# Canada deserves more entrepreneurs

> CFIR is a Canadian not-for-profit that funds Canadian entrepreneurship — scholarships that make business education free, seed grants for new ventures, and open research shared with Canada's entrepreneurial community.

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Canadian Foundation for Innovation and Research (CFIR)

We believe it starts with the knowledge of how to build a business — so we fund the scholarships that make that education free, the seed grants that help new ventures grow, and the open research we share with Canada's entrepreneurial community.

research.ca

Latest from CFIR

Annual report · 2025

Annual Report 2025

The year in full — where the capital went, who it reached, and the numbers behind it.

Read the report →

Research

The impact of artificial intelligence implementation on the commercial success of startups

Sixty-eight Canadian startups built on artificial intelligence, set against national research spending from 2010 to 2024.

About this research →

Entrepreneur

Wandering Elk Company

A bottle harness cut from cork leather — one of the two ventures the seed grants went to.

See the year →

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About CFIR

CFIR is a Canadian not-for-profit that funds Canadian entrepreneurship

About the foundation

/about/

Federally incorporated

Corporate-funded

A grant-making foundation

Built for Canada

What we do

Three focus areas we fund:

Scholarships

Full-tuition scholarships across the three programmes at YEDI - how to build and run a business.

About the scholarships

/what-we-fund/#education

Scholarship recipients at YEDI

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Seed grants

Seed grants for ventures out of the Incubator programme.

How the grants work

/what-we-fund/#seed-grants

Companies from the programmes

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Applied research we fund and publish openly.

Browse the research

/what-we-fund/#research

Research we published

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Where the money goes

Tuition-free

for Canadian citizens and permanent residents

The Foundation covers tuition in full - so an entrepreneur's capital goes straight into the company.

/yedi/Diploma/2025/546404491_1208700617958697_6456126028949577883_n.webp

Our designated institution

The programs run at YEDI

A recognized name in entrepreneurship education, YEDI offers entrepreneurs a range of programmes to grow their skills and their ventures.

About designated institution

/designated-institution/

Status

Entrepreneurship institute

Ranking

World Top-5 · UBI Global

Charitable Registration

# 81209 5735 RR0001

President

Dr. Marat Ressin

Education

Three scholarships, for three types of entrepreneurs

The Entrepreneurship Scholarship

For entrepreneurs and small-business owners - covers the Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management diploma at YEDI.

Learn more

The Incubator Scholarship

For startup founders - covers the Incubator Certificate Program at YEDI: a raw idea to a business plan and an investor pitch.

The Not-for-Profit Scholarship

For non-profit leaders - covers the Not-for-Profit Certificate Program at YEDI: develop the organization and pitch it to funders.

Applied, selected, completed, funded

Ventures from the programmes, presented at YEDI’s Venture Fair and funded.

About seed grants

Open Everyday Chemist details

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Previous recipients

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Cosmetic R&D

Everyday Chemist

Science-based, made-to-order skincare.

A skincare company built on science, family legacy, and intentional craftsmanship. EC Studios, a boutique R&D lab, powers made-to-order, clinically backed formulations - slow beauty with real results, grounded in chemistry and care.

Toronto, Canada

https://www.everyday-chemist.com

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Pharmaceutical

Maman Biomedical

Less painful fertility care, by microneedle delivery.

Transforming hormone and specialty drug delivery to be less painful, less wasteful, and more accessible. The first focus is fertility care, where IVF can mean 20+ injections in two weeks - addressed by the Maman Port, Maman Patch, and Maman Sense biosensor.

Toronto, Ontario

https://mamanbiomedical.ca/

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Medical device

Vibraint

Brain-controlled rehabilitation robotics.

Brain-controlled rehabilitation robotics: a non-invasive brain-computer interface combined with AI and VR, designed to restore movement in patients with severe paralysis. Pilot study complete, clinical trials underway - a patent-protected platform now focused on regulatory approval in North America.

https://vibraint.ai

Educational

The Steam Project

STEAM programs and a makerspace for youth.

STEAM-based programming for youth, founded by three science teachers who saw the need for different ways of learning. Coding, robotics, electronics, 3D printing, design and woodworking - a makerspace and summer camp shaping the next generation of innovators.

Richmond Hill, Ontario

https://www.thesteamproject.ca

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Software development

Legion IT Services

QA testing and training for IT teams.

Testing and development services that raise product quality for small and medium IT companies, plus webinars and online courses for QA professionals across both manual and automation testing.

Ontario, Canada

https://legion-it.services/

Networking platform

Oh-Hi!

Barrier-free professional networking.

Connecting you with the diamonds around you - a barrier-free platform for professional networking that curates introductions, events, and deal flow matched to your goals, exactly when you need them.

https://www.ohhi-global.com

Financial services

A+ Wealth

Low-fee financial advice with a human touch.

Financial advisory that minimizes high fees while keeping the human touch - making finance accessible across investments, portfolio, wealth, estate, retirement, and insurance.

https://www.apluswealth.com

IT services

CeoTech

Room-by-room climate control.

An affordable Enhanced Climate Control System that keeps different rooms at their own temperatures independently - a hardware platform for precise, zone-by-zone climate management.

Port Perry, Ontario

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceotech/

Biotech

Pill0

Guidance to the right medication.

Personalized health guidance through a structured questionnaire - instant direction on which medication is right for you, removing the guesswork from the choice.

Toronto, Ontario · Personalized health

https://www.pill0.com

Fitness equipment

2XSR

Gear for athletes and the outdoors.

Fitness equipment for athletes, military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts - advanced sandbags, multi-functional rucksacks, weighted vests, and adjustable weight systems built for quality and function.

https://www.2xsr.com

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CFIR's News

Be the first to know

All news

/news/

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Older

In the news

More

Keep exploring.

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The mission

Press file

Annual report

Partners

Money committed to entrepreneurial education is an investment.

The return: new entrepreneurs, new companies, new taxpayers - for Canada.

Our partners

/our-partners/

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Applied research we funded

Open-access studies on the questions facing Canada's entrepreneurs.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence Implementation on the Commercial Success of Startups

A survey of 68 Canadian startups building on artificial intelligence, alongside national research-spending data from 2010 to 2024.

About this research

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Crafting Educational Programs in Modern Business Schools: A Transformative Shift in Values and Culture

A study of how modern business schools teach values and culture - drawn from a survey of 140 graduates across Canada and the United States.

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The role of venture capital funds in dissemination and development of innovation in Canada

A study of how venture capital reaches early-stage companies across Canada. Openly published.

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