# MaRS teams with Vimy Forge to back defence startups

> Toronto innovation hub and Fredericton accelerator team up to get early defence and dual-use firms investable as federal spending rises.

- Desk: TIC Staff
- Published: 2026-09-22
- Section: Companies
- Canonical: https://trueinflation.ca/article/mars-vimy-forge-defence-startup-capital

Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District is teaming with Fredericton defence accelerator Vimy Forge to match early Canadian defence and dual-use startups with investors who understand military procurement — a capital gap as Ottawa ramps defence spending.

MaRS capital lead Liam Gill said most Canadian defence capital chases companies that have already proven themselves. The partnership is MaRS’s first “capital matchmaking engine,” aimed at getting unproven founders to technical, commercial and organizational milestones that make them investable and mission-ready.

Vimy Forge adds financing help to its existing work connecting startups with Canadian Armed Forces users. Managing director Duncan McSporran, a British Army veteran based near CFB Gagetown, said founders, investors and buyers often lack the soft network to talk to each other; co-founder Ian Whytock of Tidal Venture Partners said SaaS-style recurring-revenue metrics poorly fit hardware defence deals with one sticky customer.

Vimy Forge runs as a non-profit without taking equity — first cohort included Cellula Robotics and Wuxly; a second starts in January. For Canada’s defence industrial buildout, the bet is keeping talent and IP at home instead of watching early firms starve for capital or sell into foreign primes.

Source: MaRS / Vimy Forge­