The University of Toronto is proud to partner with Collision, happening virtually from April 20-22, 2021. With 22 U of T startups taking part in Collision’s Startup University, talks with globally-renowned U of T innovators, Allen Lau and Geoffrey Hinton plus a U of T Masterclass, our presence is stronger than ever.

About the University of Toronto

Renowned as one of the world’s great research and entrepreneurial universities, U of T’s research expertise spans everything from insulin to AI. Our current research excellence covers fields as diverse as regenerative medicine, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, smart materials, precision medicine, smart cities, and quieter airplanes.

We collaborate successfully with companies of all sizes (approximately 300 at any given moment), from local startups to global enterprises, from research and development through to commercialization. University of Toronto entrepreneurs have created more than 500 companies, securing more than $1.5 billion in investment over the past decade.

Learn more about why the University of Toronto is the place to innovate here.

U of T at Collision

Masterclass

University of Toronto: The place for innovation
Wednesday, April 21 @ 11:00 am – 11:30 am

With Derek Newton (AVP, Innovation, Partnerships & Entrepreneurship, U of T) and Jon French (Director, U of T Entrepreneurship)

This interactive session is for industry leaders, investors, government and other partners interested in engaging with the innovation ecosystem at U of T, a global leader in research and entrepreneurship.  Hosted by the Office of the VP Research & Innovation and leaders from U of T’s broad campus accelerator ecosystem, you will have an opportunity to learn how to plug into research opportunities, adopt bleeding-edge technologies, invest or partner with startup companies and more.  

Check out U of T’s innovator sessions

Designing neural networks that interpret images the way people do
Tuesday, April 20, 2:10 pm – 2:30 pm
With Geoffrey Hinton, Godfather of AI at University of Toronto

Geoffrey Hinton – the godfather of AI – explores the technical aspects of deep neural nets, how the brain works, and the pace of innovation in AI.

Empowering the new generation of creators
Tuesday, April 20, 3:30 pm – 3:55 pm
With Allen Lau, U of T alumnus, Co-founder & CEO at Wattpad

In this session, you will get to know some of the most influential organizations helping to nourish millions of creatives globally. Delve deeper into how they are working together to democratize storytelling, and to provide the next generation of creators with the game-changing tools needed to harness their talents.

2021: The year of the customer
Thursday, April 22, 1:15 pm – 1:25 pm
With Mike Murchison, U of T alumnus, Co-founder & CEO at Ada

Ada CEO Mike Murchison identifies key trends to look out for in the customer experience space in 2021.

Connect with our startups

Connect with 20+ U of T startups at Collision including ArbreLSK TechnologiesBridge TextbooksInferaStarSpec TechnologiesMonitio IntelligenceGradient RoboticsCodeAssistYourTable and more!

Learn more about our community

Campus Accelerators

The Centre for Entrepreneurship is home to entrepreneurship education, co-curricular programs, venture incubation and acceleration in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is designed to provide science-based ventures with the robust business judgment they need to scale massively.

The Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab (DCSIL) is a cross-disciplinary start-up accelerator and incubator. 

The Entrepreneurship Hatchery offers four processes to build start-ups: NEST, fostering the creation of startups and the entrepreneurial mindset of U of T students.

The Health Innovation Hub (H2i) facilitates early-stage entrepreneurs with the translation and commercialization of ideas into problem-solving designs on health matters. 

ICUBE UTM offers early-stage business development and commercialization services as part of U of T Mississauga and the Institute for Management & Innovation.

The BRIDGE is UTSC Management’s campus-linked accelerator and platform for work-integrated learning and has business, research, and innovation at its foundation.

The Hub at UTSC is an early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship incubator that assists U of T students and recent alumni in the creation and launch of new companies

The University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) program is a startup development program for nascent companies supported in partnership by the University of Toronto Connaught Fund and MaRS Innovation.

InnovED is the education incubator and home of entrepreneurship education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), UofT. At the intersection of education research, professional learning, and innovation, we apply teaching and learning sciences to develop and advance opportunities for societal improvement.

Other Resources

The Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) helps build successful partnerships between industry, business, government, and the University of Toronto research community and manages U of T’s portfolio of intellectual property – turning ideas and innovation into products, services, companies and jobs.

University of Toronto Libraries supports campus entrepreneurs enrolled in courses and programs, commercializing research, and launching startups on their own or via a campus accelerator.

U of T Alumni Engagement