The Communitech Hub home to digital start-ups and established companies for enhanced collaboration
Waterloo Region, ON (Oct. 7, 2010) – Less than a year after provincial support for a major digital media innovation centre was announced, The Communitech Hub has officially opened for business, ready to foster the next-generation of digital media innovation in Ontario.
The Hub, which occupies 30,000 square feet of a renovated downtown Kitchener Tannery building, is now home to start-up companies, small-medium enterprises, and global multi-nationals all aiming to accelerate the pace of development of new ideas and products in the digital media sector. Leaders from business, government, and community organizations gathered at The Communitech Hub today to recognize the expansive effort that has now created a leading-edge facility customized to meet the needs of its occupants.
“Ontario has a tremendous legacy of innovation in digital media and ICT, and this sector is exploding around the world. The Communitech Hub will help launch more made-in-Ontario companies, create good jobs and better lives for families,” said Glen Murray, Minister of Research and Innovation.
The Communitech Hub will not only serve as a collaboration centre for resident companies, but will also link to other digital media centres across Canada as part of the Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN). The CDMN headquarters reside in The Hub along with Communitech offices.
“Creating this facility has been a collaborative effort between community organizations, industry, all levels of government and the community itself, making this a truly remarkable achievement,” said Iain Klugman, President and CEO of Communitech.
Founding partner companies who have contributed to the establishment of The Communitech Hub include: Canada’s largest software company Open Text Corporation; leading-edge visual technologies company Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc.; and high-tech heavyweight Research In Motion (RIM). The Communitech Hub — a $100 million project — was created with contributions from the provincial government, the federal government, the City of Kitchener, and private industry.
“Open Text and the other founding industry partners are committed to innovation; The Communitech Hub will enable R&D projects that might not have been possible without this unique environment,” said Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer at Open Text, and Chair of the CDMN.
Renovating the 30,000 square foot space in the former Tannery building and transforming it into a state-of-the-art facility for digital innovation was no small undertaking, given the size and scope of the project. The facility features unique amenities such as a four-sided 3D ‘immersive environment’ provided by Christie Digital powered by Christie’s 3D stereoscopic projectors, enabling display of vast amounts of data. The Hub has an open concept area for the established companies to brainstorm and collaborate, and private office areas for entrepreneurs to ‘incubate’ ideas in close proximity to tools and services they need to succeed. Companies have access to a suite of expert resources including entrepreneurs in residence, project manager support, and marketing & branding expertise.
“This facility is a dream come true for many of the people who celebrated The Communitech Hub opening today who can now envision the innovative technologies that will undoubtedly have their start in this facility,” said Kevin Tuer, VP Digital Media of Communitech and CDMN Managing Director.
About Communitech
Communitech www.communitech.ca is the regional hub for the commercialization of innovation in Waterloo Region, creating economic prosperity by removing barriers to the creation and growth of tech companies. For more information about The Communitech Hub, go to: www.communitechhub.ca/.
About The Canadian Digital Media Network:
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) www.cdmn.ca is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in Digital Media by enabling connections and collaboration of people across the country – entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes and government – and bringing more digital solutions to market. The CDMN comprises Canada’s largest concentration of business-driven digital media research, technology development, and digital commercialization expertise; it connects digital media expertise and capability from coast-to-coast, creating a digital convergence corridor. Digital Media covers a broad spectrum of technology and services, and includes any information created and shared virtually.
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Media Contact
Shelley Grandy, Communitech Sr. PR Advisor, 905-866-2656, or shelley@cdmn.ca
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The Communitech Hub — “The Hub” — Backgrounder
Why was the Hub created?
Canada’s digital economy will be driven by advancements in key areas like: clean technology; life sciences and advanced health technology; and digital media & information and communications technology. The Hub is aligned with those priorities and has been created to foster new digital media businesses and create new high-tech jobs. As some sectors of our economy struggle and evolve, investment in a digital economy will ensure future prosperity through creating more companies, products and jobs in Ontario and across Canada.
Why was Waterloo Region selected as the location for The Hub?
The Waterloo Tech Region is home to more than 700 high-tech firms with a total valuation of more than $18 billion, and many of those companies have demonstrated strength and momentum in digital media and mobile computing. Waterloo Region’s leading companies are willing to help early-stage companies get a start and prosper by contributing to The Hub through financial contributions as well as by providing high-tech equipment for R&D. As the tech community thrives, the benefits of that prosperity are shared throughout the region and the province. It’s a natural fit for a high-tech incubation hub to be located at the heart of Waterloo Region.
Waterloo Region is home to The Communitech Hub founding industry partners:
- Canada’s largest software company: Open Text Corporation;
- The world’s leading visual technologies company: Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc.;
- Canada’s largest high-tech company: Research In Motion (RIM).
Those three leaders as well as the City of Kitchener, the Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada have all contributed to the establishment of The Hub and its ongoing success. Strategic partner platforms will enable research, commercialization, and job creation activity in mobile computing, digital asset management and healthcare IT.
Is The Hub now open for business?
Yes, and the grand opening October 7, 2010 marks the official occasion.
Who is operating The Hub?
Communitech, Canada’s leading organization fostering high-tech commercialization of innovation, will operate The Hub. Communitech has a 13-year track record of supporting and growing technology companies at any stage in their development from start-up, to small-medium business, to global player.
What is The Hub all about?
The Hub will be a high-tech ‘club-house’ where innovators and experts can collaborate and develop new initiatives in an open concept environment designed to advance the tools, technology and applications segments of the digital media and mobile computing industries. Some of the features it will offer are:
- state-of-the-art visualization tools and technologies, made available for R&D opportunities for academic and business users;
- on-site venture support and project management services to aid in creating start-up companies;
- business development expertise to connect companies with global markets;
- access to angel funding and venture capital to support new digital media companies in Ontario;
- connectivity with other clusters of digital media and ICT activity across Ontario and Canada to facilitate research and business partnerships.
Why did established businesses agree to contribute to The Hub?
Innovation is the life-blood of any high-tech business and established businesses benefit from the new ideas and energy of start-ups. That’s why companies such as Open Text, Christie Digital and Research In Motion are willing to give time, R&D funding and equipment to The Hub to jump-start new ventures. Established companies focused on global competition are often unable to divert resources from their core business to explore new ventures. So start-ups that germinate at The Hub may develop leading-edge products and solutions that will benefit the existing companies through expertise, software or hardware licensing or acquisitions.
What companies are already located at The Hub?
There are currently 30 early-stage companies, plus industry and service partners already located in The Hub or committed to moving in soon.
Do you have room for more, or are you ‘sold-out’?
Our incubator space for new start-up companies is 80 percent full. We have an ongoing intake process for companies that are interested in tenancy at The Hub. Companies apply online at www.communitechhub.ca
What is the overall goal of the Canadian Digital Media Network?
The Communitech Hub is the anchor of the Canadian Digital Media Network – created in early 2009 with $10.7 million in federal funding to link Canada’s digital media clusters from coast-to-coast, creating a digital convergence corridor and enabling collaboration between researchers, implementers and entrepreneurs. The goal is to accelerate the creation of successful new digital media businesses and contribute to Canada’s digital economy. Other nodes on the network include:
- Waterloo-Stratford Campus (Stratford, Ontario)
- MaRS (Toronto, Ontario)
- nGen-Niagara Interactive Media Generator (Niagara Region, Ontario)
- ORIC-Okanagan Research and Innovation Centre (Okanagan Valley, BC)
- Wavefront (Vancouver, BC)
- TRLabs (Collective representing AB, SK, MA), and
- NRC (Fredericton, NB).
What is included when we use the term digital media?
Digital media takes current computing and content digitization to the next level – known as 3.0 – spanning everything from making broadcast-quality content available on mobile devices, to digitizing medical records to improve the quality and speed of health care. Digital media affects all Canadians in many ways, the most obvious being through use of mobile applications on handheld devices and watching broadcast-quality video on computers. Perhaps surprisingly, it also has applications for many segments including health care, education, finance, manufacturing and even geological exploration and mining.
Why is digital media important to Canada?
The global economy is going digital and will be based on a technology infrastructure. Countries that invest in and develop a digital platform and economy will be in a position to lead and succeed. Creating a digital economy happens through deliberate investment and creation of opportunity for entrepreneurs to develop leading-edge solutions.
Worldwide the digital media sector is one of the fastest-growing segments of the knowledge economy and its double-digit growth rate will help drive the global media market up to US $2.2 trillion within the next five years, as reported by PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2008-2012.
The Council of Canadian Academies has identified new media as having greatest momentum and the highest growth prospects for Canada, second only to the oilsands. The scope of the opportunity means that Canada cannot afford to be left behind in the digital economy.
