MARKHAM, Ontario - October 22, 2020 — ventureLAB has announced a new partnership with ARM to expand ventureLAB’s Hardware Catalyst Initiative (HCI), Canada’s first hardware and silicon lab and incubator. This new partnership will enable HCI companies a fast-track route to Arm ® Flexible Access for Startups, enabling qualified silicon startups to use Arm IP at no cost, including for prototyping and evaluation, helping to remove risk and commercialize products at scale. “Arm is at the forefront of designing and securing all areas of computing from the chip to the cloud,” said Melissa Chee, President and CEO, ventureLAB. “We are excited to partner with Arm to enable Canada’s emerging tech leaders to accelerate IP-rich product commercialization while retaining and attracting highly skilled talent to Canada.” Today’s announcement builds on Canada's recent momentum as a leader in the global tech ecosystem. The growing global network of ventureLAB HCI partners including recent announcements with TSMC, Silicon Catalyst and Nuvia, recognizes the unique opportunity and role for Canada as a valuable player in the global semiconductor supply chain. HCI and its global ecosystem of innovators enables talented Canadian founders to accelerate commercialization and global growth. “To deliver innovative new technologies, startups need the freedom to experiment and the simplest path to working prototypes,” said Dipti Vachani, senior vice president and general manager, Automotive and IoT Line of Business, Arm. “By partnering with ventureLAB, we are providing Canadian startups with the fastest, lowest-cost, lowest-risk journey to SoC design, enabling innovation in growth areas such as IoT and machine learning, as well as access to Arm’s vast ecosystem.”
ventureLAB’s 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 helps 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.
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 close to 4,000 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.
Justine Kintanar VP, External Relations and Communications, ventureLAB jkintanar@venturelab.ca 647.242.8154