Founding principles
Our founder, Dr. John Evans, embodied the entrepreneurial spirit, and his vision continues to inform the MaRS mission today. A cardiologist, business leader, and philanthropist, Dr. Evans was also the founding dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McMaster University and the former president of the University of Toronto. In 2000, he founded MaRS to help innovators scale solutions for global impact.
It grew out of a bold idea. At the time, Canada was famous for its biotech research, but innovators often struggled to get their solutions out of the lab and into the hands of patients. Dr. Evans knew that, if given the proper platform to accelerate their work, the country’s researchers could become world leaders in commercialization, as well as catalysts for shared prosperity.
Working with other civic leaders, he rallied further support from government, corporations, and the University of Toronto to create MaRS: a hub for groundbreaking innovations designed to create a better world.
Since then, our commitment has expanded to include other areas of scientific discovery and commercialization, creating social impact and solving some of the world’s toughest problems. Today, MaRS supports more than 1,200 Canadian science and technology companies across sectors, from climate and health to emerging technologies — providing tailored resources at every stage of their growth.
Dr. John Evans, Oct. 1, 1929 – Feb. 13, 2015.
2000
2000
Dr. John Evans founds MaRS with a visionary group of academics, policy-makers and corporate partners
2002
2002
MaRS Centre construction begins
2005
2005
The Heritage Building and the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower open
2014
2014
The West Tower opens
2022
2022
MaRS Waterfront opens
Today
One of the globe’s greatest tech districts
Toronto’s Discovery District is one of the most densely populated innovation quarters in the world. Within a few short blocks, tenants have access to:
- 7 million square feet of partner tech facilities
- 30 healthcare centres, including Toronto General Hospital, which is consistently ranked among the top five hospitals in the world
- The University of Toronto, Canada’s strongest research institution
- Queen’s Park, site of the Government of Ontario
And many essential ecosystem members can be found just beyond the neighbourhood’s borders, easily reached via streetcar or subway. They include:
- Multiple startup accelerators at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University
- Toronto’s Financial District, home to roughly 100,000 workers
- Dozens of startup and scale-up headquarters
Our first official outpost, right on the beach
Canada’s startup ecosystem is booming, and this growing community needs new spaces to build companies, make breakthroughs, and fuel the economy. And there’s no better place to plant your innovation flag than MaRS Waterfront: a stunning destination that’s embedded within the Waterfront Innovation Centre. The building, purpose-built, is the crown jewel in Toronto’s smart-city district, East Bayfront, a new neighbourhood built using the latest technology.
MaRS Waterfront offers 400,000 square feet of offices, meeting rooms, event space, and retail on the shore of Lake Ontario, steps from Toronto’s bustling core. Owned by Menkes and curated and managed by MaRS and the University of Toronto, the space has been designed to support early-stage firms, mostly working in cleantech, digital health, SaaS, and AI — all in one of the city’s most exciting neighbourhoods.
Our first official outpost, right on the beach
Curated roster of more than 120 tenants.
From small and mid-sized companies to world-leading corporates, our tenants come to the MaRS Hub to experience inclusive innovation.