ventureLAB is proud to present our 5th cohort of Hardware Catalyst Initiative, a competitive program dedicated to supporting the development of hardware and semiconductor-focused products and services to enable and equip Canadian hardware companies to grow, scale, and develop products of tomorrow.
The Hardware Catalyst Initiative is Canada’s only hardware and semiconductor-focused lab and incubator, and is the primary destination for hardware companies across the country. Offered to Canada-based startups at no costs and with no equity requirement, participating companies will be provided with direct resources to accelerate commercialization at scale through raising capital, retaining talent, commercializing technology and IP, and customer acquisition.
The cohort 5 companies have gone through a competitive selection process, as well as the Hardware Catalyst Initiative bootcamp, a rigorous addition to the current selection process to ensure companies are set up for success in hardware, an industry that is notoriously difficult to succeed in with long lead times for both product validation and investment alike.
The Cohort 5 Companies in the Hardware Catalyst Initiative:
Whenergy
Whenergy builds a scalable user-centric peer-to-peer platform for widespread adoption of EVs and charging infrastructure. Their platform leverages 5G edge cloud and Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS), enabling full visibility, accounting and maximizes EV Battery utilization using bi-directional energy and monetary transactions towards a complete de-carbonization strategy.
STUDIO 1 LABS INC.
Studio 1 Labs developed fabric sensors that advances the ability for passenger occupancy detection by differentiating objects from humans without additional post-processing from a CPU. The technology brings the human sense of "touch" with the feeling of presence, warmth, and embrace of the surrounding environment.
Daanaa Resolution Inc
With Daanaa Resolution's power electronics and chip technology, energy is transferred freely, safely, and efficiently in AC and DC modes without requiring external power electronic devices like converters. Their circuits are versatile, designed to integrate seamlessly with existing technologies and hardware, working bidirectionally for medium-free power and data transfer. Their technology is also applicable to electronic devices, electric vehicles (EV), battery management systems (BMS), and solar power for improved efficiency and system simplification.
Reeddi Inc.
Reeddi provides a modular Li-Ion Battery system for renting charged battery modules to customers, then recharging them collectively at a solar charging station. Strong adoption by households and small businesses in rural Africa, displacing diesel generators.
McGuire Aero Propulsion Solutions Inc
McGuire Aero Propulsion Solutions (MAPS) is developing a sustainable, transformative, net-zero power generation technology for commercial and industrial businesses: the micro-power-plant (MPP). Our patented technology brings resiliency for the customer’s operations while giving them control over their electricity costs and emissions. The MPP provides a turnkey solution that is flexible, scalable, and easy-to-deploy anywhere: a microgrid-in-a-box.
AIM Colours Inc.
AIM Colours combines cosmetics and technology to remove the time penalty from beauty. ePolish are tech-enabled press-on nails that change colour from a mobile app without needing a battery.
Afimacheck
AfimaCheck is developing a thermal reader for lateral flow assay, the common strips used for pregnancy and COVID tests. Their patented technology empowers sensitive, low-cost onsite workplace, roadside, and clinical drug-of-abuse testing.
AiimSense Inc.
AiimSense is developing point of care brain imaging systems for early diagnosis of stroke. At a fraction of the cost of an MRI, the solution brings diagnostic imaging and monitoring closer to the point of first response, and available to rural community hospitals.
Pocket Clinic Corp.
Pocket Clinic aims to help insulin-dependent diabetics live healthy lives without the constant burden of blood sugar swings. We aim to manufacture a consumer medical device to replace the traditional syringe multi-injection by providing an affordable automated wearable injector that controls with a smartphone. Our solution consists of three elements: a drug injector system, a mobile application, and a cloud computing system. This drug injector system is the smallest wearable drug infusion pump in the market and our mobile application is capable of controlling the injector and tracking the blood glucose level. It uses an online machine-learning a platform capable of analyzing glucose levels and optimizing the insulin-dosing algorithm while delivering updates to caregivers and family members. Our solution is designed to provide the most affordable and accessible smart injector in the market to all insulin-dependent diabetics with any income class.
Attest Laboratories
Attest Laboratories is developing a portable magnetic resonance spectrometer to rapidly test for metabolite biomarkers without using a disposable test strip or taking a blood sample. It is aimed at primary care and senior living facilities where frequent tests are performed daily.
Neoglacia Inc
Neoglacia is developing a precision robotic instrument for preparing biological samples for cryo-electron microscopy. The solution helps speed up the workflow and improve the reliability of biological studies in the development of vaccines, therapeutic drugs, and provide insight into viruses and other aspects of living systems.
If your company is a Canada-based startup that specializes in offering automotive and smart mobility hardware products, and you are looking for resources to help grow and scale your company, mark your calendar - Hardware Catalyst Initiative will officially start accepting applications for the 6th cohort on February 1st.
Apply to the Hardware Catalyst Initiative and take your hardware company to the next level.
About Hardware Catalyst Initiative
ventureLAB’s Hardware Catalyst Initiative is Canada’s only lab and incubator for founders building hardware and semiconductor-focused products, enabling the creation of transformative technologies that will power our products of tomorrow. Funded in part by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the Hardware Catalyst helps tech companies accelerate their time to market in a sector that normally incurs lengthy entry and scale times, enabling Canadian hardware and semiconductor companies to grow and scale locally, and compete globally.
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 5,000 jobs and raise more than $340 million in investment capital. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada, for global markets.
