We help technology companies start, grow, and succeed
Communitech is a not-for-profit organization that supports technology companies in Waterloo Region and promotes the area as a technology cluster. Our programs and events connect professionals, share ideas, and strengthen companies.
We also champion innovation and collaboration on a provincial and national level. The newly-built Communitech Hub is a unique digital media ecosystem and one of many commercialization facilities that make up the Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), which we proudly steward.
We work to serve Waterloo Region’s technology community and are grateful to those that support our efforts.
An introduction to our programs and services
Mentoring Tomorrow’s Tech
A Supercollider for Digital Ideas
Peer Learning
Events and Conferences
Talent and Outreach
Business Education Partnership
Our Executives-in-Residence coach early-stage companies, sharing their sector-specific and business-building expertise while connecting entrepreneurs and execs to resources and funding.
Learn more about how we mentor companies or how we can help you grow yours
Located in downtown kitchener, this 30,000ft.² facility is a living example of our commitment to a vibrant regional technology ecosystem — one that builds new companies almost as quickly as it generates new ideas.
Learn more about the Communitech Hub or our commitment to digital media
See all of our Peer 2 Peer groups.
If you’re new to Communitech there’s one thing we want to make clear: we are definitely not shy.
Learn more on our events page
Learn how our many recruiting programs and initiatives introduce “opportunity” to “community”
The Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region is our youth outreach arm, helping students in grades 7 – 12 explore careers and prepare for a school-to-work transition. Programs include guest speakers from across the business community, workplace tours, sector-specific, ‘Zoom’ career days and more.
Learn more at The Business & Education Partnership website
Our Network Structure
Communitech is a network of more than 600 companies and organizations that believe in building a strong tech cluster in Waterloo Region. Employees of network member companies can join peer groups and attend events for free or at a reduced cost.
Our network members include global organizations such as Research In Motion, Open Text and COM DEV. Equally important are our start-ups and fast-growing small enterprise and the many investors, service firms, educational institutions and governments that contribute to their growth.
Today, Waterloo Region is of one North America’s pre-eminent technology clusters, and Communitech works hard to sustain and improve that position.
Waterloo has become one of North America’s leading concentrations of technology players, academic and industrial research and development, innovation, commercialization expertise, venture and early stage capital. We have an extraordinary entrepreneurial track record that is the envy of communities many times our size and leaders here give freely of their time and their talent. They share success points, cautionary tales, and outright failures. This is a community that “self-consults,” with one generation mentoring the next.Iain Klugman, 2007, 10 Years of Technology in Waterloo Region
How we turn ideas into action
Leading
We confront issues critical to the success of Waterloo Region’s technology community – issues that impact growth, infrastructure, attracting talent and financing, and support for entrepreneurs.
- Leadership Generates:
- WaterlooTechJobs.com, a Communitech-created job site that helps local companies attract the talent they need
- Our Venture Services programs
- The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), which connects commercialization organizations and nodes around the county
- The Communitech Hub 30,000 sq.² of retrofitted space dedicated to digital media startups, research talent, and tech companies.
- Enable U An international conference on technology ecosystem growth
Connecting
As an organization we place tremendous value on learning and networking. We connect our community members to international thinkers and business leaders, local know-how, investment capital, expert advice, talent and most importantly to each other. We believe relationships are the mortar of success.
It isn’t just talk, we get out there.
- Connection Points:
- Monthly meetings for 30+ Peer 2 Peer Groups in Waterloo Region
- Annual conferences featuring international speakers: Canada 3.0, Tech Leadership Conference and Entrepreneur Week
- Monthly “breakfast with the boss” events
- Our Executives-in-Residence work one-on-work with hundreds of startups
- Support for grassroots, startup and community events
- “Surprise random events” (SREs). We’d tell you more, but we can’t, because they surprise us too.
Promoting
We advocate and promote the success of our tech companies to government, investors and the media to raise awareness of Waterloo Region as a world-class technology centre. We do this through
- Reports, stats and tech company maps
- Our bi-annual Tech Directory and State of the Industry Report
- Recruitment events
- Bringing internationally-recognized technology leaders, authors and thinkers to speak at our events
Whether we are shaking hands in Waterloo Region, empowering technology communities across Ontario, or building digital bridges across Canada, our goal is to help technology companies “Start, Grow, and Succeed”.
