National tech accelerator Wavefront is joining forces with another regional tech hub to help Canadian wireless and tech companies grow and succeed.
Wavefront is partnering with Communitech, a tech hub that supports about 1,000 companies in the Waterloo, Ont. area. Although Communitech gives startups a leg up, it also supports small to mid-sized businesses as well as larger companies working in international markets.
The partnership is set to help companies already linked to Communitech to connect with Wavefront’s resources. Businesses will have access to technical resources such as its remote testing service on global carrier networks and its handset depot, where they can rent the newest mobile devices for $10 a day as opposed to having to buy them for testing.
They will also be able to apply for funding through the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, and can get mentorship and advice from Wavefront’s wireless industry consultants.
Wavefront also takes startups on trips in international markets such as Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa. In the past two years, it has brought 45 startups to trade shows and has set up face-to-face meetings with global investors and potential partners.
“[Wavefront] really becomes a one-stop shop for everything that a company needs to grow,” said James Maynard, president and CEO of Wavefront, in an interview last week. “Our goal is to anchor large Canadian companies owned by Canadians.”
Wavefront, which is a national centre of excellence for the wireless industry, doesn’t take any equity stake from the startups that it works with. It announced a similar partnership with startup accelerator Innovate Calgary last week.
