ventureLAB Welcomes James Meddings to its Board of Directors

MARKHAM, Ontario-ventureLAB is excited to announce the appointment of James Meddings to its Board of Directors. James joins a dynamic group of founders, industry leaders and experts with decades of experience, to elevate ventureLAB’s growth and strengthen its position as Canada’s Hardware Hub.

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"I am honoured to be joining ventureLAB, and I look forward to driving the company's growth, elevating its position as Canada’s Hardware Hub," said Meddings. "As the demand for semiconductors continues to grow, we must continue to invest in this sector to bolster Canada’s strategy as a leading developer, manufacturer and innovator. I am excited to join this team of forward-thinking leaders and I look forward to further supporting ventureLAB's mission to build globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale from Canada for global markets."

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James Meddings is a founding partner at NorthGuide, with a successful track record in global innovation policy, economic development and community sustainability, having worked in the federal Canadian Public Service for more than 30 years. Previously, Meddings served as the President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, where he worked on enhancing the economic capacity for innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration and promoting the development of a strong and diversified economy. 

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"We are delighted to have James join us and build on our team's talent and expertise," commented Paul Bradley, Board Chair at ventureLAB. "He is a wonderful addition to the team and brings a diverse set of experience from multiple industries, which will aid ventureLAB's long-term success. James has the confidence of the entire board in his new role." 

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“It is my pleasure to welcome James to our Board of Directors. He brings a life-long passion for supporting the innovation and entrepreneurship sector,” Melissa Chee, President and CEO of ventureLAB. “Semiconductors are a foundational technological infrastructure for consumer electronics, medical devices, autonomous vehicles, and much more. There is an opportunity for Canada to act with urgency through sustainable industrial policy that leverages our competitive strategic advantages in the global semiconductor supply chain to generate wealth creation here at home and around the world. We look forward to having James join us as he will play a vital role in building on ventureLAB’s position as a leading global founder community for hardware and semiconductor technology companies in Canada and elevating Canada’s role in the global semiconductor industry.”

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James previously represented Canada on the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee for six years and also served in numerous leadership roles with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Privy Council Office, Human Resources Development Canada, Environment Canada, the Canada School of Public Service and Western Economic Diversification.

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About ventureLAB

ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada. Our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, commercializing technology and IP, and customer acquisition have enabled thousands of companies to create over 4,500 jobs and raise more than $250 million in investment capital. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada, for global markets. 

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