2015 Waterloo Innovation Summit: What Drives Leading Innovative Ecosystems?
The 2015 Waterloo Innovation Summit begins today as a three day event that features a guided tour of the Waterloo Region ecosystem as well as a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers, firesides chats, and panel sessions at the main summit locations. Home to Canada’s most innovative University and over 500 tech companies, Waterloo Region boasts […]
Communitech: A Leader in Global Technological Innovation
In 1997, Communitech was founded in the Waterloo Region by a group of entrepreneurs to establish a community with the aim of supporting technological innovation at all geographic levels: regionally, provincially, and nationally. By the beginning of 2015, this not-for-profit organization has created a tech hub consisting of 1,000 companies (including Google, BlackBerry, and Open […]
Options for Early Stage Technology Companies to Finance Growth
The dilutive nature of early stage equity financing (i.e., giving up ownership) makes it the most expensive way to finance growth. When a start-up does not have enough cash in the bank or cash flow to support their growth (hire more employees, fund working capital, etc.), the company is faced with a significant funding barrier […]
FedDev leads $20M funding round for 8 Toronto startups
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev) put up $4.85 million into young startups, in order to leverage an additional $15.2 million from venture capital and angel investment groups. The companies to receive funding are as follows: Trillium Therapeutics Inc. Total funding: $2.97-million Sources: $965,000 from FedDev and $2-million from Covington Capital, GrowthWorks, […]
Direct Government Funding – Benefits and Detriments
SR&ED and NRC IRAP are both substantial business support programs offered by the Canadian federal government. However, one of the major differences between the 2 programs is that NRC IRAP endorses direct up-front funding, whereas SR&ED is a tax credit for expenses that have already been incurred. In light of the recent Jenkins report, there has been […]