Built to be measured.
Not just marketed.
As an Ontario non-profit, our impact is the product. Here’s who we serve, how we’re growing, and the commitments we hold ourselves to.
Four constituencies. One platform.
Founders
Hands-on support, advisor matching, non-dilutive capital pathways, and warm investor introductions — without taking equity.
Community
Free and subsidized events at Office146 — fireside chats, mixers, mentor office hours, Demo Days — open to the public.
Ecosystem
A platform that connects mentors, investors, partners, and service providers into one coherent founder journey.
Region
Anchoring AI activity in Etobicoke and the underserved west end of the Toronto–Waterloo corridor.
Three phases. Compounding impact.
We grow in three deliberate phases. Each one compounds on the last — from community presence to full-cycle venture support.
01 · Foundation
Events & Hub
Activate Office146 with public AI events and onboard founding partners.
02 · Build
Ecosystem
Formalize the advisor network, partner lanes, and grant navigation stack.
03 · Launch
Founder Programs
Deliver full founder support and open two-way global pathways.
Mission first. In writing.
Non-profit governance
Registered Ontario non-profit with board oversight. We never take equity, warrants, or future rights in founder companies.
Inclusion by design
Underrepresented founders are a structural priority — built into how we recruit, mentor, and design programs, not a metric we report on later.
Open ecosystem reporting
Event activity, advisor network growth, and founder outcomes shared openly with partners and the community.
Mission-aligned funding
Funded by grants, sponsorships, and partner contributions — never by investment returns from founder companies.
Impact FAQ
NovaForge exists to make Toronto a global launch point for the next wave of AI companies. The goal is to support founders — especially those from underrepresented backgrounds — with everything they need to build, without ever taking a piece of what they create.
Because equity is what founders work for. Every percentage point given away is permanent dilution that affects the founder’s outcome, their team’s upside, and their ability to raise future rounds cleanly. By never taking equity, NovaForge ensures that the support it provides is genuinely additive — not a trade.
Non-dilutive support means any funding, credit, or resource you receive doesn’t reduce your ownership in your company. Grants, tax credits, and government programs are all non-dilutive, and NovaForge helps founders access these alongside its own zero-equity model of support.
GBA+ stands for Gender-Based Analysis Plus — a framework for ensuring that programs and opportunities are equitably accessible across gender, ethnicity, and other dimensions of identity. NovaForge has committed that at least 40% of the founders it supports will come from underrepresented groups, including women, racialized communities, and newcomers to Canada.
In its first year, NovaForge has run six events attracting over 500 community members, secured partnerships with major organizations including Deloitte Canada, Invest Hong Kong, and Kanata Ventures, and established a physical home at Office146 where founders can build every day. The foundation is in place and the community is growing.
Vosyn started with two founders at the very facility NovaForge now calls home. It grew to over 750 employees, raised a $25M Series A, and earned recognition as a Google Cloud Top-10 Canadian Startup in Q4 2024. That trajectory — from two people in a co-working office to a globally recognized AI company — is the proof of concept for what NovaForge is trying to replicate for the next generation of founders.
AI is the defining technology of this era, and Toronto is one of the world’s leading AI research and talent hubs. NovaForge believes the founders who will shape the next decade of this technology deserve a community built specifically for them — not a generic startup program that happens to include a few AI companies.
The long-term vision is for NovaForge to be recognized as the launchpad for Canada’s most impactful AI companies — a place where founders from all walks of life can get the resources, relationships, and runway to build something that matters. Plans include a formal AI accelerator, expanded Global Pathways, university research partnerships, and a second Demo Day.
NovaForge is actively planning a formal AI accelerator with structured curriculum, mentors, and investor access, as well as university research partnerships through programs like NSERC Alliance. Global Pathways is also expanding to additional cities beyond Hong Kong, Dubai, and Singapore, creating more opportunities for founders to reach international markets.
Yes. The 40% GBA+ target is a formal commitment built into the organization’s structure, not an aspiration. NovaForge actively designs its programming and outreach to reach underrepresented founder communities rather than waiting for them to find their way in.
