Founding Sponsors Contribute $1.3 Million to Ottawa’s Flagship Innovation Hub

June 23, 2017

An accelerator in Ottawa has gathered the forces of eight founding sponsors, who are injecting a combined $1.3 million into the innovation hub.

“Today, we celebrate an important milestone for Bayview Yards, and the innovation community we serve,” said Steve West, Chair of the Board of Bayview Yards. “Together with these leaders, we will drive innovation, technology commercialization and business development that bolsters economic growth and job creation across our region.”

Bayview Yards received the capital from RBC, Flex, Rogers, CIBC, I4C, BDO, BDC, and the Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology.

“Ottawa is an economic engine that develops some of the world’s greatest technology talent and firms, and makes a significant contribution to our national economy,” said Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, an anchor tenant and strategic partner.

The sponsorships build on $38 million of anchor investment in Bayview Yards by the City of Ottawa, the Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada.

“We are extremely proud to be a premier sponsor of Bayview Yards, the first entrepreneurial hub of its kind in the Ottawa Region, and work together with organizations such as Invest Ottawa that help innovators and entrepreneurs turn dreams into business reality,” said Tina Sarellas, Regional President of RBC Canada.

Bayview Yards serves as basecamp for some of Ottawa’s greatest homegrown technology talent, capabilities and companies. It includes incubation and meeting space; business programs, services and support; prototyping tools and technologies; market linkages; and access to investment.

“This one-stop business acceleration shop is instrumental to our city,” said Neil Cooke, President and CEO of I4C.

“The public-private approach that’s being created at Bayview Yards has a lot of potential to drive innovation and commercialization to propel growth and productivity in the Ottawa region and across Canada,” added Lesley Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Ontario of BDC.