The Ontario Centres of Excellence introduced an additional 2 programs for young entrepreneurs and students, described below:

The SmartStart Seed Fund (SmartStart) supports new ventures led by Ontario’s next generation of entrepreneurs. The fund is designed to assist young entrepreneurs from the age of 18 to 29 transition their start-ups from product development to market entry and company building. The program provides seed financing and financing for entrepreneurship skills training to Ontario-based start-ups led by young entrepreneurs, helping them grow their companies and make them investment and customer ready.

The TalentEdge program provides Ontario students and recent graduates with real-world experience, enabling interns and postdoctoral fellows to apply their expertise and the latest tools to industry problems. Being managed by Ontario Centres of Excellence on behalf of the Government of Ontario, TalentEdge represents a $10-million investment and key component of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy.