Organization: MaRS Discovery District

Yung Wu

Toronto innovation hub MaRS Discovery District has named Yung Wu as its new CEO effective Nov 1. Wu is a pioneering entrepreneur, serial investor and chairman of NFQ Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in seed or early-stage funding. Wu will succeed outgoing CEO Ilse Treurnicht, who has been CEO since in 2005. MaRS…

MPs see resource industry’s problems as potential boon for clean tech

Clean technology and traditional resource industries like oil and gas may seem like strange bedfellows but federal politicians hope closer ties between the sectors will enable Canada to meet two of its biggest challenges: reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and creating jobs. Debbie Lawes reports

Uber opens automotive-focused AI research group in MaRS centre

Uber Technologies Inc is establishing an artificial intelligence (AI) research group at the MaRS Discovery District focused on self-driving vehicles to draw on the region’s world-class AI talent pool. Uber has recruited Univ of Toronto professor Dr Raquel Urtasun, a Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning and Computer Vision, to head up the research group.…

Autodesk moving to MaRS west tower

Autodesk is relocating to a larger space in Toronto, taking up two floors at the new tower at MaRS Discovery District. The San Rafael CA-based 3D software developer for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, and entertainment industries is aiming at expanding its products into the clean tech, advanced manufacturing and city planning sectors. Autodesk…

CIBC and MaRS to collaborate on fintech

CIBC will create a corporate innovation hub at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, expanding a partnership that will see the bank join MaRS’ new FinTech cluster as a founding partner. Once the new facility is completed this fall, CIBC will boost its focus on financial technologies by collaborating to develop new banking innovations. The deal…

CIBC and MaRS to collaborate on fintech

CIBC will create a corporate innovation hub at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, expanding a partnership that will see the bank join MaRS’ new FinTech cluster as a founding partner. Once the new facility is completed this fall, CIBC will boost its focus on financial technologies by collaborating to develop new banking innovations. The deal…

OCE and MaRS deliver $50M in skills training funds

The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and MaRS Discovery District will deliver $50 million worth of technology-focused skills development programs as part of the province’s $295-million Youth Jobs Strategy. OCE is devoting $20 million to a Campus Linked Accelerator program and $5 million for an On-Campus Entrepreneurial Activities program for helping students develop entrepreneurial skills…

ICAV receives $2 million in Ontario funding

The Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation is investing $2 million in the International Consortium on Anti-Virals, (ICAV) an emerging consortium based at Trent Univ in Peterborough ON. The funding matches a federal contribution last year and is designed to accelerate ICAV’s discovery and commercialization of new anti-virals. In related news, the Greater Peterborough Region…

MaRS selects Alexandria as Phase II developer

The MaRS Discovery District has selected Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc, Pasadena CA, as the developer of Phase II of the biomedical research, incubation and commercialization facility. Alexandria will oversee construction of a new building that will add 90,000-sq-m of flexible office, laboratory, technology and related space to the complex as well as an extension…