Global Ventures Discover Support for Innovation in Markham
There’s an abundance of reasons why the diverse City of Markham has become the vibrant, rapidly-growing city that it is today.
Markham’s drive for innovation is in its DNA. Located in York Region at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area, Markham is a vibrant, rapidly-growing city, thanks to leading companies that have recognized its pool of world-class talent and entrepreneurial spirit.
At the centre of Canada’s second-largest technology cluster, Markham is home to more than 650 corporate head offices, over 1,500 high-tech and life science companies, and 240 international companies. “Innovation is our central way of life in Markham, where residents hold the greatest number of patents per capita in Canada,” says Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “The city has a highly-educated and skilled workforce in the technology, life sciences, financial services, design and engineering, science, and information and cultural sectors.”
Support for innovation draws leading companies
Among Canada’s top accelerators, Markham’s regional tech hub venturelab has a mission to power local startups into becoming the next generation of globally-competitive tech titans. In its 10-year history, it has enabled more than 2,000 ventures to raise in excess of $200 million in capital.
Working with companies in various industries, venturelab concentrates on hardware and enterprise software technology. Its signature initiative is
its Hardware Catalyst Initiative, Canada’s only lab and incubator for hardware and semiconductor startups, including a $7 million state-of-the art lab to drive innovations from prototype to product. According to venturelab Chief Operating Officer Matt Skynner, the tech ecosystem in Markham is a true community
of collaboration that’s led by a municipality that strategically supports innovation.
At Seneca Innovation, the applied research, innovation, and entrepreneurship branch of Seneca College, industry and community partners work alongside college faculty and students on applied research projects. It employs research managers to work with
companies to obtain grants and build research plans. According to Ben Rogers, Dean at Seneca Innovation, its applied research focuses on small- to medium-sized enterprises to solve technical challenges through the college’s expertise and infrastructure.
Seneca also encourages innovation through its on-campus incubator HELIX, launched in 2014. HELIX helps entrepreneurs design and launch startups and foster innovation within employees. “Markham has
been a really strong supporter of HELIX from the very beginning,” says Chris Dudley, Director of Entrepreneurship at Seneca College. “It’s an extremely strong player in the ecosystem. By collaborating and exchanging ideas, we all move farther faster.”
A dynamic setting for success
In fall 2023, York University’s $276-million Markham Centre Campus will focus on technology and entrepreneurship and offer new undergraduate and graduate academic programs geared to produce highly-qualified graduates.
“For many of us, it’s a lifetime opportunity to create an exemplary catalyst for learning, research, and innovation in the region,” says Amir Asif, Vice President of Research and Innovation at York University. “We aspire to make Markham the Silicon Valley of Canada.”
Yspace Markham, an accelerator innovation hub opened in January 2018, supports growth-ready technology initiatives, as well as food and beverage startups seeking strategies to scale up operations. In just three years, more than 100 new ventures have been supported. According to Sarah Howe, Assistant Vice President of Innovation and Research Partnerships at York University, “The opportunities for collaboration and demand for our entrepreneurial supports in Markham have blown us away.”