Support we offer
LaunchPad is a support program of the OSC Innovation Office designed to help businesses with innovative products, services, business models or applications that benefit investors.
To apply for LaunchPad support, use this page to complete and submit a request for LaunchPad support. The information you provide helps us understand your business and determine whether it qualifies for the resources we are able to offer.
Qualifying businesses that meet our eligibility criteria may receive one or more of the following:
- Educational resources related to securities regulation
- Access to the beta Innovation Office directory, a new resource that will help you find legal, business, and other services in Ontario to provide support for your business
- Informal guidance directly from Innovation Office and other OSC staff on securities regulation and how it applies to you
- Time-limited registration or exemptive relief to allow you to test your innovation in a live environment
- Flexible approaches to fulfilling regulatory requirements, if appropriate
The Innovation Office is not able to provide:
- Financial support
- Legal, tax, or accounting advice
- Business strategies
- Guidance on other regulated industries that may apply to your business model, such as banking or insurance
After starting your application, you will be able to save progress to your local web browser to complete it in multiple sessions. We do not receive a copy of your data until you click “Submit” at the end of the process. Once submitted, we keep your data confidential. We aim to respond to all applications within 10 days, and we commit to working with you to refine any areas where you are unsure of how to respond.
Eligibility
We are interested in hearing from businesses that meet all the following criteria:
- You have a novel, innovative, or significantly different product, service, business model, or application from those currently available
- Your innovation will likely provide identifiable benefits to investors
- You understand the necessity of investor protections and will invest time and energy in understanding and addressing them
- You acknowledge the application of securities laws and have considered how it applies to your business
- You are not in default of Ontario securities law
We invite applications from all novel ventures that meet these criteria, from early-stage startups to innovation labs in established businesses.
Acknowledgement
By applying for LaunchPad support, you acknowledge that:
- We aim to provide support to all businesses, but not all businesses will qualify for LaunchPad support, and depending on demand, not all businesses that meet eligibility criteria may receive access the same types of support
- You are not seeking assistance that we are unable to provide, such as legal, financial, or business advice
- You will be responsive to staff requests, and if we do not receive requested additional materials or filings within 20 working days, we will generally consider your application to be closed.
- The level and type of support offered is determined on a case-by-case basis
- Any support you receive from the Innovation Office is informal guidance only and does not guarantee that your business will be able to comply with securities regulation
- It is possible that your request would be best handled by another branch at the OSC, and if this is the case, you will be advised by the team