McMaster-affiliated startups raised $139 million in funding, generated $40.5 million in revenue and provided 979 full-time jobs in the past year, showcasing the growing economic impact of the university’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The figures are featured in the Made at Mac annual report, which showcases the people, programs and partnerships helping turn McMaster research into high-impact ventures.
Made at Mac brings together entrepreneurship supports across McMaster, providing students, faculty, alumni and ecosystem partners with access to training, mentorship, funding and world-class research facilities.
“Through our commercialization and entrepreneurship programs, McMaster has supported over 400 startups, with over $1.46 billion in funding raised and more than 1,600 jobs created in the past decade,” says Gianni Parise, vice-president, research.
“Made at Mac helps aspiring entrepreneurs get their ventures off the ground and supports McMaster startups as they scale. Our goal is to continue building an environment where great ideas can move from discovery to real-world impact.”
McMaster’s entrepreneurship ecosystem is helping founders turn promising ideas into high-growth ventures that create jobs, attract investment and bring new technologies to market.
Through mentorship, funding, and access to investors and industry partners, The Forge, the McMaster Seed Fund, the DeGroote-Heersink Hub (DHH), and other entrepreneurship programs help founders navigate the critical stages of venture growth to scale their companies in Southwestern Ontario.
In 2025-26, NodeAI, a McMaster Seed Fund portfolio company, advanced its AI-powered lung cancer staging platform into clinical trials across Canada, securing $500,000 through Ontario’s Life Sciences Innovation Fund.
Stoked Bio, a DHH- and Forge-supported venture built on McMaster intellectual property, closed an oversubscribed $2.5-million seed round to accelerate AI-enabled drug discovery for unmet clinical needs.
ELO Gaming, founded by McMaster engineering alumnus Adam Hepburn, generated more than $2 million in sales and raised $800,000 through Kickstarter to support commercialization of its XR glasses technology.
To help more ventures reach critical growth milestones, McMaster recently became a founding partner in the new Genesys University Seed Fund. By providing early-stage capital to university-affiliated health technology startups, the fund will help companies advance commercialization, attract follow-on investment, create jobs, and scale their operations in Ontario.
With 220 companies headquartered in Southwestern Ontario, Made at Mac is contributing to the region’s innovation economy while connecting McMaster talent and research with opportunities to create new products, companies and jobs.
Beyond funding and startup support, Made at Mac is helping build an entrepreneurial talent pipeline.
In 2025-26, 716 people participated in entrepreneurship programs and more than 5,000 people attended ecosystem events. A network of 220 mentors contributed 2,770 hours of mentorship to help founders develop their skills.
Students gained hands-on entrepreneurship experience through the McMaster Startup Immersion Internship (MSI) program, Investor Analyst Fellowship and McMaster Student Seed Fund (MSSF).
Thirteen startups hired students through the MSI program, with four interns going on to work with their host companies beyond the internship. Twenty Investor Analyst Fellows applied their training in funding decision-making to allocate $90,000 in McMaster Student Seed Fund investments across six student and alumni ventures, including LIVESENS. Founded by three Engineering graduates, LIVESENS has secured $370,000 in follow-on funding to advance their mobile sensor technology for smarter city planning.
The ecosystem is expanding its educational offerings. The new DeGroote Heersink Hub brings together The Clinic and the Marnix E. Heersink School for Biomedical Innovation & Entrepreneurship to provide entrepreneurship training for students, researchers, clinicians and founders, including through the Health Innovation Bootcamp and the Masterclass Entrepreneurship Series.
Launched in Fall 2026, a new Minor in Entrepreneurship and the new Marinucci Entrepreneurial Bridge will create more opportunities for students to develop the skills needed to launch and contribute to high-growth ventures.
Want to learn more about entrepreneurship at McMaster?
Join us at Innovation Showcase on November 16 to meet innovators, discover emerging technologies and learn more about the people, programs and partnerships that make up McMaster’s innovation ecosystem. Register here.
Find more events taking place during McMaster Entrepreneurship Week, November 16 to 20, 2026.
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