Innovation Factory

01/16/2026

🙌Our Synapse Pitch Competition training kicked-off tackling the two biggest hurdles for startups: Commercialization and Finance.

Through this session, innovators learnt:
🔹How to clearly articulate exactly who pays for their product and why, building a roadmap that investors can trust.
🔹Master risk management and competition.
🔹To reframe finances and learn the strategic use of funds, turning capital into a high-speed engine for the next milestone.

👏A huge thank you to Expert Advisor Bernard Lim and our sponsors Deloitte for bringing their expertise to our founder community

Here are some snippets from the yesterday!👇

01/14/2026

🙌We're so thrilled to announce the Winter 2025 cohort of our program! Congratulations to:

TechInu Inc, Tummo by Headstart , Percus, NexScale , Grid S2, AlertRx , Allowide Health, Aramill, Tiny Tube Bio, Scispot, AIEmpower Educational Workshops , TWISH CART , EcoSafeSense, NeuraVue, Pure Botanica Company , Cotriply , Enabled Talent, Talk to Medi, TOMI - Plant Protein For Toddlers & Kids

Over the next few weeks, these innovators will participate in training on critical topics such as customer development, pitch preparation, funding strategies, and market trends.

Our team is looking forward to supporting their business growth through this program and we can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve! 💡

01/10/2026

Funding your startup doesn’t always mean giving away equity. 💰

Read our latest blog to explore alternative funding options for scaling your business without diluting ownership. Discover how options like pitch competitions, grant programs, tax credits, and even investment networks could accelerate your startup journey.

📖 Read the blog here: https://loom.ly/s0RVo_k

Explore all the resources and tools available for Hamilton-Halton businesses and start-ups to secure alternate sources of funding.

01/08/2026

🙌What a night! We're so excited to officially kick off the 2026 Synapse Life Science Competition journey with our Meet & Greet Speed Networking event!

Ontario-based life science innovators connected with talented business & STEM students from across the region, sharing their life science innovations and preparing for the competition with the critical team formation process.

💡 we just announced this year's top 10 finalists. Read the press release to learn more: https://loom.ly/7YYZYWY

01/08/2026

We’re so excited to announce the 15 finalists for this year’s Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition, Ontario’s premier life science pitch competition! 📢

These exceptional innovators were selected from a competitive pool of applicants across Ontario and are working on cutting-edge solutions in healthcare, biotechnology, and medical devices. Over the next three months, they’ll collaborate with post-secondary students to refine their business and commercialization plans, culminating in the final pitch event on March 25, 2026.

Since 2013, the has supported 130+ companies, awarded $1M+ in prizes, and helped innovators secure $100M+ in follow-on funding while expanding into more than 10 global markets.

🌟 Congratulations to the 2026 finalists:
Better Bionics | DigiBiomics Inc. | Digits Health | Epiloid Biotechnology | Fertilead Inc. | Mandel Diagnostics | miRoncol Diagnostics Ltd. | Neuro-Mod | NovaSonix Healthcare Inc. | PalmFree | Sensible Vascular | Sielo Robotics | Synod Intellicare | VRiT Inc. | WeavInsight

👉 To learn more about the finalists and the upcoming showcase, read the press release: https://loom.ly/JJCOl48

01/06/2026

What's the secret to a successful founder partnership? For Mariner Endosurgery, the answer was the Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition.

It's where Mitch Wilson first connected with Dr. David Langlois, combining a fresh business perspective with a groundbreaking surgical patent. Together, they leveraged mentorship from Innovation Factory to turn their vision into a viable commercialization plan.

This strategic partnership led to a competition victory and laid the groundwork for a company that is still expanding today.

🧬Discover the full story of their growth: https://loom.ly/UAuuars

Explore how Mariner Endosurgery made non-invasive surgeries safer while also growing and scaling the company.

12/12/2025

It turns out great partners also make great guest registration officers. 😊

Huge thanks to Andy Donovan from Life Sciences Ontario for lending a hand at our Holiday Client Social and helping welcome guests into our new Burlington space.

LSO’s ongoing support of the and our broader life science ecosystem never goes unnoticed. It truly takes a community and we’re lucky to have people like Andy in ours.

12/12/2025

Brand new space, same shared vision. 💡Yesterday, Innovation Factory and TechPlace welcomed founders, partners, and collaborators into our new shared office space in Burlington — marking both our annual Holiday Client Social and a housewarming for a strategic hub designed to support entrepreneurs across Halton. ☃️🏢

From flexible workspace to deeper collaboration with partners like Brock University, Burlington Public Library, and the Halton District School Board, this space reflects our commitment to building a more connected, inclusive innovation ecosystem, aligned with the City of Burlington’s Vision 2040.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to tour the space, connect with one another, and toast to a year of resilience, growth, and momentum. Here’s to what we’ll build together in 2026. 🥂

🤝 If you haven't had a chance to drop by, come visit Innovation Factory × TechPlace at 5151 New St, Burlington!

12/03/2025

So thrilled to celebrate the launch of ROZOR at McMaster Innovation Park!

ROZOR, led by founder Yusuf Arsalan (formerly of RoboLabs), is a rapidly growing AI robotics startup and an incredible success story of the Startup Visa (SUV) Program participating in our Runway accelerator. With today's launch, they plan to be expanding their growth right here in Hamilton after arriving from Turkey in September.

Yusuf's mission is deeply personal: he founded ROZOR to build technology that protects people and improves everyday life, driven by the loss of his father to a preventable post-surgical infection. ROZOR is developing AI-powered service robots focused on making hospitals and public spaces safer, cleaner, and more efficient.

Congratulations, Yusuf and the ROZOR team!

11/27/2025

We're so excited to announce the winner of our latest New Venture Pitch Challenge!

Congratulations to Jasmine Jing, Co-founder of TechInu, whose AI and Matrix-pinhole image sensing technology aims to make diabetes care proactive, personalized, and pain-free.

✨ To learn more about TechInu visit https://loom.ly/32uPzmk

11/25/2025

The toughest truth in the startup world is this: A brilliant idea is only valuable if it's protected. Without a strong IP strategy, competitors can copy you, stall your growth, and eat your market share.

Join us on 📆December 2, 12:00pm - 1:00pm for "IP 101: From Ideas to Assets", where experts from Marks & Clerk will demystify the complex world of Patents, Trademarks, and Trade Secrets.

We're tackling the fundamental questions:
*️⃣What IP is necessary for success (Patents, Trademarks, etc.)?
*️⃣How do you access government IP funding?
*️⃣How do you use IP to actively block competitors?

This session is designed to give every founder the fundamentals needed to build a robust protective barrier.

👉Secure your spot: https://loom.ly/38xB8MM

Masterclass on IP basics for founders. Learn to protect your innovations, use patents/trademarks, and access IP funding with experts from Marks & Clerk.

11/24/2025

Hello from our new Halton office! 🏢 In case you missed the big news, we've officially moved our Halton operations to the Robert Bateman Community Centre on 5151 New Street.

We're so thrilled to continue to working alongside our co-location partners, TechPlace, as we officially open the doors to welcome you. 😄