Waterloo Region, September 29, 2016— Nine startups have moved into the Communitech Hub as the first cohort of the Communitech Fierce Founders Accelerator. The accelerator provides high-potential startups run by women resources and expertise to grow their companies. They include:
Borealis Wind
Oneiric
BridesMade
Navi
Squiggle Park
Think Dirty
Hal Cal
This Space Works
Binary Tattoo
The Fierce Founders Accelerator is the first female-focused accelerator in Canada. It was created to encourage greater diversity in tech by eliminating roadblocks female entrepreneurs often face when starting companies.
“Startups in the accelerator will have direct support from Communitech’s investor network, improve their strategies and business plans, drive sales and scale revenue,” said Danielle Graham, Women in Tech Program Manager, Communitech.
The accelerator received $880,000 in funding from the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) in June 2016. Participating startups will receive up to $30,000 in funding, six-months residency at the Communitech Hub and mentoring and business support from Communitech’s Executives in Residence team.
Five of the startups took part in the Fierce Founders Bootcamp building on business fundamentals for two weeks over the summer of 2016, including Borealis Wind founder Daniela Roeper, who was awarded top place and $40,000 for a device that prevents ice on wind turbine blades to improve efficiency.
“Coming from an engineering background, I lacked concrete business knowledge,” said Roeper. “The bootcamp was an amazing learning opportunity. I’ll continue to learn from and connect with brilliant, driven women in the accelerator.”
For media inquires, please contact:
Samantha Clark
Public Relations Specialist
Communitech
519-221-3466
samantha.clark@communitech.ca