When Tenomix applied to Brampton Venture Zone (BVZ) for support three years ago, the medtech startup had little more than a mock-up and an idea to automate lymph-node detection in cancer pathology.
Today, the startup has advanced its technology into pilot testing and raised $3 million to date. That progress began when BVZ—an early-stage incubator run through Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Zone Learning network and backed by the City of Brampton—stepped in to provide guidance at a critical moment in its development.
“Brampton is one of Canada’s most dynamic cities, full of energy and people who will shape the nation’s future.”
John MacRitchie, Toronto Metropolitan University
“We believed in the founders and their vision of what they were doing,” says Fardan Khan, BVZ’s Interim Director. “We obviously don’t claim any of our startup’s successes, 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 renewed its partnership with BVZ of TMU for another five years, which will ensure BVZ can continue backing the next generation of tech ventures.
“Brampton is one of Canada’s most dynamic cities, full of energy and people who will shape the nation’s future,” says John MacRitchie, TMU’s Assistant VP of Zone Learning & Strategic Initiatives. “With the city’s continued support, BVZ is poised to deepen its role in fostering ventures, fueling talent and shaping the broader economic development of the region.”
More than half of BVZ’s current portfolio now comes from health and related sectors. With the arrival of TMU’s new School of Medicine this fall, along with institutions like the William Osler Health System and the Osler Research Institute for Health Innovation, Khan believes Brampton increasingly offers the kind of contacts and collaborators that startups need for mentorship, clinical validation and capital.
“For founders at the early stage, having access to the right kind of people and experts is sometimes the biggest challenge,” said Khan. “Because we’ve built those partnerships in the community, we can make the introductions, and then it’s up to the founders to do the hard work.”
Khan also pointed to the Brampton’s MedTech Task Force, which is focused on driving further health innovation in the region, as another sign of the ecosystem taking shape. While he noted that conversations with potential partners are still in the early stages, “the willingness to collaborate is strong and the fact that they are present in Brampton presents a significant opportunity.”
Brampton sits within North America’s third-largest biotechnology cluster, where employment in health and life sciences has grown by 50 percent since 2005. The city is also home to major firms including Medtronic, Dynacare, Sun Pharma Canada, Boston Scientific and Canadian Blood Services.
Still, BVZ is not positioning itself in biotech or pharmaceuticals, said Khan. Instead, it is concentrating on digital health, wellness, and early-stage medtech, from preventative care and chronic disease management to efficiency tools and supply chain solutions.
“Brampton has a vastly diverse and one of the fastest-growing populations — working with founders that are solving for these unique challenges is vital,” he explained.
BVZ’s approach has already paid off for startups in BVZ’s network. Tenomix, for instance, turned introductions to Dynacare and William Osler into a pilot study. Another company, Waive, which uses AI to reduce doctors’ administrative workload, tapped BVZ’s connections at TMU and in the local health network to expand its footprint in Brampton.
Beyond healthtech, BVZ has also supported startups like Scooty, which is reshaping shared mobility in Brampton with e-scooters, and Transify, which is looking to streamline logistics with its data visualization platform.
BVZ’s healthtech focus is also tied to who its founders are. Since 2021, 48 startups have come through its Launch program, almost half led by women and most by founders from underrepresented groups. Those voices, Khan said, are shaping tools for preventative care, chronic disease, and day-to-day efficiency in healthcare.
“It’s not just the stereotypical young guys in hoodies pitching to VCs,” Khan added.
BVZ’s mandate also takes shape in its Brampton Innovator Program, which brings founders from Brampton and the Peel region into a structured environment with the mentorship, tools, and connections needed to grow scalable tech businesses. That program is available to founders working in healthtech, mobility, logistics, FinTech, and AI, among others.
For his part, MacRitchie believes Brampton’s growing network and emerging technologies are giving it an outsized role to play nationally.
“As we continue to focus on our core strength in healthtech, collaboration with community partners and experts in areas like [extended reality tech], logistics and AI will be essential,” MacRitchie said. “These technologies are not isolated – they directly intersect with healthcare and will play a vital role in shaping Canada’s global healthtech footprint.”
For Khan, the next chapter is about deepening collaboration with the medical school and other partners, while also bridging Brampton’s startups with Toronto’s ecosystem through assets like the Biomedical Zone.
Ultimately, Khan hopes BVZ’s legacy will be that healthtech founders instinctively look to Brampton as the place for opportunity.
“That’s something we would love to be able to say.”
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All photos provided by Brampton Venture Zone.