Katie Moist: The side of Winnipeg we didn’t know was there – North Forge

Winnipeg is not often thought of as a leader of technology and innovation – a gap in our knowledge that Leadership Winnipeg is shedding light on.

On February 20, 2026, our Leadership Winnipeg Cohort had the opportunity to visit North Forge Technology Exchange, a non-profit startup incubator, accelerator and fabrication lab, that helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into companies.

North Forge is a place where everyday people can take their ideas, and take advantage of first-class training, equipment and collaboration in their fabrication labs. North Forge strives to be so much for their members, there are coworking spaces, access to software, networking events and connections to investors and partners all around you.

Probably the biggest advantage of the facility is the people you will meet while you are there. There are folks with such a wide variety of skill sets and ideas to learn from and collaborate with. We heard stories of makers who are coming to North Forge with their own skill set, or getting trained in some skills, then meeting others who they can work together with on their projects to produce a better product.

Many folks are able to rent space and operate super successful businesses out of North Forge, we saw work from wood workers, knife makers and metal smiths, jewelry makers and even saw how the lab can be use for prototyping products. There is even a market on for makers to sell their products in!

We also heard stories of folks who have come to North Forge with a problem they see in their worlds, and they are able to collaborate and get support at North Forge to produce products that have gone on to get a government contract be featured on Dragons Den.

It was very inspiriting to see the entrepreneurship and innovation that is coming out of Winnipeg and great to see how North Forge supports that!