Entrepreneurship for Commercialization of Health Opportunities Program
Welcome to Entrepreneurship for Commercialization of Health Opportunities (ECHO), a national entrepreneurship training and mentorship program designed to bridge the translational gap for health innovations.
Explore ECHO
Since 2018, ECHO has helped 224 members and 86 ventures reach their entrepreneurial potential.
ECHO was a game-changer for us. The funding, guidance and invaluable support provided the perfect launchpad, allowing us to transform our early-stage ideas into the biotech we are today.
Paradox Immunotherapeutics
About ECHO
ECHO is a specialized entrepreneurship training and mentorship program led by veteran entrepreneurs and consultants across a variety of sectors. As a participant in this 12-month online training program, you will receive:
Entrepreneurship training, mentorship, partnership and funding opportunities
Support towards creating and growing your high-impact, health-focused startup
Tools to accelerate the translation of your health innovations from the bench to the bedside
Read what our previous participants have to say about the program.
Upcoming Deadlines & Eligibility
Submit your application for the 2026-2027 ECHO cohort by 11:59 PM ET on August 3, 2026.
Cardiovascular Stream: Open to Canada-based researchers, scientists, clinicians, trainees or entrepreneurs developing cardiovascular technologies.
General Health Stream: Open to researchers, scientists and trainees developing health technologies outside the cardiovascular field. To be eligible for the General Health Stream of the ECHO program, projects must meet the following criteria:
The technology must be developed, at least in part, through a Temerty Faculty of Medicine, campus-based research lab at the University of Toronto. Technologies developed solely within affiliated hospitals or other academic or research institutions external to the University are not eligible.
At least one inventor must be a faculty member with a primary appointment at the University’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and must have contributed to the development of the technology through campus-based research activities.
The invention must be disclosed (or intended to be disclosed) to the University, through the University of Toronto Innovations & Partnerships Office, in accordance with the University’s Inventions Policy.
Intellectual property may be owned by the University, the inventor(s), or jointly with other organizations. However, the invention must fall within the scope of the University’s Inventions Policy and must not be governed solely by the intellectual property policies of an affiliated hospital or external organization.
Temerty Medicine is the largest and top-ranked faculty of medicine in Canada, spanning the fundamental health sciences, clinical medicine, rehabilitation sciences, translational research and health systems.
About TBEP
The Translational Biology and Engineering Program is the University of Toronto component of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, focused on heart failure research across the lifespan.
Your innovation could transform lives. Let’s make sure it gets the chance.
Imagine your innovation improving lives — not in theory, but in practice. ECHO is here to help you turn your discoveries into scalable, real-world solutions.
ECHO is more than just a program – it’s a launchpad for health innovators who are ready to move from discovery to delivery. This is your moment to take the next step and change lives.
ECHO was a game-changer for us. The funding, guidance and invaluable support provided the perfect launchpad, allowing us to transform our early-stage ideas into the biotech we are today.Paradox Immunotherapeutics
