Incubation, Hubs and Accelerators

1855 Whitby

The 1855 Accelerator is a public private partnership (PPP) to support the growth of high potential technology companies. Located in Downtown Whitby, it fills a gap that exists in the Durham Innovation Ecosystem so that rapidly growing companies can stay in Durham to continue their trajectory. At the accelerator, entrepreneurs can move to the next stage in the business development cycle; receive greater depth and breadth of support; and secure resources and capital to grow their business.

Brilliant Catalyst at Ontario Tech University

Brilliant Catalyst is Ontario Tech University’s on-campus start-up incubator and experiential learning hub. Their mission is to inspire and empower the next generation of innovative change makers by building a community of experts, entrepreneurs, and advisors that fuel positive change and place brilliant ideas on the map.

Brilliant Catalyst offers entrepreneurial, intrapreneurial, and experiential learning programs created to develop venture ideas, learn key business skills, gain experience through innovation, and bring businesses to Canada. These programs include the Brilliant Incubator, Experience Ventures, Black Entrepreneurship in Skilled Trades (BEST), Start-Up Visa, and a variety of workshops, networking events, and professional development opportunities.

FastStart at Durham College

FastStartDC is a free, extensionra-curricular program offered to students of Durham College (DC). Students from all of DC’s programs and from any campus are eligible to participate. The FastStartDC program, which is located within the 360Insights Entrepreneurship Centre at DC's North Oshawa campus, is designed to help entrepreneurial students develop and launch their own businesses, while they are studying at Durham College. There are five industry streams of FastStart programming – Food, Technology, Social Enterprise, E-Commerce and the Arts.

OPEN.innovate Creative Arts Incubator of Durham Region

OPEN.innovate is an Ajax-based organization with a mission to provide safe, inclusive and accessible spaces for young people of all backgrounds to find the resources they need to feel supported in building and maintaining careers that are considered unconventional. The vision is to create a connected local community of diverse creatives who are supported by accessible mentors and experts, along with pathways to new opportunities and a dedicated space to collaborate, learn, grow and create together.

Spark Centre

Spark Centre, Durham's Regional Innovation Centre (RIC), provides support to earlier stage and pre-revenue technology start-up companies. Located in Downtown Oshawa, Spark Centre acts as a “one-stop shop” providing business coaching and mentorship, learning tools and connections to business and research networks. The centre also offers help with access to investment and funding, ultimately creating jobs and wealth within Durham Region. Spark Centre offers a Start Up Visa program, has advised hundreds of companies in all facets of business and has dedicated professionals focused on helping clients achieve scalable revenue and long-term success. Clients range in focus and include wearable technology, clean tech, health, software and invention.

Synergy lab

Synergy Lab Inc drives business growth through market entry services for international entrepreneurs and companies looking to establish themselves in Canada. Synergy Lab provides international entrepreneurs with specialized programming and services to support their transition to a Canadian business and help them grow and scale.