Here's what moves us. 

You built your business, now make sure you understand how to protect what makes it yours. ElevateIP helps eligible Manitoba and Saskatchewan startups develop and implement an intellectual property strategy, with applications open until October 7, 2026.

Intellectual property can become one of a startup’s most valuable assets, but protecting it is often left until later. With ElevateIP renewed for another four years, North Forge is continuing to help startups across Manitoba and Saskatchewan understand, protect and commercialize their IP.

Fehr Forgeworks began in a home garage. With access to North Forge’s Fabrication Lab, Graeson Fehr gained the tools, knowledge, and community needed to turn his craft into a growing Manitoba manufacturing business.

CxTrack is a Canadian AI automation company helping small and medium-sized businesses turn missed opportunities into revenue. Through AI Voice Agents, customized CRM systems and workflow automation, CxTrack handles repetitive tasks so business owners can focus on the work that matters most. Advancing through North Forge’s Founders Program, the Winnipeg-based company is proving that AI creates the most value when it solves practical, everyday business problems.

What if one of the most frustrating everyday tasks could be solved with a simple idea? Manitoba-made NoPane transformed the way people carry propane tanks with an ergonomic handle designed to make lifting safer, easier, and more comfortable. Discover how this North Forge-supported company turned an everyday annoyance into an innovation with nationwide potential.

Most business ideas never move beyond a conversation. Discover how North Forge helps entrepreneurs test ideas, build prototypes, and take the first step toward turning them into reality.

What does innovation really look like? For Manitoba entrepreneur Kerri Parnell, it began with personal loss and evolved into Cremation Tattoos, a business helping families honour loved ones while finding healing through remembrance.

There is no shortage of innovative ideas in Manitoba. What is often missing is access. Access to funding. Access to support. Access to the kind of ecosystem that helps entrepreneurs move from possibility to progress before momentum disappears. For many women founders in technology and innovation, those gaps can feel even wider. That is why the newly formalized partnership between North Forge™️ and WeMB matters. Officially signed on Thursday, May 14, 2026, the Memorandum of Un

Manitoba has never lacked ideas. What we’ve lacked, historically, is enough places to tell the world about them. That’s changing. Across Manitoba, momentum is building in industries that are shaping the future of the global economy. From aerospace and advanced manufacturing to ag-tech, AI, clean tech, health innovation, Indigenous entrepreneurship, and homegrown startups scaling beyond our borders, Manitoba is quietly building one of the most exciting innovation ecosystems in

Photo by Robert Larnyoh // Consul Rebecca Molinoff and Gateway to SelectUSA Pitch Competition judges Aisha Bowe, Debra Jonasson-Young, and Whitney Morgan are pictured with Nancy Cooke, CEO of Campaign Compass and winner of competition. There’s a moment before every pitch where the room goes quiet, and at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada on April 21, that silence carried a little more weight. Founders stood just steps away from an opportunity that could take their c

Manitoba’s innovation ecosystem is gaining new momentum as North Forge and Mitacs formalize a partnership designed to help startups move faster from idea to commercialization. The agreement, officially signed on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, brings together North Forge, an award-winning not-for-profit tech incubator and state-of-the-art fabrication lab, and Mitacs, a national innovation organization that connects industry with post-secondary research talent. Together, they are buil

As innovation continues to grow across Canada, so does the need to better understand how Indigenous Knowledge is protected, respected, and applied within modern systems. The Protecting Indigenous Intellectual Property (IP) Program, developed by North Forge in partnership with Communitech, was created to help bridge the gap between Canadian IP frameworks and Indigenous Knowledge systems. Through practical tools, legal context, and culturally grounded guidance, the program equi

Winnipeg’s startup community will once again come together this April as North Forge hosts its annual RampUp Weekend, a three-day event focused on turning early-stage ideas into viable business concepts. Staff on Shift celebrates their victory at the 2025 RampUp pitch competition in Winnipeg, holding a ceremonial cheque and championship belt. Running April 10 to 12, the event brings together aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and tech enthusiasts to test and build ideas in a

For Bruce Griffith, founder of Avriel International, the goal behind the company’s “Smart Shoe” technology is simple but powerful: detect the warning signs of diabetic foot complications before they become visible wounds. For millions of people living with diabetes, foot ulcers are a serious and often life-altering complication. Once a wound develops, treatment can be costly and prolonged — and in severe cases, can lead to amputation. Griffith believes the key to changing th

For Polysense Solutions, the past year has marked a major turning point. The Manitoba-based startup has more than doubled its team — growing from three employees to seven — while sales have increased by hundreds of percent over the same period. For CEO and founder Matthew Gale, the momentum signals that the company has entered a new stage of growth. “This is really our breakout year,” Gale said. Polysense Solutions develops integrated hardware and software systems that monito

Winnipeg, MB – North Forge marked a decade of driving Manitoba’s innovation economy with a powerful celebration at the 2026 DARE Innovation Awards, an inaugural gala recognizing the founders, builders, researchers, and community leaders shaping the province’s future. Hosted by TEDx speaker and global connection expert Margaux Miller, the evening brought together innovators from across sectors for a night that reflected the strength, diversity, and momentum of Manitoba’s ecos

Dave, a recent addition to the North Forge Founders Program, is an agentic business platform for trades contractors. Of the nearly 4 million construction businesses in Canada and the US, most still run on fragmented apps and spreadsheets. Existing software records data but doesn't act on it. Dave models their operational flow and executes the work: estimates, invoices, payments, and project management. The more they use it, the more it automates. Just like a person would! Lik

Manitoba’s innovation ecosystem will take centre stage on February 24, 2026, as North Forge hosts the inaugural DARE Innovation Awards at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The DARE Innovation Awards will recognize the entrepreneurs, organizations, researchers, and leaders whose bold thinking and execution are shaping Manitoba’s future. With more than 160 nominations submitted across nine award categories, the gala reflects the strength, diversity, and momentum of i

When Irfan Khan founded Innovative Global Ideas, his goal was simple yet ambitious: rethink how the world uses lighting. After more than a decade working across global lighting markets—from Central Asia to the Middle East—Khan witnessed firsthand how inefficient, energy-hungry lighting systems were taken for granted, even as energy costs and climate pressures continued to rise. Founded in 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand, Innovative Global Ideas develops advanced indoor and outdoor

For years, Kerry Green watched fresh food travel thousands of kilometres before landing on Manitobans’ plates — often wilted, expensive, or already nearing its expiry date. So instead of asking how to grow more food in one place, the Winnipeg-based entrepreneur began asking a different question: what if food was grown right where it’s needed? Les Verts Living aims to empower individuals, families and communities to grow their own fresh food indoors, increasing local food secu