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1
in Canada for research-based startups
About
The SpinUp Space
Infrastructure. Programming. Affordable wet lab space. Take your early-stage company to the next level at U of T’s first wet lab accelerator for life science innovation.
Programs, Partnerships, and Affordable Wet Lab Incubation Space to Propel Life Science Startups at the Earliest Stage of their Creation
Scientific research at Canadian universities—especially at U of T—inspires big innovation ideas. Early-stage entrepreneurs need dedicated, high-quality wet lab space and equipment to mature their intellectual property (IP) and attract external investment. But this space is scare and often too expensive. And that’s where we come in.
SpinUp bridges the translation gap, providing early-stage life science founders access to highly subsidized wet lab co-working space, equipment, and infrastructure in University of Toronto Mississauga’s (UTM) new science building. Here, startups can focus their funds on developing their IP and strengthening their business case. Founders can tap the research strengths of a world top-twenty university and the commercial savvy of a world top-five university entrepreneurship network.
Welcome to U of T’s first wet lab incubator: scientific innovation levels up here.
SpinUp is UofT’s first wet lab incubator. It expands a booming entrepreneurship network that connects 12+ innovation hubs across U of T’s three campuses.
top
5
in the world for university-managed startup incubators
1200
+
venture-backed companies created
17
K+
jobs created
$
12
B+
funding raised
Since 2017, we have supported more IP startups than any North American university outside of MIT. These companies change what’s possible in Canada and around the world, including for a range of urgent life science fields in Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area. From biotechnology to digital health to precision medicine: it happens here at U of T.
Membership
SpinUp membership gives you up to two years of access to:
Lab
Co-working lab space
Two dedicated benches and 1 dedicated fume hood; shared infrastructure, equipment, health & safety support and waste management.
Office
Co-working desk space
and meeting room
Dedicated desk and lockable cabinet; bookable meeting room.
Programming
Entrepreneurship
programming
Seminars, workshops, professional office hours, networking events.
SpinUp provides members full operational support, including biological and chemical waste management, permitting, environmental health & safety support, shipping and receiving, Wi-Fi and robust IT support, and beyond.
Members receive support from UTM’s VP Research & Innovation Office to engage with the University’s experts for research partnerships, and with our trainees for internships and co-op terms.
Cost per startup (all inclusive):
- Internal rate: $400/month
- External rate: $900/month
Equity:
- SpinUp does not take an equity stake in our incubated startups.
- SpinUp is designated as an “IP-neutral zone.” This means the University does not take ownership of new IP developed by startups in the SpinUp space.
To learn more about subsidized SpinUp membership, join one of our office hours:
Equipment and Infrastructure
SpinUp members have free access to equipment and infrastructure within the space.
Highspeed, Ultra,
benchtop, micro and mini models from Beckman and Eppendorf.
Temperature and O2 controlled CO2 incubators, microbiological incubators, and incubator shakers from Eppendorf and Fisher.
Temperature-controlled microbiological incubators (60L, 120L) and shakers from Fisher.
Comprehensive mixing capabilities for a variety of applications.
High performing imaging systems for fluorescence and chemiluminescence detection and all general gel documentation applications from Biorad.
PTC Tempo 96 features enhanced usability to support PCR applications in basic and translational research, process development, and quality control.
High performing fridges and freezers (4oC, -20oC, -80oC) and liquid N2 storage from Eppendorf and Thermo Scientific.
Six 6ft BSCs housed within three CL2 rooms, and 35 6ft fume hoods throughout the lab space.
Image coming soon!
STERIS autoclaves configured with pre-vacuum, liquid, and gravity cycles, and glassware washer.
A variety of models with different temperature ranges and holding capacities from Fisherbrand and ThermoFisher Scientific.
Hot plate stirrers featuring strong magnetic coupling power and smooth start stirring mechanism from Fisher Scientific.
Effective and easy-to-use PH meters from Fisher.
Efficient and self contained compact ice system from Curren Taylor Scotsman.
Efficient and adjustable balances from Sartorius for various weighing applications.
Consistent and adaptable water purification system from Milli-Q.
High powered and programmable sonicator from Fisher.
Reliable and highly accurate spectrophotometer from Thermo Scientific.
Microscopes from Nikon that produce clear images for detailed cell culture observation and documentation.
Applied BiosystemsTM QuantStudioTM 5 Real-Time PCR System, 96-well, 0.1 mL, laptop connected.
Microplate Reader
VANTAstar compact multi-mode microplate reader, cpapable of UV-Vis, Fluorescence, and low-volume measurements.
Maytag commercial grade washer and dryer; detergent provided.
SpinUp members can also access equipment within select UTM core facilities, located in the same building as SpinUp or an adjoining building. Rates are specified by each facility, with most offering special SpinUp rates.
NMR Facility
Equipment includes: Varian Unity-Inova 600, Varian VnmrS 600, Varian Unity-Inova 500, Bruker 400, analysis software
Imaging Facility
Equipment includes: confocal, confocal spinning disc, epifluorescence, benchtop scanning electron microscopes, and image analysis software
Contact: Kathryn Harris-Howard at kathryn.harris@utoronto.ca
Life Sciences Core
Equipment includes: Bioanalyzers, spectrophotometers, fluorometers, nucleic acid purification, tissue homogenizers, microfluidizer, tissue lyser, various centrifuges, electroporation, freeze-dryers, gel imaging and running equipment, PCR and real-time PCR, plate reader, UV crosslinker.
Contact: Xin Zhao at xin.zhao@utoronto.ca
Chemical & Physical Sciences Core
Equipment includes: Chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, microscopy and mass spectrometry.
Contact: Peter Mitrakos at peter.mitrakos@utoronto.ca
Floor Plans & Virtual Tour
Lab Space
Each startup has a dedicated 6x5ft lab bench unit and 6ft fume hood.
All startups have shared access to infrastructure and equipment in the space.
Meeting Room
SpinUp companies can reserve time for meetings in an 8-person conference room.
Office Space
Each startup has an individual desk with a lockable cabinet in an open shared desk space.
Location
SpinUp is located in a new state-of-the-art research facility
on the UTM campus, at the heart of Mississauga.
UTM is connected to the St. George campus via shuttle service that runs every 20min.
Mississauga is home to the 2nd largest life science sector across all major Canadian centres, hosting biotech, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, medtech, and digital health companies. It is a strong hub for entrepreneurship:
- Trillium Health Partners, THP (6km from UTM): one of Canada’s largest academically affiliated hospitals in Canada. THP leads the Ontario CAN Health Network for rapid adoption of medical innovations:
- CAN Health Network (6.7km from UTM): drives new solutions into the health care system by connecting companies to Canadian health organizations, and by helping nascent companies overcome market access barriers.
- IDEA Mississauga (6km from UTM): offers entrepreneurship services, programming, resources, and support
- Plug and Play (11km from UTM): connects startups to large corporations, venture capital firms, and government to accelerate new innovations.
- Business Development Bank of Canada, (10km from UTM): provides financing and advisory services to small and mid-sized companies.
- Sheridan Park (5km from UTM): a community dedicated to industrial research, development and innovation, and is the location of:
- The National Research Council (NRC) of Canada, which supports materials development and commercialization, and includes facilities for scale-up, de-risking, and application demonstrations.
- The Ontario Centre of Innovation, which connects innovators with investors, and provides non-dilutive funding to early-stage startups.
- Upcoming purpose-built lab spaces, including SPEC Labs, which can accommodate growth of emerging startups.
- Nearby accelerators include UTM’s ICUBE, Sheridan EDGE, and Altitude Accelerator
Our Team
Office hours
Fridays 
2-3:30 pm EST 
Online
Questions? Share them with our team at weekly office hours. All entrepreneurs and prospective partners welcome.
Learn more about our fees and membership model. Discuss your unique goals. Explore ways to get involved.
Register for each week’s session by Tuesday.
Receive a meeting link on Wednesday.
Speak with our team on Friday.
Learn more about SpinUp:
