Techno2016 Brings 18 Teams of Scientist-Entrepreneurs to the University of Toronto for Week-Long Intensive Training

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - June 13, 2016) - Today, the Impact Centre at the University of Toronto launched Techno2016, the seventh edition of its flagship entrepreneurship training program. The program began in 2010 with the mission to educate scientist-entrepreneurs and provide them the support to transform their latest science into transformative products and services. Over the past few months the Impact Centre team has been recruiting across the globe and has selected 18 teams that span industries from medical diagnostics to environmental technologies.

Over the course of the week the teams will participate in hands-on workshops on topics ranging from intellectual property, product development, corporate governance and pitching. All of the sessions will be led by Impact Centre staff and guest speakers and will include both lectures and work time to apply the concepts to their own technology. In preparation for this intensive week, the teams have participated in pre-Techno workshops on topics such as market analysis and the one of a kind 'Triggers & Barriers' workshop by Impact Centre Senior Fellow Charles Plant. On June 24 the teams will make their first pitches to a room of fellow entrepreneurs and invited guests and officially join the Impact Centre community.

"We are excited to welcome the Techno2016 teams into the Impact Centre community," said Dr. Richard McAloney, the director of entrepreneurship at the Impact Centre. "The issues that these student entrepreneurs are tackling are significant and will have positive impacts in Canada and abroad."

Since 2010, Techno has worked with 108 teams of researchers, students and faculty members to transform their research into businesses. Following Techno, teams are eligible for the Impact Centre's Business à la Carte program, which supports long term business growth. Alumni teams have gone to raise significant investment as well as sales. Some companies have also been supported through numerous government agencies, including 12 Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) Fellowships, 17 Grand Challenges Canada Stars in Global Health awards, numerous Ontario Centre's of Excellence (OCE) grants and many others.

"The Techno program has grown and evolved since it first started in 2010," said Impact Centre director Prof. Cynthia Goh. "It has been rewarding to follow the businesses that have grown from those early teams and we look forward to working with the 2016 cohort as they develop their products and begin developing their companies."

About the Impact Centre:
The Impact Centre is a research institute at the University of Toronto that strives to bring science to society through industry projects and partnerships, entrepreneurial companies, and unique training programs. We connect exceptional research, talent, innovative companies, and government to create products and services both for existing industry partners and as the basis for startups.