For nearly two decades, Kevin Tuer has been right in the middle of Waterloo Region’s tech scene.

From his early days as CTO-in-Residence, to leading initiatives in open data, digital media, 5G, AI and other emerging technologies and markets, Kevin helped Communitech grow from a small team of 15 in a 2,500-square-foot office at the Accelerator Centre to a connector for Canadian tech founders.

Now, as he starts his next adventure, Kevin reflects on the two-year cycle that turned into nearly 18 years, the highs and hard lessons, and what he hopes the community focuses on next.

Blank slate to builder-in-residence

When Kevin first joined Communitech, Waterloo Region’s tech community had talent and a few anchor companies and employers, such as BlackBerry, OpenText, Christie Digital and the University of Waterloo. But it had almost no startup infrastructure.

"We knew the missing element was a startup ecosystem," Kevin says. "When I joined, one of the key objectives for Communitech was to start building that at scale."

He was hired as “Entrepreneur-in-Residence number three”, the first with a tech background, in a joint initiative by then-CEO Iain Klugman and AC CEO Tim Ellis.

While Kevin thought he might only spend a few years at Communitech, it didn’t quite work out that way.

"Every time I thought it was time to move on and explore new opportunities, something new and exciting came along. I was given a new opportunity to innovate, to look at a new initiative right here within Communitech. That’s what kept me here so long."

Connect, convene, catalyze

From the start, Kevin saw his role as “being an entrepreneur within Communitech”, launching new programs from a clean slate and helping founders gain what he calls “an unfair advantage.”

"What can we do to help our companies accelerate their learning and accelerate their access to resources and funding? It wasn’t about replicating what was already being done by somebody else in the community. It was about filling gaps. It was about helping our companies explore and demystify new technologies and emerging markets to get to revenue faster."

The resulting initiatives led to pilot after pilot, open data projects, digital media initiatives, early 5G work, and eventually national reach through the Canadian Digital Media Network (now Canada’s Tech Network).

Small moments, big impact

Kevin’s favourite memories aren’t big announcements. They’re small moments with founders.

"I remember Ron Newman, who was an EIR at the time, saying, ‘I’ve never been so appreciated for doing so little,’" Kevin recalls. "What he meant is that, for so many of those early companies, even a single connection, how to get funding, how to file a SR&ED claim, how to write a business plan, was gold."

This collection of small things, Kevin says, is what grew the ecosystem.

"Each little bit of guidance strengthened the community, helping one founder led to opportunities for the next. That’s how ecosystems grow."

Growth with purpose

Communitech has grown from a small office and a handful of peer groups to a connector with a bigger team, space and scope. But Kevin says bigger was never the point.

"We’ve always asked ourselves, how can we be better? We don’t measure success by what we do as an organization. We measure it by how successful our founders are."

"Some of the things I was responsible for, we didn’t get right," he says. "But we learned from every single one of them, and those learnings went into things that did better the next time around."

AI needs adults in the room

Looking ahead, Kevin sees AI as a massive opportunity and a challenge we have to get right.

"AI isn’t a flash in the pan. It’s going to touch every element of everything we do here. But we are lagging in adoption. At least 70 to 75 per cent of AI pilots never make it to production."

That’s where Kevin sees Communitech playing an important role.

"It’s another chance for us to connect, convene, and catalyze by bringing startups and enterprise partners together so adoption actually happens. And we have to do it responsibly. Responsible AI adoption is paramount."

Lay the track now for quantum

Kevin is equally passionate about Waterloo Region’s quantum advantage.

"We're sitting in Canada’s Quantum Valley, with research institutes, IP and talent that go back more than 20 years to Mike Lazaridis’ investments in the Perimeter Institute and the Quantum Nano Centre. Just like with AI many years ago, Canada has an unprecedented opportunity to lead the world in the commercialization of a transformational technology. Waterloo Region can and should lead the charge.”

What he’ll miss most

Asked what he’ll miss most, Kevin doesn’t hesitate.

"People. It’s working with people who are passionate about what they do, with a common mission to make the region a better place to help founders."

And how does he sum up 18 years in one phrase? It’s one that he often quotes about parenting. 

"Some of the days were long, but the years were short," he says. "Now I sit here and think, where did the time go?"

What’s next

Kevin hopes people will remember him as a trusted partner and builder, and a champion for the Waterloo Region tech ecosystem and beyond.  

“I had the good fortune of meeting and working with a wide range of stakeholders during my time at Communitech. I always tried to be genuine in those relationships and keep true to the mission to help companies start, grow and succeed.”

As for what’s next?

"I’m not leaving the tech community behind. I look forward to contributing in a different way, in a different capacity. There’s going to be some travel, some time in my shop, and some time for my wife and me to visit our grown children in Ottawa, California or wherever they may end up. And I hope to continue with the type of work and initiatives that I did during my time at Communitech, but I will likely look to contribute in different ways."

A call to the community

Kevin’s parting advice to tech workers in Waterloo Region is simple.

“Support your community. Engage with it. Invest your time and energy, and it will come back to you in meaningful and perhaps even unexpected ways.

Maintaining a “rising tides lifts all boats” attitude, he says, will help to keep Waterloo Region’s tech ecosystem vibrant for decades to come.