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…
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 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…
Entrepreneur Stories Life Sciences and Advanced Health
McMaster prof working on cure for Type 1 diabetes
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, Ritika Dubey, The Hamilton Spectator, July 26, 2022 Q and A: Dr. Harald Stover and Allarta co-founder Maria Antonakos talk about new cell-based therapy, which alleviates need for insulin injections and immune-suppressive drugs. There’s no cure for Type 1…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health
Easing The Burden: How Health Espresso Is Leading The Way In a Digital-First Healthcare System
An emerging digital-first, enhanced virtual system is not only closing the communication gaps within healthcare, but is also easing the burden on emergency departments, lowering costs and providing enhanced care for isolated seniors and those living in remote areas. Leading…
Funding News Women
Fueling the Next Generation of Women Tech Founders in Canada’s Capital and Across the Country
Aug 4, 2022 Capital Angel Network and Invest Ottawa Announce Third Cohort of SheBoot Ottawa, Ontario; August 4, 2022 – The Capital Angel Network (CAN), a group of angel investors in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region, and Invest Ottawa, lead economic development…
KITCHENER, ONT., July 29, 2022 – PEER Group, the largest supplier of innovative factory automation software for the semiconductor industry, is inviting software developers to register for a virtual hiring event happening on Aug. 16, 2022, beginning at 4 p.m.…
Funding News RIC News
TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario provides 20 companies with $600,000 through Cohort 1 of Government of Canada-funded i.d.e.a. Fund
Quick FactsAcross southern Ontario, approximately 120 companies received non-repayable contributions of up to $3,600,000 in Cohort 1.Led by Innovation Guelph, the fund is being delivered in partnership with five Regional Innovation Centres: Haltech (Halton Region), Innovate Niagara, Innovation Factory (Hamilton),…
Funding News RIC News
Innovation Guelph Provides 19 companies with $570,000 through Cohort 1 of Government of Canada-funded i.d.e.a. Fund
Alison Crumblehulme, CEO, Innovation Guelph Quick Facts • Across southern Ontario, approximately 120 companies received non-repayable contributions of up to $3,600,000 in Cohort 1. • Led by Innovation Guelph, the fund is being delivered in partnership with five Regional Innovation…
Funding News RIC News
Innovation Factory provides 20 companies with $600,000 through Cohort 1 of Government of Canada-funded i.d.e.a. Fund
August 4, 2022 | Hamilton, Ontario Companies in southern Ontario that focus on environmental impacts are vital to creating jobs and bringing new, innovative technologies to market that continue Canada’s transition to a green economy. The i.d.e.a. Fund was developed…
Funding News RIC News
Haltech provides 20 companies with $600,000 through Cohort 1 of Government of Canada-funded i.d.e.a. Fund
August 4, 2022 Burlington, Ontario Companies in southern Ontario that focus on environmental impacts are vital to creating jobs and bringing new, innovative technologies to market that continue Canada’s transition to a green economy. The i.d.e.a. Fund was developed to…
Photo illustration by Kelvin Li Humans are wired to want more. More time, more resources, more money. But what if we could do more with what we already have? When we innovate for resilience, we often think big — bypassing…
Funding News Women
Nourrir l’entrepreneuriat technologique au féminin dans la capitale nationale et au pays
Aug 4, 2022 Le Capital Angel Network et Investir Ottawa vous présentent la troisième cohorte de SheBoot Ottawa (Ontario), 4 août 2022. – Le Capital Angel Network (CAN), un groupe d’investisseurs providentiels d’Ottawa-Gatineau, et Investir Ottawa, la principale agence de développement économique…
I’ve been involved in some hiring recently, and in some cases have developed a deep curiosity about applicants’ motivations and thought processes. Also, what about the people who read job postings and choose not to apply? Was there a point…
Entrepreneur Stories Life Sciences and Advanced Health Women
Cindi Morshead: The ‘neuro nerd’ using viruses to give stroke patients hope
Back in the early 1990s, when 30,000 eager attendees filed into the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting, the talk of the conference was Samuel Weiss’s jaw-dropping discovery of neural stem cells. At the time, scientific dogma insisted the brain had…
RIC News Upcoming Events
6 Reasons to Attend This Month’s Innovation Outpost Event at Estate of Health in Kingsville, ON
Innovation Outposts are bringing together entrepreneurs across rural Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent. These events support local founders through connections, business supports, and programming. This months innovation Outpost event is taking place at Estate of Health in Kingsville on August 11th. If…
Tony Colley, Be One To Give founder, said his company is like Instacart for surplus food. Their on-demand B2B delivery app is for retailers with surplus food along the food chain. The company takes surplus food from retailers and redistributes…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health Wellness & Mental Health
Tailwind partners with Algoma University to provide online mental health programming for students
SAULT STE MARIE, ON, August 2, 2022 – Algoma University has recently launched a new mental wellness awareness program for students; the first institution in Canada to implement this new and groundbreaking tool. The revolutionary new program, designed by Canadian…
Life Sciences and Advanced Health Wellness & Mental Health
Algoma University Partners with Tailwind to Become the First University in Canada to Incorporate Proactive Mental Wellness Awareness Programs for All Incoming Students
Algoma University has recently launched a new mental wellness awareness program for students; the first institution in Canada to implement this new and groundbreaking tool. The revolutionary new program, designed by Canadian health tech firm Tailwind, aims to prepare incoming…
Guelph & Area Independent & New Media (GAIN Media) is an event & festival booking, promotion and band management company that focuses on the arts, music, those that create them and the movements that matter. You can find GAIN Media…
RIC News Talent, People Management
London named as one of North America’s top 10 emerging markets in tech
It’s no surprise to Londoners in the bustling tech sector that our city has made epic strides and is recognized as a booming place for innovation. Companies in London and the Southwestern Ontario innovation corridor have seen astronomical growth over…
RIC News
Invest Ottawa Successfully Wraps Up First Cohort of the IO Traction Bootcamp, Helping Founders Accelerate Customer, Sales and Revenue Growth
Posted in News, Press Releases Aug 2, 2022 Ottawa, ON – (2022-07-25) – Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in Canada’s Capital, is delighted to celebrate the successful completion of the inaugural cohort of the IO Traction…
Entrepreneur Stories Food & Beverage Women
Margaret Coons: Nuts for Cheese Has Enjoyed Explosive Growth in the Natural Product Category
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, Best Startup Canada, beststartup.ca, July 9, 2022 Since launching at a farmer’s market stand in 2015, Nuts For Cheese has enjoyed explosive growth in the natural product category, producing Canada’s top-selling line of artisan, organic, vegan cheese. Handcrafted…
Digital Media and ICT Entrepreneur Stories
Tucson Tech: U of A program helps foreign firms set up US shops
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, David Wichner, tucson.com, Jul 28, 2022 Two Canadian tech startups have targeted Tucson for a “soft landing” in the U.S., thanks to a fast-growing University of Arizona program aimed at helping foreign entrepreneurs set up shop here. And…
Entrepreneur Stories Life Sciences and Advanced Health
MBA Graduate Makes Strides In Helping Those With Osteoarthritis
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, Izabela Shubair, McMaster University DeGroote School of Business, July 19, 2022 Launched in 2018, Rosato’s PROVA Innovations is a startup at The Forge, McMaster University’s business incubator. PROVA has designed the first ever non-invasive, home-based device that guides movement in patients…
Funding News
Moving Past Panic & Uncertainty: Investors Encourage Ways to Stand Out During a Down Economy
originally published: 2022-08-02 09:00:01 Female and racialized founders are met with a trickier situation compared to most during this economic slide. With an already limited access to funding, female and BIPoC founders are struggling to stand out and survive amongst…
Sun and clouds A blustery global economy continues to buffet Canadian tech companies, but there were plenty of sunny breaks amid the clouds all through July. One of the brightest spots was the Toronto-Waterloo corridor, which sparkled in two prestigious…