We champion creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking to address resource and systemic constraints. At Reframery, we believe in reframing limitations as opportunities for innovation. Our model provides a platform for participants to experiment, reflect, and build community-oriented solutions, fostering sustainability through mutual support between business and community.
We break down the traditional barriers to entrepreneurship by operating as a fully virtual incubator expanding access to individuals and communities who are often excluded from brick-and-mortar or high-tech incubator spaces. Our programs are co-designed with local NGOs and community members, ensuring every cohort is built with the community, not just for it.
We define success differently. Rather than focusing solely on the number of businesses launched or profits earned, we measure our impact through increased self-efficacy, economic independence, and overall well-being of our participants. Our goal is to strengthen communities through empowered individuals and sustainable, grassroot change.
We seek to inspire new generations of everyday entrepreneurs—diverse individuals who are often overlooked by traditional support systems. Through global partnerships and community co-creation, we promote innovation that is inclusive, socially and environmentally responsible, and driven by real-world impact. Our vision is a future where entrepreneurship becomes a tool for personal empowerment and collective transformation.
Every incubator is designed hand-in-hand with the communities we serve.
We empower our NGO partners by training their staff to deliver the program themselves. They receive curriculum, mentorship, servers, and tools — allowing them to run future cohorts independently.
We've tested this model in refugee communities in Kenya, among elderpreneurs in Ontario, with women tech entrepreneurs in Brazil, Sex workers in Kenya, entrepreneurs with disabilities in Canada, and immigrant entrepreneurs in North America and Europe.
Our low-cost model ensures anyone with internet access can participate — and we provide tech support where needed to bridge the gap.
We don't provide financial incentives. Instead, we encourage resourcefulness and creative problem solving — helping participants see that innovation is possible even with limited means.
Every group we serve teaches us something new. We use that insight to refine, reframe, and rebuild — so each new incubator is more inclusive, relevant, and impactful than the last.
Brick-and-mortar incubators require physical space, rent, utilities, furniture, insurance, cleaning. Reframery eliminates all of these by being fully digital.
→ This drastically cuts fixed and variable costs.
Traditional incubators often require entrepreneurs to move to urban centres. This adds housing, transportation, visa, and time-related costs. Reframery enables participants to stay in their communities while accessing everything virtually.
→ Saves both the program and the participants significant expenses.
In-person incubators require admin staff, receptionists, and facility managers. Reframery uses digital toolkits and self-guided modules to support more people with fewer staff.
→ Reduces per-person delivery costs significantly.
Physical incubators can only serve as many people as space allows. Reframery can scale up without needing new infrastructure.
→ Minimal marginal cost to grow = much greater efficiency.
Traditional incubators often have high program fees or require living in expensive cities. Reframery reduces access barriers for marginalized, low-income, and rural populations.
→ Financial inclusion is central to the model, not an afterthought.
Compared to traditional brick-and-mortar incubators, Reframery is intentionally designed to be radically low-cost and inclusive. While conventional incubators rely on physical infrastructure, startup hubs, innovation labs, or office spaces, Reframery operates entirely online. Developed through McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, it provides entrepreneurship education, mentorship, and community-building without the geographic, financial, or operational constraints of in-person models. This virtual-first approach allows Reframery to serve more people, more efficiently, while keeping barriers to access, and costs, as low as possible.