Brampton Venture Expo Brings Industry and Innovation Together

BRAMPTON, ON — August 20, 2026 — What happens when the entrepreneurs building the next generation of technology get in the same room as the industries looking for solutions?

That question is at the heart of Brampton Venture Expo (BVX) (external link)  2026, returning to The Rose Brampton on Thursday, September 10 for its sixth year.

Organized by Brampton Venture Zone (BVZ) by Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) & powered by Brampton Innovation District, BVX has grown into Brampton’s largest innovation, technology and entrepreneurship event, bringing together founders, investors, corporate leaders, researchers, government and ecosystem partners.

Under the 2026 theme, “Where Industry Meets Innovation,” more than 1,500 attendees and 100+ startups are expected to come together for a full day focused on some of the technologies reshaping Canadian industry — from HealthTech and artificial intelligence to robotics, cybersecurity and defence.

But the focus this year goes beyond showcasing new technology. BVX is creating a space to ask a bigger question: how do we move innovation from promising ideas to real-world adoption and commercialization?

Where Industry Meets Innovation

Across the BVX Main Stage, leaders from organizations including Myant, Dynacare, Intel, MDA Space, Pillway, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University and the City of Brampton will join entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders to examine the opportunities and barriers shaping technology adoption in Canada.

Conversations will move from AI's growing role in healthcare and the adoption of robotics and intelligent systems across Canadian industry, to opportunities for technology companies entering Canada's cybersecurity and defence ecosystem and the urgency for Canadian businesses to move from talking about AI to putting it to work.

Together, these discussions reflect the larger idea behind BVX: innovation has greater impact when the people developing technology are connected with the industries, institutions and communities that can use it.

Five HealthTech Startups. One Live Finale.

That connection between innovation and opportunity will come to life during the Mitacs Health Innovation Showcase (external link) , when emerging BVZ HealthTech companies (Athel AI, NewGen Health, DIA Labs, LOCVM and LBx Bio) take the Main Stage to compete for up to $70,000 in non-dilutive funding.

Selected through a competitive showcase held on August 13, these founders will pitch live at BVX 2026 before investors, industry leaders and the broader innovation community.

The competition offers attendees a front-row look at emerging Canadian healthcare solutions while giving founders something equally important: direct access to the people and organizations that can help move those solutions forward.

From Watching the Conversation to Joining It

In the afternoon, the experience shifts from the Main Stage to a more interactive format.

The BVX Innovation Zone (external link)  will feature more than 15 partner-led workshops, fireside chats and interactive sessions, bringing organizations including BDC, Doane Grant Thornton, Proplr Cloud Services and other industry and ecosystem partners directly into conversations with founders.

Rather than another series of conference presentations, these sessions are designed around challenges entrepreneurs are navigating now — financing growth, accessing capital, adopting AI, finding talent, commercializing technology and accessing government opportunities.

The Innovation Zone will also feature Capital on Her Terms: How Women Entrepreneurs Fund, Grow & Scale, presented through BVZ Women Who Build, creating space for a candid conversation about how women entrepreneurs are approaching capital and growth.

Brampton Venture Zone: Building Innovation in Brampton

Behind BVX is a larger vision for Brampton: creating an environment where entrepreneurs can start here, grow here and build globally competitive companies here.

BVZ is Toronto Metropolitan University's early-stage, non-equity technology incubator in Brampton and part of TMU's Zone Learning network & powered by Brampton Innovation District . Through incubation, mentorship, commercialization support and connections to industry, BVZ helps entrepreneurs move from early ideas toward viable businesses. 

The impact is growing. BVZ has supported nearly 140 startups, facilitated 108 industry pilots and achieved a 77 per cent alumni continuation rate, with women representing 53 per cent of founders supported.

That work is strengthened through collaboration between Toronto Metropolitan University, Invest Brampton, industry and ecosystem partners — connecting entrepreneurship, academic expertise, economic development and industry in one growing innovation ecosystem.

BVX is where many of those connections become visible.

What began as a virtual initiative has grown over five years into Brampton's largest in-person startup and technology event, welcoming more than 5,000 attendees and engaging more than 1,750 founders along the way.

On September 10, BVX returns not simply to showcase what's being built, but to connect the people building it with the people who can help put it to work.

Attend Brampton Venture Expo 2026