BVZ's extended five-year agreement gives early-stage founders a launchpad in Brampton.
When Tenomix applies to Brampton Venture Zone (BVZ) for their support three years ago, this medical startup had nothing more than a prototype and an idea to automate the detection of lymph nodes in cancer pathology.
Today, the startup has advanced its technology into pilot testing and has raised $3 million to date. This progress began when BVZ, an early-stage incubator operated by Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Zone training network, and with the support of the City of Brampton, stepped in to provide guidance at a critical time in its development.
“Brampton is one of Canada’s most vibrant cities, full of energy and people who will shape the country’s future.”
John MacRitchie, Metropolitan University of Toronto
“We believed in the founders and their vision for what they were doing,” says Fardan Khan, interim director of BVZ. “Obviously we don't claim our startup success, but it shows that good things can happen when even very early stage startups get the right support at the right time.”
The City of Brampton recently extended its partnership with BVZ TMU for an additional five years, allowing BVZ to continue supporting the next generation of technology businesses.
“Brampton is one of Canada’s most vibrant cities, full of energy and people who will shape the country’s future,” says John MacRitchie, TMU’s assistant vice-president of area learning and strategic initiatives. “With the city’s continued support, BVZ intends to deepen its role in growing businesses, nurturing talent and shaping the region’s broader economic development.”
More than half of BVZ's current portfolio is now in healthcare and related industries. With the arrival of the new TMU Faculty of Medicine this fall, along with institutions such as William Osler Health System And Osler Research Institute for Health InnovationKhan believes Brampton increasingly offers the kind of contacts and collaborators startups need for mentorship, clinical validation and capital.
“For early-stage founders, access to the right people and experts is sometimes the biggest challenge,” Khan said. “Because we have partnered with the community, we can introduce them and then the founders have to do the hard work.”
Khan also pointed to the Brampton Health Technology Task Force, which is working to promote further healthcare innovation in the region, as another sign of an ecosystem emerging. Although he noted that negotiations with potential partners are still in the early stages, “the willingness the collaboration is strong and the fact that they have a presence in Brampton represents a significant opportunity.”
Brampton is located in North America. third largest biotech cluster, where employment in health care and life sciences has grown 50 percent since 2005. The city is also home to major firms including Medtronic, Dynacare, Sun Pharma Canada, Boston Scientific and Canadian Blood Services.
However, BVZ is not positioning itself in the biotech or pharmaceutical space, Khan said. Instead, it focuses on digital health, wellness and early-stage health technologies, from preventive care and chronic disease management to efficiency tools and supply chain solutions.
“Brampton’s population is extremely diverse and one of the fastest growing, so it’s vital to work with founders who solve these unique problems,” he explained.
The BVZ approach has already paid off for startups in the BVZ network. Tenomix, for example, turned its introduction to Dynacare and William Osler into a pilot study. Another company Refusewhich uses artificial intelligence to reduce the administrative burden on doctors, has leveraged BVZ's connections at TMU and the local health network to expand its presence in Brampton.
In addition to health tech, BVZ also supports startups such as Scooty, which is revolutionizing shared mobility in Brampton with e-scooters, and Transify, which aims to streamline logistics with its data visualization platform.
BVZ's focus on medical technology also stems from who its founders are. Since 2021, 48 startups have passed through it. Launch program, nearly half of which is led by women and the majority by founders from underrepresented groups. These voices, according to Khan, shape the tools for prevention, chronic disease management and everyday healthcare effectiveness.
“These are not just the stereotypical young guys in hoodies working with venture capitalists,” Khan added.
The mandate of the BVZ is also formed in its Brampton Innovators Programwhich brings founders from Brampton and the Peel region together in a structured environment with the mentorship, tools and connections needed to grow scalable technology businesses. This program is available to founders working in the healthcare, mobility, logistics, fintech and artificial intelligence sectors, among others.
For his part, MacRitchie believes Brampton's growing network and new technology give it a huge role nationally.
“As we continue to focus on our core strengths in health technology, collaboration with community partners and experts in areas such as [extended reality tech]logistics and artificial intelligence will be important,” MacRitchie said. “These technologies are not isolated – they directly intersect with healthcare and will play a vital role in shaping Canada’s global health technology presence.”
According to Khan, the next chapter will focus on deepening collaboration with the medical school and other partners, as well as connecting Brampton startups with the Toronto ecosystem through assets such as Biomedical zone.
Ultimately, Khan hopes BVZ's legacy will be that medtech founders will instinctively look to Brampton as a place of opportunity.
“That's what we'd like to be able to say.”
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All photos courtesy of Brampton Venture Zone.
