OBIO WiHI Seed Program

Insider Tip

Two things worth knowing before you apply. First, read the equity route carefully — you do not need majority woman ownership if a woman-identified C-suite executive has senior-level strategic decision-making authority AND at least 20% equity. That second path is the one companies most often overlook. Second, the public program page is a cycle out of date: it still names the 2026 Investment Summit and International Women's Day 2026, while OBIO's live application form for this intake names the 2027 Summit and a March 2027 pitch competition. If the year references confuse you, trust the form. The real prize here is not the $10,000 — it is OBIO membership, the Investment Summit, and a pitch competition that carries an opportunity for equity investment, at a stage where women-led health companies see just over 2% of Canadian venture capital.

Rejection Pitfalls 5

• More than $3M CAD raised in dilutive capital — the ceiling is a hard eligibility line, not a preference
• Woman-identified ownership below 51% with no woman C-suite executive holding at least 20% equity and senior strategic decision-making authority
• Company not based in Ontario, or not a private company

Success Profile

An Ontario health science company at the stage where $10,000 and structured advice change the trajectory — pre-seed or early seed, under $3M raised, with a woman founder holding majority ownership or a woman C-suite executive with real strategic authority and at least 20% equity, building a human health product rather than a service. Past recipients describe joining when they had very little access to capital and using the program to run a first clinical or procurement study.

Evaluation Criteria

OBIO publishes the eligibility bar but no scoring rubric or weighting. Selection is for 'private, high-potential health science' companies that are early-stage (under $3M CAD in dilutive capital raised), Ontario-based, women-led by ownership or by a woman-identified C-suite executive holding at least 20% equity, and developing human health science products such as medical devices, diagnostics, digital health or therapeutics. All participating companies are invited to a pitch competition on International Women's Day with an opportunity for equity investment, so a fundable early-stage story matters beyond the eligibility check.

Application Steps

Intake Periods

Annual. One cohort a year, six months long, starting October 1, with applications closing in mid-August. OBIO publishes selected-company lists for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the current cohort is 2026-2027.

Deadline Notes

Applications for the 2026-2027 cohort close on Friday, August 14, 2026, and the six-month program starts October 1. Note that the program page's own copy is a cycle behind — it still refers to the 2026 Investment Summit and International Women's Day 2026, while OBIO's live application form for this cohort says the 2027 Investment Summit and a pitch competition in March 2027. The form, not the page copy, describes the cohort you would be joining.

Open Application Portal →

Stacking partner data not yet available.

Clawback Risk

Low Risk

The grant is non-dilutive and OBIO publishes no repayment mechanism. The published condition is a graduation requirement rather than a repayment one: companies must actively engage in the program, including regular meeting updates with OBIO and participation in specific workshops, in order to graduate.