Was it worth it? Hell, ya! That was the overwhelming sense as more than 1,000 sleep-deprived young tech wizards wrapped up a 36-hour student hackathon in Waterloo Sunday. “It’s Hack the North, Canada’s biggest hackathon, so it’s a no-brainer,” said…
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.
Scispot, a life science lab informatics company backed by Y Combinator, has launched Datarooms, allowing life science labs to automatically share or receive data from team members, partners, collaborators, and contract research organizations (CROs) in the human and machine-readable formats…
One of the largest hackathons in the world is back this weekend in all its creative, frenzied, around-the-clock glory. Hack the North kicked off Friday evening in Waterloo with more than 1,000 student participants from around the globe. Run by…
I.T. Success scholarship available for three local students Sault College & SSM Innovation Centre Media ReleaseFor Immediate Release Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre to Support Student Learning at Sault College(Sault Ste. Marie, ON August 3, 2022) – Sault Ste. Marie…
Agriculture Featured Featured Home Food & Beverage Funding News
FedNor invests in agri-food sector in Algoma region
"This investment represents an important step toward building a resilient farm and food sector in Northern Ontario." News releaseGovernment of Canada support will help strengthen food supply chains for Canadians while also supporting critical sector developmentAugust 5, 2022 – Sault Ste.…
Digital Media and ICT
Eon Media joins forces with largest broadcaster in North Carolina for new AI venture
Today, WRAL TV, the powerhouse Raleigh, N.C. TV station anchoring the broadcast arm of Capitol Broadcasting Company, announced a new partnership with Eon Media to launch a highly advanced AI powered media store. The digital storefront is called WRAL Archives.…
Collège Boréal, Rural Agri-Innovation Network looking to identify farms, greenhouses growing strawberries Story by Angela Gemmill- CBC News - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/research-strawberry-production-northern-ontario-1.6565398 Research is beginning into what conditions are best to grow strawberries in northern Ontario.The study is part of a partnership…
The innovation, tech and business space in Canada is teeming with acronyms that (as an early-stage startup, entrepreneur or international business relocating to Canada) may leave you scratching your head. So we’re laying out some of the most common acronyms…
Nothing says “old-school tech” like a transparency sheet for an overhead-projector presentation. Yvan Couture, a serial entrepreneur and driving force behind the launch of Communitech in 1997, cracked up a reunion breakfast of friends and colleagues by pulling out a…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health
VoxNeuro Announces Collaboration with Boston University and Launch of Clinical Studies Focusing on Concussion and Alzheimer’s Disease
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, Business Wire, September 7, 2022 BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–VoxNeuro Inc. (“VoxNeuro” or the “Company”), a commercial stage Software-as-a-Medical-Device (SaMD) brain health company that analyzes brain biomarkers to assess cognitive function, announced a new partnership with Boston University (“BU”), a world-class…
Entrepreneur Stories Featured Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Friendship sets Step Sciences founders a step ahead
The path to entrepreneurship can be sticky – some choose to leave their jobs in search of something with more excitement, some foster ideas that they’ve had for years, and some just happen upon founder life through experiences or innovation.…
Photo illustration by Kelvin Li Our energy grid is something most of us only think about when it isn’t working. But growing demand for electricity is placing an even greater strain on a system that’s already facing increased pressure from…
In the last column we looked at a bunch of questions about how the world of work continues to change, catalyzed by the COVID pandemic. We’re more than two years along at this point, and plenty has already changed. From the…
Insurance-tech startup ProNavigator has raised CDN$10 million in a new round of growth financing that will help it open a U.S. headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina to further its expansion south of the border. The company plans to keep its…
Auto & Transportation
Windsor-Essex “Canada’s Automobility Capital” on the world stage at the 2022 North American International Auto Show
About Invest WindsorEssex (IWE)Invest WindsorEssex is the lead economic development agency for the Windsor-Essex region. The focus of the organization is to develop and execute strategies to retain, expand, attract and help new businesses start-up in Windsor-Essex. Invest WindsorEssex is led by…
The Idea For Kidunified founder Ashley Kizis, children need representation in play. Based in Guelph, Ontario, Kidunified is a women-led social enterprise making puzzles that reflect the communities children live in. For Ashley, engaging children in play that better depicts…
Leaning in In mid-August, OpenText CEO Mark Barrenechea commented on the pullback in the tech sector by telling the Financial Post that, “We can see the headwinds out there, but we’re leaning in right now.” That turned out to be…
KITCHENER, Ontario and REDMOND, Washington, September 12, 2022 (Newswire.com) - SkyWatch Space Applications Inc. ("SkyWatch"), a Kitchener-based space technology startup, and Xplore Inc., a commercial space company providing Space as a Service®, today announced they have signed a partnership agreement.…
From cleaner jet fuels to electrifying airport vehicles, the aviation industry is exploring ways to cut its emissions. Illustration by Kelvin Li It’s been a tough summer for air travel. But the disruption is pushing the industry to innovate. In…
The Haltech ecosystem is a powerful one, serving as the go-to strategic connector for innovators and entrepreneurs across Halton for over 10 years. In this blog post we took the 4 most commonly asked questions from clients and got answers…
Cyber investigation company Magnet Forensics (TSX: MAGT) continues to grow globally with an expansion to Australia. The Waterloo-based company says it plans to hire sales and professional services staff to pursue a growing opportunity among policing and other government agencies…
When Armen Bakirtzian and two friends started Intellijoint Surgical in 2010, there were only a handful of other medical technology companies in Waterloo Region. The three young engineers, who began developing surgical-navigation technology while they were still students at the…
Entrepreneur Stories Life Sciences and Advanced Health Women
From Patient to Founder of Hyivy Health to Clinical Trials – All While Advancing Women’s Health Care
Have you ever stopped yourself from pursuing something new because you felt you lacked know-how or experience? Then take a listen to our latest podcast as Rachel Bartholomew, CEO and Founder of Hyivy Health shares her medical device commercialization journey.…
Funding is an integral part of the startup journey but knowing what funding opportunities are available, not to mention where to start in the process, can be a challenge—ensuring that your business obtains the highest return on your Scientific Research…
Care2Talk has raised over $1,000,000 in funding to help launch Care2Talk | Health - a platform to provide generational care. Special thank you to Mavan Capital, E-Fund, WUTIF, Sprout, Cindicates, and our active angel community. How it all started……
Two local tech workers have launched a podcast to bring attention to the challenges and opportunities of supporting neurodiverse employees in the workplace. Neurodiversity in Tech is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean O'Malley and Brandon Oliver. Each episode features…
Care2Talk has raised more than $1,000,000 in funding to help launch Care2Talk | Health, a platform to provide generational care. Special thank you to Mavan Capital, E-Fund, WUTIF, Sprout, Cindicates, and our active angel community. How it all started... Months…
Auto & Transportation Tourism
Korechi introduces fast, efficient robotic golf-ball collector for driving ranges
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada – Korechi Innovations Inc., an innovator in the agricultural robotics space, in business since 2016, has announced their latest autonomous robot, the Pik’r™. Korechi brings the advanced capabilities of their RoamIO line of farming robots into the…
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE, Korechi Innovations, Sep. 08, 2022 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada – Korechi Innovations Inc., an innovator in the agricultural robotics space, in business since 2016, has announced their latest autonomous robot, the Pik’r™. Korechi brings the advanced capabilities of…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health
The many hurdles life sciences startups must overcome to commercialize
Alex Muggah has seen hundreds of life sciences and healthtech companies work to commercialize their innovations.As Director of the Synapse Life Science Consortium, a partnership of public- and private-sector institutions in Hamilton, Ontario and administrator of SOPHIE life sciences commercialization…
Despite all the economic hurdles, many Canadian tech companies are still growing and hiring. Layoffs at such companies as Shopify, Twitter, Netflix, Substack and Wealthsimple made headlines this summer. The tech job market is not, however, all doom and gloom.…
— FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — SPARK CENTRE APPOINTS HEAVY HITTERS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR HIGH IMPACT GROWTH September 8, 2022, Oshawa, Ontario —Spark Centre, a regional innovation centre in Durham Region that provides high-impact support and services for local and…
“Hold on, I think I’ve got another penny in one of these pockets…”It was only a couple of decades ago where paying with paper (not even polymer!) and metal coinage was the go-to. A common alternative, hardly touched today outside…
Welcome to the HardTech IP Forum, brought to you by ventureLAB in partnership with BDC! 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Come learn from exceptional Hardware Founders from HyIvy, Open Oceans Robotics, Baanto, and GaN Systems how they leveraged IP along…
Cyber investigation company Magnet Forensics (TSX: MAGT) continues to grow globally with an expansion to Australia. The Waterloo-based company says it plans to hire sales and professional services staff to pursue a growing opportunity among policing and other government agencies…
Entrepreneur Stories Other Women
Robyn Simpson of Catapult Design Studios Shares her Beyond Boundaries Experience
The following is a submission from Beyond Boundaries participant Robyn Simpson of Catapult Design Studios. Beyond Boundaries has been a great education opportunity for me, helping to round out my knowledge as a CEO and founder, in particular aimed at the…
Entrepreneur Stories Other Women
Mira Victoria Perry of Intellevantix Shares her Beyond Boundaries Experience
The following is a submission from Beyond Boundaries participant Mira Victoria Perry of Intellevantix. It is the direct result of the Beyond Boundaries community of mentors, peers, and the Haltech team that the CourseQuest MVP launched. The program provided momentum and structure…
The following is a submission from Beyond Boundaries participant Victoria Greco of Trillagy. The Beyond Boundaries Program was instrumental in giving me so many valuable tools and great insights on how to properly plan my next key business steps and help me…
We are a family-run local business in downtown Guelph. We run an indoor vertical farm specializing in microgreens and edible flowers. Our products can be found at Market Fresh and also at some of the finest restaurants and hotels in…
When Armen Bakirtzian and two friends started Intellijoint Surgical in 2010, there were only a handful of other medical technology companies in Waterloo Region. The three young engineers, who began developing surgical-navigation technology while they were still students at the…