wHealth Ignite
Access strategic support and femtech sector expertise to help you scale your business. Femtech Canada’s wHealth Ignite is Canada’s first milestone-driven program dedicated to women’s health innovation. Through the program, you will receive expert and investor guidance, along with the potential for equity investment to help turn your evidence-based product and services into a scalable commercial entity.
Apply to wHealth Ignite and get the support you need to scale.
About wHealth Ignite
Delivered by Femtech Canada in partnership with Spring, Morrissette Institute, and Innovation Factory, and support from Google, wHealth Ignite supports high-potential, seed-stage femtech ventures to de-risk their path to market and accelerate their upcoming fundraising efforts.
Over 6 months, select companies will showcase their path towards commercialization while receiving curated access to expert consultants and investor support. The program culminates in high-profile national exposure and the opportunity for one venture to secure a $100,000 equity investment commitment.
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Program benefits
Strategic capital
Navigate a rigorous due diligence journey for the chance to secure a $100,000 equity investment commitment through our partner, Spring.
Expert Mentorship and Milestones
Access dedicated consultants in artificial intelligence, intellectual property, clinical expertise and more to hit precise commercialization milestones and build the "proof points" investors demand. The program will include 3 milestone checkpoints where ventures will receive real-time feedback from the investor jury.
Network Exposure
Showcase your venture to 150+ industry leaders at the 2026 Femtech Canada Forum, building the connections necessary for long-term market success.
Who should apply
- Privately incorporated Canadian femtech companies.
- Must be a Canadian femtech company either based in Ontario or is able to demonstrate how they benefit Ontario.
- Either actively raising or have plans to raise in the next 12 months from the application deadline.
- Demonstrated commitment to commercializing innovation with a clear clinical application.
- Must be an active member of Femtech Canada. Applications can be found here to apply for free.
- Must be a client of Innovation Factory. Sign up with Innovation Factory here for free.
- Must be able to attend the in-person Kick-off Event (July 2026) and the Femtech Canada Forum in Toronto (November 2026).
- Committed to participating for the duration of the program.
Timelines
- The wHealth Ignite Program runs from June 2026 to February 2027.
- Applications open in April 2026 and close on May 17, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by email.
Program Schedule
- Phase 1 – Onboarding and Kick-off Event: Throughout the first phase of the program, you will receive a program introduction and participate in an investment audit. At the Kick-off event, you will get to meet your program cohort and network with the expert consultants and the investors supporting the program.
- Phase 2 – Milestone Checkpoints and Investment Decisions: Through three scheduled checkpoints, participants will present their progress against their set milestones to the investor panel and program consultants. The investor panel will conduct scoring and evaluation with Spring, ensuring a data-driven approach to progress tracking and iterative refinement.
- Phase 3 – Femtech Canada Forum: The top companies will have a showcasing opportunity at the annual Femtech Canada Forum.
- Phase 4 – Due Diligence and Investment Opportunity: The top companies will be selected to undergo due diligence and a winner will be selected. The winner has the potential to receive a $100,000 investment from Spring.
Frequently asked questions
To be eligible for this program, you should be a privately incorporated Canadian femtech company, headquartered in Ontario, demonstrating a commitment to commercializing innovation with clear women’s health applications. Companies should either be actively raising or planning to do so within the next twelve months.
You must also be an active member of Femtech Canada and be a client of Innovation Factory. Finally, full participation is required, which includes mandatory attendance at events and full commitment to the program’s duration.
wHealth Ignite is designed to de-risk seed-stage Canadian femtech ventures for investors and accelerate their path to market.
The program facilitates a supported due diligence journey culminating in an equity prize for one selected venture. The investment is an opportunity resulting from the successful completion of the program’s milestones and due diligence at the investors’ discretion.
Consultants are experienced professionals with a wide range of backgrounds (IP, Regulatory, AI, healthcare, start-up/scaling, investment) that participating companies can leverage throughout the program to progress against their milestones.
The core commitment runs from June 2026 to February 2027 and includes the half-day in-person Kick-Off, three virtual Milestone Checkpoints and in-person participation at the Femtech Canada Forum in November.
Innovation Factory is a not-for-profit business accelerator, serving as the catalyst for technology innovation in the Brant, Halton, Hamilton and Norfolk regions since 2010. Innovation Factory provides business services, training, mentorship, and strategic connections to drive market adoption, leverage intellectual property, and increase revenues, investment, and jobs. Innovators can also access sector-specific resources including exclusive smart transportation test environments and data; and a formal life science and health innovation ecosystem.
Femtech Canada is a national network dedicated to advancing women’s health technology by connecting femtech companies with essential resources and visibility. Through strategic networking, business advisory support, mentorship and a dynamic online community, Femtech Canada inspires entrepreneurs and researchers to pioneer technologies that improve the lives of women and end-users across the country. Operated by Innovation Factory, Femtech Canada is committed to fostering intentional, intersectional, and inclusive growth in the sector by advocating to close the longstanding gaps in women’s health—a field historically under-served, under-researched, and under-funded.
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We are here to help you explore how wHealth Ignite can accelerate your femtech innovation.
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