Waterloo’s Thalmic Labs played host to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper last Friday during an official government trip to Communitech. Harper was visiting Communitech and stopped by Thalmic Labs to see the progress it was making within the startup hub.
The visit helped to accomplish two things: First, the Canadian government visited the Waterloo centre to see the impact that Communitech has had on capturing the investments it makes in education, science and technology within Canada.The Waterloo region has all the pieces to create great companies that create jobs: Waterloo University which produces outstanding research, technology, and students, as well as an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs and startups.
Second, the official visit was part of an announcement for the Canadian Accelerator and Incubator Program (CAIP) which is designed to support accelerators and enable them to expand the types of services they provide to entrepreneurs and companies in the region. Harper announced that Communitech had advanced to the next round of the CAIP selection process.
“It is critical for Canada’s small- and medium-sized businesses to harness innovation and get their ideas to the marketplace so that they can grow, create jobs and contribute to the economy,” Harper said. “Accelerators and incubators have the experience, tools and know-how to help get small Canadian start-up businesses up and running.”
As part of the National Research Council, CAIP is meant to provide funding over a five year period in the form of grants to qualifying accelerators and incubators that meet strict eligibility and selection criteria.
Thalmic Labs’ Myo is the first gesture-control technology of its kind. The Myo armband measures electrical activity in a user’s muscles, giving them the ability to wirelessly control and interact with computers and other digital consumer products around you using simple, natural movements.