MaRS, Tyler spent two decades as a journalist and wrote extensively about Canada’s clean technology sector and global cleantech trends. Most recently he was editor-in-chief of business and sustainability magazine Corporate Knights. He also spent 13 years at the Toronto Star, where he reported on Canada’s energy sector and wrote a popular weekly column on clean energy technologies and trends. In 2011, Tyler authored Mad Like Tesla, a book that examines the various barriers to clean energy innovation and surveys the landscape of some potentially world-changing clean technologies. A recipient of the Cleantech Group’s “Pioneer” award for his early writings on the sector, Tyler was also recognized in 2016 on Canada’s “Clean50” list for his thought leadership on clean energy and climate issues.