Ontario is dedicating to $1.2 million to the expansion of Waterloo Region’s Communitech hub.
The money will be used for an expanded startup services program, which currently provides mentorship, training and connections to more than 500 startups per year; more workspace, innovation zones connecting startups with enterprise; training programs for mid-sized businesses; and expanded corporate innovation programming to help global brands increase the speed of new products to market.
“Communitech is a vital partner for our government as we work to foster innovation in the province. We welcome the opportunity to work together, along with Google Canada and the University of Waterloo, to support entrepreneurship in Waterloo Region,” said Reza Moridi, minister of research, innovation and science. “Helping startups bring their new technologies to market is vital to our ability to grow our innovation economy — and ultimately compete and win in the global economy.”
The expansion is part of a partnership between Communitech, Google Canada, the University of Waterloo, the City of Kitchener and the province. Currently, Communitech occupies 80,000 square feet of space in the Lang Tannery building.
Recently, the Ontario government announced that it was investing $43 million in Waterloo Region transit, and implementing all-day GO service between Toronto and Waterloo Region to facilitate the exchange of highly-skilled tech workers between Toronto and Waterloo Region.
Photo credit Dax Melmer from The Windsor Star