The Toronto and Waterloo corridor is the largest tech region in Canada, anchored by its universities and a strong AI research community. Several of its best known programs are run by or with universities.
Many Canadian programs take no equity, which makes them easy to combine with an investor-led accelerator later.
| Program | Funding | Equity | Next deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antler | $500K to $1M initial commitment in the US; varies by location | Varies by location | Rolling admissions |
| Velocity | No standard investment; pitch competition prizes up to CAD 5,000 (~USD 3,600) | None | Rolling admissions |
| Communitech | No direct investment | No equity | Rolling admissions |
| DMZ | No cash investment; in-kind services and perks | Small equity stake (reported up to 2.5%) | Next deadline not announced yet |
| Creative Destruction Lab | No direct investment | None (no fee, no equity) | Next deadline not announced yet |
30 locations including New York, San Francisco, Austin, London, Singapore, Sydney
Day-zero investor that helps founders find co-founders and build from scratch in 25+ cities. In the US it commits $500K to $1M; terms vary by location.
Alumni include Airalo.
Antler: terms, deadline and how to apply
Waterloo, Canada
University of Waterloo's free startup incubator, founded in 2008. No equity, no fees, rolling admissions with onboarding every two months and about a 10% acceptance rate.
Alumni include Faire, ApplyBoard, Avidbots, Embark.
Velocity: terms, deadline and how to apply
Kitchener, Canada
Waterloo Region tech hub in Kitchener, founded in 1997. A paid membership organization with founder programs, peer groups and workspace. No investment and no equity.
Toronto, Canada
Toronto Metropolitan University's incubator, founded in 2010. 18-month Incubator with no fees and a small equity stake. Applications open year-round.
Alumni include Mejuri, Ada, Hostaway, Super.com.
DMZ: terms, deadline and how to apply
17 sites including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Seattle, London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne
University-based program for science and deep tech ventures. No fees and no equity taken. Founders work toward objectives set with experienced entrepreneurs.
Alumni include Atomwise, Deep Genomics, Ada, Eavor Technologies.
Creative Destruction Lab: terms, deadline and how to applyGet your pitch deck scored with our free AI Pitch Review, and track every deadline in one place from your SaaSOffers dashboard. Once you are accepted, claim the free startup credits most programs qualify you for.
The programs founders apply to most in Toronto and Waterloo are Antler, Velocity, Communitech, DMZ, Creative Destruction Lab. Each one differs in funding, equity and format, so compare them in the table above before applying.
Velocity, Communitech, Creative Destruction Lab take no equity, based on each program's published terms.
None of these programs has an open fixed deadline right now. Several accept applications on a rolling basis, and the others usually announce their next dates a few months before each cohort.
Antler offers the largest investment on this list: $500K to $1M initial commitment in the US; varies by location, for Varies by location.