About MaRS

MaRS Discovery District (@MaRSDD) is a charitable organization and North America’s largest urban innovation hub, dedicated to helping high-growth technology companies succeed. With a focus on climate, health sciences and other emerging technologies, MaRS supports startups tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues. Through its world-class facilities, strategic programs and partnerships, MaRS accelerates the adoption of groundbreaking Canadian technology and bolsters a globally competitive innovation ecosystem. MaRS is the place where you can play a meaningful role in the innovation economy.

We understand qualifications on a job posting can be daunting. If you're passionate about the role and believe you can make a meaningful impact, we want to hear from you, even if you don't meet every listed qualification. We’re always looking for great talent to join our team on planet MaRS.

We actively encourage all candidates to apply, including equity-deserving communities, including those who identify as BIPOC, racialized, women, people with disabilities, and people with diverse gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations.

We want you to be comfortable being your most authentic self throughout our recruitment process. Please reach out to careers@marsdd.com if there’s anything we can do to make your experience more accessible and inclusive, including accommodations. Include 'Accessibility Request' in your subject line.

Want to be a Summer Intern?

We’re offering a range of exciting summer internships that cover the full spectrum of the work we do: from venture programming to marketing & events, to benchmarking & insights. MaRS summer interns will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, put forth their ideas and contribute to a dynamic organization.

If you’d like to apply to the opportunity detailed below, please make sure your cover letter demonstrates why you are a great match for this internship. Connect the dots from experience and education to what you're applying for.

And if you are applying for more than one MaRS internship, please make sure to identify this clearly in your cover letter, and tailor each letter to a specific opportunity.

Who we are looking for

MaRS interns possess a positive outlook and are smart, curious, energetic and engaged in the world around them. They’re independent, but also work well on a team. They are ideas people, always thinking of innovative, new ways to do things. Beyond this, there are specific knowledge and skill requirements for each role, as detailed below.

About the Internship Opportunity with the IAF

The Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) is seeking an Intern to support our team across market research, diligence workflows, and portfolio analysis. This is a highly execution-oriented role designed for individuals looking for hands-on exposure to early-stage venture investing within a mission-driven institution.

You will not be on the sidelines; you will work closely with both the investment and operations teams to inform critical decision-making and improve the processes that enable capital deployment into Ontario’s most promising technology companies.

Major tasks the Intern will undertake:

While all interns will gain a baseline understanding of the venture capital lifecycle, your specific focus will be tailored to your strengths and interests in one (or a hybrid) of the following three areas:

1. Market Intelligence & Deal Sourcing

• Market Mapping: Conduct deep-dive research into emerging technology sectors to help the team develop new investment theses and identify high-potential startups.
• Ecosystem coverage (e.g., Kitchener-Waterloo): Act as eyes and ears in key innovation hubs. You will identify rising founders, attend local ecosystem events, and track early-stage activity, with a specific mandate to strengthen our pipeline in the Waterloo Region.
• Diligence Support: Assist the investment team in evaluating prospective deals by analyzing competitive landscapes, market sizing, and commercial traction.

2. Data, Operations & Analytics

• Pipeline Analytics: Manage and audit our CRM data to ensure deal flow hygiene. You will build internal dashboards that help us track sourcing metrics, pass rates, and portfolio performance.
• Process Automation: Identify bottlenecks in our investment workflow and implement low-code/no-code solutions (or custom scripting) to automate data entry, reporting, and founder communications.
• Scoring Frameworks: Assist in refining the data models we use to score and rank incoming investment opportunities.

3. Brand & Founder Success

• Content Strategy: Help tell the story of the IAF and our portfolio companies. You will draft content for newsletters, blog posts, and social channels to increase our brand visibility among founders.
• Portfolio Support: Assist in the creation of resources for our existing portfolio companies, including talent guides, vendor discounts, and CEO summit planning.
• Growth Initiatives: distinct projects aimed at widening the top of our funnel, ensuring diverse and high-quality founders from across Ontario are aware of IAF funding.

Core Responsibilities

Regardless of your specific focus, you will also:

• Participate in weekly meetings and gain exposure to how investment decisions are made.
• Support the preparation of investment memos and quarterly reporting decks.
• Act as a brand ambassador for the IAF within the broader MaRS and Ontario tech ecosystem.

What You Bring

Required Skills & Experience

• Currently pursuing a university degree in mathematics, computer science, business, or a related discipline
• Familiarity with financial statements, data analysis, and/or venture or startup operations
• Advanced Excel proficiency (comfortable working with structured datasets and building models)
• A self-starter who can work independently, execute quickly, and take ownership of deliverables
• Strong collaborator with the ability to build relationships at all levels of an organization
• Ability to prioritize, manage multiple workstreams, and deliver on deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
  

Great to have (but not required)

• Previous experience in a finance, consulting, startup, or venture environment
• Exposure to Python, SQL, and/or modern AI tools for workflow automation and analysis
• Familiarity with venture investing concepts (cap tables, SAFEs, term sheets)
  

The Fine Print

The internship runs May 4 - August 21, 2026.

The expected annual base salary range (prorated for the term) for this role is $42,000 - $51,000, which is determined based on year of study, candidate’s skills, knowledge, experience, and internal equity.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early as we may close the posting before January 30, 2026.

Applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada, reside in Ontario for the duration of the internship and be willing to work out of our Toronto office (101 College Street) a minimum of 3 days per week.

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