Our innovation ecosystem depends on you

The Incubate Innovate Network of Canada (I-INC) is a pan-Canadian, internationally connected network of high-performance university-linked accelerators and incubators. I-INC creates an ecosystem for the efficient commercialization of university-based and science and technology-enabled innovation. Founded in 2014, the network has expanded to include 13 universities across Canada.

Invest Nova Scotia offers programs, services, advice, and other resources that Nova Scotia companies need to grow. Start-ups are a key focus area for the organization, supporting them through venture capital, incubation facilities, expert advice, and other acceleration initiatives. Invest Nova Scotia’s venture capital fund targets deep technology opportunities at the angel through Series A stages.

Volta is one of Canada’s largest startup hubs, located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are focused on early-stage tech founders and their teams in Atlantic Canada. Our goal is to help more founders drastically improve the probability of building a high-growth start-up. We do that by providing tailored support that helps founders implement proven methods into deliberate practice. Since being founded in 2013, Volta’s alumni and residents have raised over $374 Million and have created 3,200+ jobs. Learn more at www.voltaeffect.com.

Tribe Network is a community of racialized people pursuing entrepreneurship and innovation in Canada. We advance inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation by providing our members access to relevant resources where they can connect, work and learn.

Futurpreneur is a national, non-profit organization that provides collateral-free financing, mentorship and resources to diverse young entrepreneurs, aged 18-39, looking to start, acquire or grow their businesses in Canada. With a mandate to help young entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to life, Futurpreneur provides bilingual (English and French) support and resources to help business owners start and succeed.

Springboard Atlantic is the network of 19 universities and colleges across Atlantic Canada who work together to commercialize academic & industry-led research. Funded by ACOA and the post-secondary institutions, our team of 30-plus institutional representatives and a central office staff help leverage the vast research and development capacity of academic institutions to contribute to Atlantic Canada’s growth as an innovative and prosperous region. The Springboard Atlantic Network is recognized across Canada as a leading model for institutional collaboration to drive innovation and commercialization and support economic development.

The Ulnooweg Education Centre is an Indigenous-led registered charitable organization that empowers Indigenous communities through the advancement of education through collaborative research, development, and delivery of educational programs and initiatives in science & innovation, agriculture, and financial literacy through a holistic approach of traditional values in culture and language.

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a non-profit organization that delivers an objectives-based mentorship program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. CDL operates twelve global, university-based sites located in Canada (Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver), the United States (Atlanta, Seattle, Wisconsin) and Europe (Oxford, Paris, Berlin, Estonia). CDL-Atlantic, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and housed in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, is proud to represent the four Atlantic Canadian provinces in this global network.

Unique in Atlantic Canada and one of only a few early-stage deep tech incubators in Canada, the Emera ideaHUB welcomes diverse founders to access the resources, expertise, and connections they need to innovate. As an incubator for physical product innovation, we bring the right mix of hands-on support, immersive workshops, and industry partnerships to each founder we welcome into our space.

Hosted by the Faculty of Engineering: IDEA is a multidisciplinary initiative that integrates NSCAD Design with the Faculty of Engineering and the Rowe School of Business at Dalhousie University. IDEA is built around project based learning and provides workshops, mentorship, and experiential learning opportunities for students to explore engineering, design, making, and manufacturing. IDEA helps everyone develop a personal toolbox of skills to support any career path.

SURGE is Dalhousie’s Innovation Science Sandbox. We offer a range of programs that give students real life applications of the science knowledge they receive in the classroom. We focus on skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century — a world full of major challenges and rapid change. SURGE provides applied training in the skills needed to develop innovative solutions to real problems, and make those solutions a reality through entrepreneurship, social enterprise, not-for-profits, or other means.

Pulse is a network of health professionals who are working together to translate innovative ideas into real impact. Pulse helps create, develop, and scale ideas and projects by offering educational, experiential, advisory, and funding opportunities in the aging, medtech, therapeutic, and social health innovation spaces.

ShiftKey Labs is a Nova Scotian sandbox focused on computer science and technology. Based in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, ShiftKey aims to offer students across the province chances to experiment with innovation and entrepreneurship in a safe environment. To this end, ShiftKey offers three broad types of programming: technical skills development, career development training and early-stage startup support. From hackathons to 1-on-1 startup coaching sessions, ShiftKey is there for any student with idea and the drive to do something with it. By working directly with students, ShiftKey aims to create strong talent for Nova Scotia’s growing tech industry, thereby making a positive impact on the economic future of Atlantic Canada.

The Cultiv8 interactive and interdisciplinary sandbox inspires and supports Dalhousie Agriculture students to build competencies through multidisciplinary innovation and entrepreneurship exercises that focus on strong communication, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving in the food and agriculture space. Our students are enabling the businesses they own or work for to make better decisions and improve efficiencies while encouraging sustainable agriculture problems.

MindFrame Connect is a Canadian not-for-profit focused on upskilling Canadians by providing access to expert training, resources, and tools designed to improve performance. MindFrame Connect was started to solve current gaps in the Canadian entrepreneurial ecosystem. The program is focused on the psychology of entrepreneurship – the resilience, mindset and grit required to succeed, as well as exploring what it means to be a mentor/leader in the current innovation economy, and the skills required to be effective. Everything MindFrame Connect offers provides a refined, practical view on improving one’s ability to perform and is developed and vetted by entrepreneurs and mentors.