Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards
The Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards ceremony is going digital!
2020 Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards

As the world has had to adapt to COVID-19, so have we. For the first time ever, the Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards ceremony is going DIGITAL!

Wednesday, September 2, 4–5 p.m. ET (1–2 p.m. PT)

Celebrate outstanding Mitacs program participants who have turned their groundbreaking research into innovative businesses, from the comfort of your own home.

Join us online and you’ll get to:

  1. See the winners announced and hear their stories
  2. See the winners pitch their businesses for the chance to win the NEW Pitch Competition Award sponsored by Startup Canada 
  3. Vote! NEW this year, you can vote on the Audience Favourite Award sponsored by Ciena
  4. Connect with Canada’s innovation community via the chat function

Pitch Competition Judges

  • The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Government of Canada (invited)
  • Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation, Government of Quebec
  • Kayla Isabelle, Executive Director, Startup Canada

Register now

Supporting program participants in their entrepreneurial journey is important to Mitacs. By helping them succeed, we are strengthening Canada’s economy and improving the lives of Canadians.

For any questions or concerns, email events@mitacs.ca.

 

Award categories
Outstanding entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant with an outstanding start-up or business idea that is feasible and sustainable.

Social entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up works to address or solve social, cultural, or humanitarian issues.

Global impact entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up demonstrates the potential to scale to international markets or have a global impact.

Environmental entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up has a positive impact on the environment or addresses a challenge related to climate change.

Change agent entrepreneur

Awarded to an applicant whose start-up demonstrates the potential to significantly improve an industry, process or mindset.

Who is eligible?

To apply, you must have participated in one or more of the following Mitacs programs as an undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, or postdoctoral researcher:

  • Accelerate, Elevate, Globalink, or Converge
  • Training (formerly Step): you must have completed at least two Training courses and demonstrate how your participation inspired your entrepreneurship

Company eligibility

Through your application, you are declaring that you represent the company for which you are applying. To be eligible, your company must have commercialized its product or service, or be in the pre-commercialization stage, and must also meet the following criteria:

  • The business is registered within Canada as a corporation or cooperative
  • The business cannot be owned by, or a subsidiary of, a parent corporation
  • The operations of the business will benefit Canadians or the Canadian economy for example, through the creation of jobs, intellectual property, or innovative products or services

To be eligible to win the award, you must be a founder or member of the senior leadership team (e.g. Chief Technology Officer, etc.) of the company for which you are applying.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Vancouver, and winners will be invited to participate in marketing and media relations activities. Attendance at the awards ceremony is mandatory in order to receive the award.

Evaluation

Your application will be judged based on the extent to which it demonstrates:

  • Soundness of business planning
  • The values and ideals of the award category(ies) to which you are applying
  • A connection to, or influence from, your Mitacs experience

An esteemed panel of experts from business and academia will judge the applications.

The deadline for applications was March 19, 2020, 1:00 p.m. PT. For any questions or concerns, email entrepreneur@mitacs.ca.

Thank you to our Platinum Partner and Audience Favourite Award sponsor

Ciena logo

Thank you to our Pitch Competition sponsor

Startup Canada Logo

Thank you to our government partners

Government Partners Logos

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