ECHO Program

An Experiential Training Program for Innovators of Cardiovascular Technologies

Entrepreneurship for Cardiovascular Health Opportunities (ECHO) is a 12-month online training program led by veteran entrepreneurs and high-calibre consultants across a variety of sectors.

Founded in 2018, ECHO is organized and funded by the Translational Biology and Engineering Program (TBEP) – the University of Toronto component of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research – in partnership with the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), a University of Toronto campus-linked accelerator.

In 2022, ECHO Discovery was launched: a foundational education program designed to explore ideation, research translation, and entrepreneurship in the cardiovascular health space.

ECHO

ECHO Course Format

Comprised of a unique combination of five complementary modules, ECHO provides innovators of cardiovascular technologies with entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and networking opportunities, and the chance to pitch for start-up funding from a $250,000 pool.

Module 1: Principles of Entrepreneurship
Module 2: Health Venture Rounds
Module 3: Lessons from Leaders
Module 4: Community of Mentors
Module 5: Ignite Start-up Funding

**To reach teams across Canada, ECHO is now entirely virtual**

Questions?

Please contact Soror Sharifpoor (soror.sharifpoor@utoronto.ca) or visit the ECHO website for more information.

ECHO Discovery

The Translational Biology and Engineering Program (TBEP) and TRANSFORM HF are excited to announce the launch of ECHO Discovery, a foundational education program designed to explore ideation, research translation, and entrepreneurship in the cardiovascular health space.

ECHO Discovery aims to:

Provide fundamental ideation, entrepreneurship, and research translation skills through theoretical and experiential training.
Support a culture of research translation while igniting startup formation within the cardiovascular space.
Inspire and facilitate new cardiovascular ventures to enroll in the ECHO program.

Who is the program for?

Those who are interested in exploring cardiovascular entrepreneurship but are unsure how to proceed, and are either:

Fourth-year undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a Canadian university OR
Post-doctoral and clinical fellows affiliated with the Toronto Academic Health Science Network

What will you gain?

Participants of the ECHO Discovery program will:

Gain fundamental entrepreneurship skills and research translation expertise.
Learn from a diverse and multi-sector group of mentors and key opinion leaders.
Join an elite network of early-career entrepreneurs and researchers.
Explore career opportunities within the cardiovascular space and beyond.

What is the format?

ECHO Discovery is comprised of three foundational elements to support your journey:

Ideate – Learn how to ground your ideas into innovation through an interactive workshop series supported by the Ideation Clinic.
Inspire – Stoke the spark of inspiration by attending intimate fireside chats with leaders in the field.
Immerse – Soak up first-hand experience through competitive shadowing opportunities.

Where and when will ECHO Discovery take place?

ECHO Discovery is a fully virtual, six-month program running from January-June 2023, with some opportunities for in-person participation and networking.

For more information on the ECHO Discovery program, please contact Noah Frank: admin.tbep@utoronto.ca.