Transformative Solutions Made in Markham - ventureLAB Launches the Hardware Catalyst Initiative

February 10, 2020
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The Hardware Catalyst Initiative (HCI), Canada's first hardware and silicon-focused lab and incubator, officially launched on February 6, 2020, with the support of the inaugural HCI cohort, founding partners, and government officials. The HCI launch was used as a platform for executives, industry experts, and more to meet face-to-face with the inaugural cohort to learn about their plans for the future utilizing the equipment and resources provided through the Hardware Catalyst Initiative, and to hear about the transformative solutions that they are developing.

The Inaugural Cohort of the HCI

The eight companies selected will use the access to specialized equipment and industry expertise to realize their ideas, bring their products to market in an accelerated fashion, and help put Canadian talent at the forefront of global innovation. Learn more about the inaugural cohort and the HCI below: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qiha0CXrEY[/embed]

The Founding Partners of the HCI

To support the HCI, global tech leaders and emerging industry leaders from within York Region’s deep tech ecosystem (home to more than 4,300 tech companies) have committed up to $8 million in resources, expertise, and mentorship for the participating companies. Together, these founding partners will play a critical role in the success of Canada’s first silicon incubator:

HCI Launch Highlights

Image Gallery:

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Media:

Please direct all media inquiries to: Justine Kintanar - jkintanar@venturelab.ca Director, External Relations & Communications ventureLAB

About the Hardware Catalyst Initiative

The Hardware Catalyst Initiative is Canada’s first hardware and silicon-focused lab and incubator. Funded in part by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), this competitive program supports companies building foundational technologies that support transformative sectors like AI, quantum computing, 5G, IoT, UAV, virtual reality, and beyond. Over the next five years, the HCI will support up to 40 companies, create over 200 jobs, and commercialize 15 new products and technologies. Based in York Region, Canada’s second-largest tech cluster, the HCI will help southern Ontario-based tech SMEs accelerate their time to market in a sector that normally incurs lengthy entry and scale times, enabling Canadian hardware and silicon companies to grow and scale locally, and compete globally. To learn more about the Hardware Catalyst Initiative, visit www.venturelab.ca/HCI.

About ventureLAB

ventureLAB is a leading technology hub located in Markham in York Region, Canada’s second-largest tech cluster. Through its programs focused on capital, talent, technology, and customers, ventureLAB has supported over 2,000 tech companies and entrepreneurs, including 100 companies that have raised over $100 million and created 3,500 jobs. ventureLAB’s innovation hub is a 50,000 square foot facility that is home to over 45 tech companies and partners that employ more than 300 people. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada.

About FedDev Ontario

For more than 10 years, FedDev Ontario has actively worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation and growth in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving their productivity, growing their revenues, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Read more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario.

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