Queen鈥檚 entrepreneurs set to accelerate with ONRamp

Queen鈥檚 entrepreneurs set to accelerate with ONRamp

Partnership provides new space for Kingston startups to grow profile in Toronto.

By Dave Rideout

February 28, 2019

Share

Main floor space at the ONRamp facility in Toronto.
Main floor space at the ONRamp facility in Toronto. (Photo courtesy of University of Toronto)

Queen鈥檚 University is the newest member of 鈥 a University of Toronto-led collaboration built to support entrepreneurship and help accelerate new businesses by providing access to work space, events, and networking opportunities. With facilities based in downtown Toronto, ONRamp will allow Queen鈥檚 and Kingston-based startups to connect with a broader network of innovators and potential investors.

鈥淨ueen鈥檚 and its partners in Kingston have nurtured a thriving innovation ecosystem here in the city,鈥 says Kimberly Woodhouse, Vice-Principal (Research). 鈥淥NRamp will extend the influence of our entrepreneurs in Southern Ontario, increasing awareness of the cutting-edge research, invention, and commercialization coming out of our university and community.鈥

Top floor space at the ONRamp facility in Toronto.
Working areas inside the Toronto-based ONRamp facility.

The ONRamp space is located at the University of Toronto鈥檚 near , major hospitals, and across the street from . Its 15,000 square-foot facility provides free, secure co-working space for members, 24-hour meeting rooms, a kitchen and lounge, and technology-enhanced rooms for presentations and more.

Queen's plans to use the ONRamp space to showcase startups and researchers, to host pitches, networking events, and consultations with Toronto-based stakeholders, including alumni, government and industry partners, and venture capitalists. Queen鈥檚 will also invite entrepreneurs, startups, and community partners to use the ONRamp facilities as a landing pad for meetings in downtown Toronto with potential investors, customers and suppliers, and government officials.

Queen鈥檚 is the newest academic partner to join ONRamp, joining the University of Toronto and three other university partners, including McMaster University, the University of Waterloo, and Western University. Launched by U of T in 2017, ONRamp has since been utilized by 50 startups, and currently has 600 active users.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to have Queen鈥檚 join the ONRamp entrepreneurship community,鈥 says Derek Newton, Assistant Vice-President of Innovation, Partnerships, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto.

For more information about ONRamp, or how to access ONRamp facilities and programs via Queen鈥檚 membership, contact Amanda Gilbert, Communications Coordinator at Queen鈥檚 University鈥檚 Office of Partnerships and Innovation. The ONRamp initiative is the latest innovation partnership for Queen鈥檚, adding to other partnership efforts in Kington, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, and in Upstate New York. Visit the office鈥檚 website for information about all Queen鈥檚 innovation initiatives.

Upcoming ONRamp events will be posted on the Queen鈥檚 events calendar.