Entrepreneurship

McMaster University has a vibrant and growing start-up ecosystem. McMaster research has been licensed to small and large enterprises, as well as led to the creation of new start-ups. Since 2014, this has resulted in over $24M in licensing fees and royalties received by the university, and those McMaster start-ups have raised financing or generated revenues in excess of $300M to grow their businesses. Over the same period, The Forge, McMaster’s incubator, has helped over 130 companies, encompassing student, recent alumni, and the community, raise more than $28M in investment.

The ecosystem supports:

• The creation and growth of early stage companies by providing entrepreneurial education and mentor-ship
• Intellectual Property (IP) protection
• Business development support
• Networking
• Investor preparation, including pitch and business plan development

Additional support and services available to our entrepreneurs:

• The Forge is McMaster’s start-up accelerator that uses a cohort-based mentorship program to build and scale technology companies and provides entrepreneurial education to students on campus.
• Innovation Factory is a not-for-profit Regional Innovation Centre funded by the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs. Innovation Factory helps start-up companies commercialize their ideas and helps small and medium enterprises innovate within their organization

Additional Resources:

• Inventor’s Guide
• Startup Guide