Entrepreneurship for Commercialization of Health Opportunities

Explore ECHO

Since 2018, ECHO has helped 178 members and 69 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

ECHO is comprised of a unique combination of five complementary modules:

Module 1: Principles of Entrepreneurship
Module 2: Health Venture Rounds
Module 3: Lessons from Leaders
Module 4: Community of Mentors
Module 5: Ignite Startup Funding

The program concludes with a pitch competition for the chance to win startup funding.

Program Details

Learn more about the ECHO program.

Application & Eligibility Details

Learn how to apply to the ECHO program.

ECHO PITCH

Review details about our upcoming ECHO PITCH competition.

FAQs

Read answers to the most commonly asked questions about ECHO.

Metrics

Review ECHO metrics.

Testimonials

Read what our previous participants have to say about the program.

Upcoming Deadlines & Eligibility

Submit your application for the 2025-2026 ECHO cohort by 11:59 PM ET on August 17, 2025.

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. Applicants must either hold a primary appointment at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine or be supervised by a faculty member with a primary appointment at Temerty Medicine. While this stream is initially limited to Temerty Medicine-affiliated applicants, the program will explore expanding eligibility through future partnerships with external institutions.

Our Partners

Led by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, the ECHO program is funded and organized in a partnership with the Translational Biology & Engineering Program (TBEP) at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.

About Temerty Medicine

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. The Health Innovation Hub (H2i) is Temerty Medicine's accelerator facilitating the commercialization of health matters.

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.

Contact Us

For more information, contact Soror Sharifpoor (soror.sharifpoor@utoronto.ca), director of commercialization and partnerships at Temerty Medicine and ECHO founder.

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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.

Apply Today