Change is afoot in the social internet again. It happens every few years when something new or a bit better (or we hope it’s better) comes along. In addition to trying to figure out which new platform to join, or…
News from across the Regional Innovation Centres
We have gathered news from all the regional innovation centres (RICs) in Ontario. Be sure to connect with your local RIC to be a part of your local ecosystem.
Companies Funded / Acquired Entrepreneur Stories
Altitude Accelerator alum, Neptune Nanotechnologies secures $1.8 million CAD investment!
originally published: 2023-07-26 09:31:33 Here at Altitude, are passionate about supporting founders who are pioneering change in key industries that have the capacity to revolutionize the way we live as people. Cleantech is one of those industries. It intends to…
Auto & Transportation Entrepreneur Stories
RideCo expands on-demand transit through Uber partnership
RideCo Inc. is partnering with Uber Technologies Inc. to give transit agencies more flexibility and efficiency in how they operate by supplying additional vehicles and addressing staffing challenges. “This partnership gives us Uber as an additional means of transportation beyond…
ChatGPT and its competitors are making headlines and raising alarm. But powerful new AI technologies can be designed in ways that benefit society — if we choose to do so. Cohere, a Toronto-based AI startup that provides language models to…
Jul 26, 2023 Although it may be hard to believe, August is here – and its arrival means we’re already moving into the second half of the year. As scary as that may sound, August is actually the perfect time…
Featured Featured Home Funding News Life Sciences and Advanced Health RIC News
Innovation Factory Opens Applications for Third Round of HEALTHI Program; Aims to Boost Health Tech Innovation
Hamilton, ON, July 25, 2023 – Innovation Factory is thrilled to announce it is accepting applicants for the third cohort of the Hamilton Ecosystem to Accelerate and Leverage Trials of Health Innovation (HEALTHI) program. Supported in part by funding from…
RIC News Talent, People Management
Canadian cities rank among the highest in North America for tech talent
Waterloo Region and the Canadian tech ecosystem excelled in the latest Scoring Tech Talent report from CBRE, an international commercial real-estate services company. Waterloo Region jumped six spots to No. 18 on CBRE’s ranking of the top 50 North American…
It’s easy to freeze when the spotlight is on and the stakes are high. Here, five startup founders share their secrets to making the right impression when it matters most. An essential skill for entrepreneurs is knowing how to make…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health Upcoming Events
Women’s Health Innovators Session | MaRS Impact Health 2023
The post Women’s Health Innovators Session | MaRS Impact Health 2023 appeared first on MaRS Discovery District. Original Article on MaRS
On May 30, 2023, ten student films from the first cohort of the Open Gate Filmmaker Lab were screened for a packed house of students, teachers and local officials at the Apollo Cinema in downtown Kitchener. The screening was the…
MEDIA RELEASE via Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Windsor, Ontario, July 19, 2023 — The automotive industry in Ontario is a pillar of Canada’s economy and provides thousands of jobs for workers and their families. As we move toward…
CITM’s Micromobility and Mobility Safety and Security Innovation Challenges bring together industry and technology partners to drive innovation. The transportation and mobility industry is continuously evolving. New and emerging companies face many barriers that can make it difficult to become…
Auto & Transportation Entrepreneur Stories Tourism
Tired of retrieving golf balls? Korechi Innovations has a robot for that.
When one thinks of golf courses, the last thing that comes to mind is robots. But right here in Ontario, one robot has overtaken the golf industry. That robot is the Pik’r built by Korechi Innovations. This article was originally…
This article was originally published by TechAlliance on July 18, 2023. Read the original article here. The impact of innovation is felt across the globe, with dedicated entrepreneurs solving problems and building businesses that propel our economy forward and bring…
Companies Funded / Acquired Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Financing helps MIMOSA Diagnostics expand into U.S. market
MIMOSA Diagnostics has closed a round of financing that will enable the Toronto-based medtech startup to hire additional staff and expand into the U.S. market. The financing – a convertible debenture – was led by Archerwill, Tidal Venture Partners and…
What happens if a bad actor sells counterfeit or hacked upgrades to a military customer? Will the fighter jet be able to launch its payload or defend itself? Will it even get off the ground? Much attention has been paid…
Entrepreneur Stories Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Bringing innovation home: Kinova Robotics finds a growing market in Canada
“We’re proud to export 96 percent of our products outside Canada,” says Kinova CEO Charles Deguire. It started with a makeshift prosthetic arm made from windshield wipers and bicycle cable. That’s how entrepreneur Charles Deguire first became fascinated by the…
Recently I was trying to add my dog to the waitlist at the daycare she frequents, and the app only allowed adding one date at a time. For each date I wanted to add, I had to select the pet,…
The impact of innovation is felt across the globe, with dedicated entrepreneurs solving problems and building businesses that propel our economy forward and bring new opportunities to life. For forward-thinkers and problem-solvers working in medical technology innovation, the impact is…
Featured Featured Home Talent, People Management
More than 32,000 tech workers migrated to Canada last year
A new report says more than 32,000 international tech workers moved to Canada between April 2022 and March 2023, thanks to the country’s immigration-friendly national policies and labour-cost advantages. “The data show that global net in-migration of tech talent/occupations to…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Ontario Centre of Innovation announces new Innovating Digital Health Solutions (IDHS) Program
TORONTO, June 22, 2023 – Today, the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, announced the Innovating Digital Health Solutions (IDHS) program to encourage applications from Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) and other health service providers…
New technologies are changing what cars are and what they can do. Wood-laminate floors are an unusual style choice in a car. But peer through one of the futuristically backwards-opening doors on Project Arrow, the first all-Canadian zero-emissions concept vehicle,…
“Business valuation has historically been static or event driven — but with the volume of data that a business creates, it has the ability to be interactive and ongoing and can provide a closer look for business owners. Business owners…
When you think of a business owner, what comes to mind? Someone in a suit and tie, perhaps carrying a briefcase? An executive typing away on a laptop in a high-rise building? In Essex County, many of our local entrepreneurs…
Advanced Manufacturing & Materials Cleantech
From waste to wardrobe: how ALT TEX is creating a sustainable alternative to polyester
Instead of using petroleum — “one of the most valuable resources we have on the planet” — co-founders Myra Arshad and Avneet Ghotra turned to food waste. You could say textiles are in Myra Arshad’s blood — several members of…
There are many considerations for finding the right facility for your business, especially in sectors like manufacturing. Rafael Roberto, Broker of Record, President, Coldwell Banker (one of Spark Centre’s Elite Partners) lays out his top tips for entrepreneurs looking to lease facilities for their…
Auto & Transportation
This Micro-Mobility Startup Could be the Next Big Thing for Urban Mobility – Spark Centre
Despite the current market’s retrofit electrified hardware, conventional urban mobility products still have a long way to go to meet urban needs. Today’s communities need innovative and expandable hardware that opens more opportunities for safer, cleaner, smarter transportation methods.Enter Intelligent Motion…
Using your smartwatch or smartphone to capture your motion isn’t just for fitness anymore. An innovative startup in Oshawa, Ontario, has created a unique way to validate a person’s ID using gait motion.Lambda Sense (or LDS for short) has developed non-intrusive,…
Some consider sales an art, a symphony if you will, in which technology and networking harmonize to generate leads. If that rings true, Rick McCutcheon — founder of PartnerTalks and Full Contact Selling (and Spark Centre Advisor) — could be considered a maestro. With 25 years…
Auto & Transportation Digital Media and ICT
Open Ocean Robotics is shedding light on the murky depths
Julie Angus interprets the phrase “a sea of information” more literally than most. As a former expeditioner (she was the first woman to row across the Atlantic), as well as CEO and cofounder of robot boat company Open Ocean Robotics,…
StrongBó Agritech, a Dublin-based agricultural technology company, has successfully secured €750K in Seed funding to accelerate the commercialization of its innovative hardware-enabled software solution. The funding round was led by Gallagher, a prominent investor in the agriculture sector, and received support…
Advanced Manufacturing & Materials Upcoming Events
Opportunities for Semiconductors at the US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Commission Meeting
Avinash Persaud, ventureLAB's VP of the Hardware Catalyst Initiative shares his key takeaways after attending the annual US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Commission Meeting in Cancun, Mexico last week.Last week, I had the privilege of joining Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, Secretary of Economy,…
Companies Funded / Acquired Digital Media and ICT
Sampler acquires AdMass’s tech, founders to add AI, user-generated content to its product sampling platform
Sampler, which matches large packaged-goods firms with consumers seeking samples by mail, has acquired fellow Toronto tech startup AdMass. AdMass helps brands and their agencies create data-driven, user-generated content (UGC) promotions. Founded in April 2020 by CEO Yuri Kaplan and…
Digital Media and ICT Life Sciences and Advanced Health Women
Koble pregnancy platform partners with Dialogue
MONTREAL – Koble, a made-in-Canada digital health and well-being platform that supports families through planning, pregnancy, postpartum, and return-to-work following parental leave, has announced a partnership with Dialogue Health Technologies Inc., one of Canada’s premier virtual care and wellness platforms.…
When one thinks of golf courses, the last thing that comes to mind is robots. But right here in Ontario, one robot has overtaken the golf industry. That robot is the Pik’r. Original Article on Spark Centre
Cleantech Entrepreneur Stories Women
Alisha McFetridge: From Fierce Founder to Greentech Game Changer
We all have personal preferences when it comes to showering. From what time of day works best to scalding hot versus cold to whether you shave before or after. Whatever your preferences, showers are a daily part of life for…
RIC News
CEO Perspective | Tech Workforce Trends Report: Exploring the Findings & What It Means for Our Region
Fostering a Vibrant Tech Community: Actively engaging and supporting the regional tech community is paramount. By facilitating and participating in tech meetups, conferences, hackathons, and similar events, we can forge connections with tech professionals and entrepreneurs, foster knowledge sharing, and…
Advanced Manufacturing & Materials Entrepreneur Stories RIC News
Announcing the 6th Cohort of the Hardware Catalyst Initiative
ventureLAB is thrilled to announce the launch of its highly anticipated 6th cohort of the Hardware Catalyst Initiative. This competitive program is dedicated to accelerating the development of hardware and semiconductor-focused products and services, equipping Canadian hardware companies with the…
Featured Featured Home Talent, People Management
Canada Welcomed More Than 32,000 Tech Workers Over the Past 12 Months, Report Finds
Kitchener, ON, July 11, 2023 — The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and Canada’s Tech Network (CTN) today released “Tech Workforce Trends: The Migration of Tech Workers and Tech Jobs Since The Pandemic,” a new report exploring globalization and…
Companies Funded / Acquired Digital Media and ICT Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Altis Labs Raises US $6 Million in Seed Funding Co-Led by Debiopharm and Benchstrength to Advance AI Platform for Clinical Trials
TORONTO & LAUSANNE, Switzerland & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Altis Labs, Inc. (“Altis”), the computational imaging company accelerating clinical trials with artificial intelligence, today announces the closing of its US $6 million seed financing. Benchstrength and Debiopharm Innovation Fund co-led the round…