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EMBARK achieves Mitacs incubator status, fuelling the next generation of ethical and impactful ventures

EMBARK, the official venture incubator of Trinity Western University (TWU), today announced its approval as a recognized Mitacs incubator. This marks a key milestone for EMBARK, confirming its position as a mature, value-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem that now offers TWU ventures and students enhanced access to funding and long-term internship opportunities.

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Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization funded and supported by governments, universities, international partners and businesses. It plays a key role in advancing innovation and collaboration across Canada. With this new Mitacs incubator status, EMBARK gains access to the Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur program, which provides financial support to student-led startups to overcome early-stage development hurdles and accelerate market entry. 

 

In addition, companies working with EMBARK can now hire TWU undergraduate and graduate interns through the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program, which provides funding for innovation-driven projects and offers students valuable, real-world internship experience. This expanded capacity is especially important for technical and research-focused entrepreneurs who require long-term academic talent for in-depth development and strategic execution.

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“Achieving Mitacs incubator status is a major step forward for EMBARK,” said Ian Angell, managing director at EMBARK. “This status provides student founders the direct financial support to advance their ventures and gives community partners access to TWU’s top research talent. We are committed to supporting founders across all industries, particularly those in technical and research-driven sectors, by connecting them with skilled TWU students. This collaboration with EMBARK, Mitacs, and the TWU community directly reinforces our mission to build a dynamic, values-driven innovation ecosystem.”

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EMBARK continues to gain momentum. The Fall cohort includes 10 new ventures. To date, a total of 107 TWU students have taken part in EMBARK’s startup internships. Entrepreneurs and students interested in joining EMBARK’s 2026 Spring Cohort are now invited to apply. For more information or to apply, please contact embark@twu.ca. 

About EMBARK

EMBARK is the official venture incubator of Trinity Western University (TWU), established in Langley and Richmond in 2025. Operating under a values-driven mandate, EMBARK empowers founders to create ethical, impactful ventures, provides students with hands-on startup internship experiences, and strengthens TWU’s role as a hub for innovation, collectively driving real-world impact. EMBARK is supported by a vibrant network of TWU alumni, friends, and the broader community. These stakeholders are pivotal to EMBARK's success, offering valuable mentorship, expertise, and partnerships to the ventures within EMBARK. As of today, EMBARK has supported 18 ventures and provided 107 student internships. 

For media inquiries or to learn more about EMBARK or explore partnership opportunities, please contact embark@twu.ca. Follow our journey and explore new venture opportunities on LinkedIn at Embark, TWU's Venture Incubator, or at EmbarkVentures.ca.

About Mitacs

Mitacs places top-tier talent in Canadian firms to support industry-academia collaboration. This helps unlock innovation potential, de-risk R&D for firms, and build lasting academic-industry relationships. Our national reach, international connections, and ability to broker cross-sectoral partnerships allow us to deliver results at scale, helping Canadian businesses compete globally while developing the next generation of a skilled and innovative workforce.

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.

About Trinity Western University

Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has campuses in Canada in Langley, Richmond, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.