Competition Overview

Innovation Factory’s Synapse Competition is Ontario’s premier life science pitch competition. Designed to help move your innovative life science products and services out of the lab and into the market, the competition pairs innovators with business and entrepreneurship students, and provides the training, mentorship, and resources to be successful.

Delivered by Innovation Factory, in collaboration with the Synapse Consortium, this competition assists innovators, scientists, and researchers to bring their ideas to market, increase revenues, leverage intellectual property, attract investment and create jobs.

Innovator finalists receive training, mentorship, a $5,000 grant and a chance to pitch and compete for OVER $100,000 cash prizes!

COMPETITION STATS SINCE 2013

115+ COMPANIES

$820K+ PRIZES AWARDED

$85M+ FUNDS RAISED

10+ GLOBAL MARKETS ACCESSED

The competition is separated into four phases, outlined below.

Synapse competition phase one, life science competition team development

Synapse phase two, life science organization commercialization plan

Synapse competition phase three, life science organizations pitch to qualified investors

Synapse competition phase four, top ranked life science companies showscase business at annual networking event

PHASE ONE

TEAM FORMATION

Interested participants will complete a short application and finalists will be notified in December of their acceptance into the competition. Innovators and students will form teams at our Meet & Greet in January 2023.

PHASE TWO

COMMERCIALIZATION PLAN

Teams will receive training and mentorship in order to submit a

10-15 page

Commercialization Plan, outlining detailed steps needed to commercialize their innovation, and a timeline to market in February, 2023.

PHASE THREE

INVESTOR PITCH

Teams will attend training to develop and deliver a 5-minute investor
pitch, including the components of a pitch, delivery methods, and
addressing questions in March 2023.

FINAL PHASE

FINAL PITCH & SHOWCASE

The top-ranked teams will deliver a business pitch, competing for cash and in-kind services from our generous partners. All finalists will present a poster and have the opportunity to network with top industry leaders in the life science sector on March 22, 2023.