Photo illustration by Kelvin Li To take new climate solutions from the lab out into the world can take hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. But as the pressure intensifies to hit our climate targets, the rapid commercialization of…
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
Gaining Momentum: Canada’s future economic stars meet a changing economy head on
With capital raises, acquisitions and continued growth, companies in the MaRS Momentum portfolio are on an upward trajectory. The latest ventures to join the program are DOZR, HiMama, PureFacts and Acto. The 70 high-growth companies in the MaRS Momentum program…
At Base & Co Hair Studio we provide all our guests with a friendly, personalized & elevated beauty experience. We celebrate everyone in their real, most raw & authentic brilliance. We want to help you get ready to step into…
Music has the power to inspire, connect and uplift us. But gaining access to the tools and mentorship to learn how to make music can be challenging for many in our community, especially young people. Addressing these challenges and creating…
IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of General Fusion There’s an old joke about nuclear fusion: it’s a power source that’s 30 years away, and always will be. That’s because getting very light hydrogen atoms to collide and fuse requires enormous amounts of…
Supporting small- to medium-size businesses is essential to growing the Canadian economy and expanding the country’s exports around the world, says Mary Ng, federal Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development. “Ninety-nine per cent of our…
Companies Funded / Acquired
AutoVerify Acquires iDealerPlus to Help Dealers Set Realistic Customer Expectations Around Financing
AutoVerify, powered by Mobials Inc., is pleased to announce the acquisition of iDealerPlus Inc.As the retail process continues to evolve, consumer expectations have increased around the ease of finding what they need online. iDealerPlus is a dealer-facing software that matches…
Intellectual Property
Is my invention patentable? Gowling WLG’s Derek Sheppard and Alex Ross offer helpful search tips for budding innovators
For an invention to be granted a patent, three key requirements need to be met: the invention must be novel; non-obvious; and have utility (meaning it has to actually work.) Let’s take a closer look at how to ensure your…
After buying a 12-acre plot of land in southern Ontario to grow food, Mohammed Ashour and his company could have chosen to raise cows. But they recognized that the small handful of animals would only yield a few hundred kilograms…
NuEnergy.ai continues to gain traction with a platform that supports the ethical and transparent governance of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The company has announced its third implementation of a large-scale AI governance project with the federal government – a deployment…
Digital Media and ICT Entrepreneur Stories Tourism
Driftscape launches multilingual adventures – Communitech
Locals and visitors to Canada can now explore thousands of events, places and tours in both English and French with the launch of Driftscape’s multilingual user interface. And, at a time when an increasing number of Canadians report their first…
With thousands of electric vehicles set to hit the streets, new ways of generating and managing emissions-free electricity are needed — or we’ll end up powering clean cars with dirty energy. When the Town of Parry Sound decided in 2019…
A little while ago, a woman I follow on Twitter posted a photo from a conference she was attending. It was a slide during a presentation, and it’s been stuck hard in my head. The slide said: The culture of…
Photo illustration by Kelvin Li To take new climate solutions from the lab out into the world can take hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. But as the pressure intensifies to hit our climate targets, the rapid commercialization of…
Featured Home Funding News RIC News
Three Regional Economic Development Organizations Announce New Program to Support International Tech Startups and Scaleups in Southwestern Ontario
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Haltech (Halton Region), TechPlace (Burlington) and Innovation Factory (Hamilton) form partnership with LatAm Startups to promote economic growth in Southwestern Ontario. BURLINGTON, ON, August 17, 2022 – Today, a new program was announced to enable innovative international…
Funding News RIC News
Three Regional Economic Development Organizations Announce New Program to Support International Tech Startups and Scaleups in Southwestern Ontario
Haltech (Halton Region), TechPlace (Burlington) and Innovation Factory (Hamilton) form partnership with LatAm Startups to promote economic growth in Southwestern Ontario. BURLINGTON, ON, August 17, 2022 – Today, a new program was announced to enable innovative international companies to grow…
Climate change is making wildfires are becoming more frequent and more severe. Researchers are looking to the skies for ways to replant trees and help forests bounce back quicker. On five acres of land near Kenora in northeast Ontario, researchers…
August 16, 2022—Hamilton, ON Black entrepreneurs are a vital contributor to Canada’s economy and our nation’s rich culture, though they are often faced with barriers to success. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of these contributions and is proud…
SHYNE body butter is an all-natural skincare product handcrafted with love in Guelph, ON. Made with a signature blend of shea butter, Jamaican allspice, and soothing essential oils, SHYNE will provide you with a holistic skincare experience. Not only does…
A lakefront location, beautiful views, swanky furniture, networking spaces and leading edge building technology. This office doesn’t feel like an office. Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the Nucleus workspace at MaRS Waterfront. Developed in partnership with University…
Accountants are not typically heralded as green heroes, but number crunchers are now propelling corporations and governments toward meaningful climate action. Of all the technological solutions that can solve the climate crisis — improved efficiency, cheap renewable energy, herds of low-methane…
Digital Media and ICT Entrepreneur Stories Featured Home
eSentire unmasks hacker behind malware attacks
The chickens have come home to roost for one of the hackers behind an insidious malware. Cyber sleuths at Waterloo-based eSentire say they’ve unmasked “Chuck from Montreal,” one of the so-called “threat actors” associated with the Golden Chickens suite of…
Featured Home Life Sciences and Advanced Health Wellness & Mental Health
Neurodiversity in Tech – Communitech
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…
Pay: $45,000.00 – $55,000.00 per year Hours: 40 hours per week Term: 1.5-Year Contract Application Deadline: August 29th, 2022 at 11:59pm Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Communications and working in collaboration with the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem, the Digital…
Melissa Chung created a product to solve a problem! She said she loves wearing heels, but like many women, found she had to change shoes when walking any distance. Anyone wearing heels at an outdoor wedding has likely experienced the…
Companies Funded / Acquired Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Care2Talk raises $1M-plus to launch generational care platform
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…
Talent, People Management Value Proposition
How to navigate your business through the economic downturn
Despite high inflation and rising interest rates, it’s not all doom and gloom. Here, 5 tech leaders share their advice. The predictions are a little, well, dire. Earlier this summer the Bank of England warned that the “global economic outlook…
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, Anna Ren, ief-fie.ca, July 6, 2022 We are proud to announce our Phase One 2022 CANIE Award category semi-finalists! Of the hundreds of inspiring applications we received, each of the semi-finalists were stand-outs in social innovation, community leadership,…
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE, Andy Pritchard, Weever Apps, July 28, 2022 Weever, a leading Manufacturing Digitization platform company, expands its leadership team. James Novak, Former CEO of Fiix Inc., has been named to the board of directors at Weever, the leading cloud-based…
To say COVID has had a monstrous impact on small businesses in tourism would be a massive understatement. To put it bluntly, 2020 and 2021 were a shitshow and we are fully expecting and preparing for the 2022 tourism season…
Like many of us, Nicole Baranowski, Founder and CEO of Hairstrong has a strong connection to her hair, “I believe that my long hair defines my personality and gives me a unique individual identity.” However, she was often disappointed with…
In November 2021, the Future Skills Centre (FSC) launched an Open Call for Expression of Interest for research initiatives that focus on better understanding different aspects of Quality of Work, as well as addressing key gaps in policy and practice…
Modesty is a virtue but, when you’re really good at something, go ahead and brag. That was just one of the many upbeat messages delivered today by Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, who spent several…
If you’re a startup or SME with innovation in electric and connected vehicles, smart mobility and smart community solutions, you need a world-class ecosystem to take that innovation from idea to market. You need Durham RTDS. “The assets contained within Durham’s…
Entrepreneur Stories Life Sciences and Advanced Health Talent, People Management Wellness & Mental Health Women
Continuing the Conversation – Branching Out
When clients are earning money, it can be life changing. “Often they’ve heard how there is not enough money for them with funding cuts or a family’s ability to provide extra programs or supports/activities – they now have fund to…
“Since being elected to Canadian Parliament in 2019, Irek has worked tirelessly with WETechAlliance, our clients, and regional and national partners to advance a technology-centric economic development plan that creates jobs, increases our nation’s competitiveness and drives sustainable growth…
WETechAlliance is pleased to welcome the newest member of our team, Kaitlyn Karns as our Talent Engagement Coordinator! Kaitlyn Karns is an active member of the YQG community through her past work and volunteer experiences, and especially through her…
Championing and elevating food people and places through exploration and connection. Take a bite off the beaten path, come take a Detour. Taste Detours are food and drink tours with a heritage twist. On these flavourful tours we introduce you…
WATERLOO, ONT., Aug. 8, 2022 – iGUIDE, an industry leader in 3D tours and floor plans for residential real estate, has grown to reach a market share of 20 per cent in homes sold in Canada and 37 per cent…
Cleantech Funding News
Government of Canada invests $3 million to help early-stage companies adopt low-carbon processes and products
As industry seeks to accelerate the adoption of new clean technologies to drive de-carbonization and the transition to a green recovery, there is a growing demand for made-in-Ontario solutions to achieve this objective. The Government of Canada is committed to…