Startups and scale-ups

We’re here to help you understand your business, commercialize your product and get you where you want to go. Our team of experts works with you to shape your talent strategy, find the right sources of capital, help you understand your market and connect you with an amazing network – from Waterloo Region to the world.

We offer three tiers of services based on your stage of business.

• Early-stage startups are firming up ideas and working toward building an MVP.
• Late-stage startups have a product and some revenue or proof of market demand.
• Scale-up companies have more than 20 employees and a product as a primary source of revenue.

We work with you to figure out your next steps, guide product development, start building your team and connect into the tech ecosystem in Waterloo Region. Early-stage startups get:

• Access to 40+ Peer Groups.
• Talent recruitment on Communitech’s job board.
• Assistance seeking grants and funding via the Funding Advisor Is In program.
• Time with an advisor to get advice and guidance on next steps via the Advisor Is In program.
• Access to the MaRS suite of startup programming.
• National and international workspace via CDMN Passport and Google Passport.
• Connections, networking events, Member2Member discounts and more.
• Access to the Communitech Startup Slack channel and newsletter.

With a dedicated lead advisor, you will find new market opportunities, build your team and develop their skills, and start raising capital in Canada and beyond. Late-stage startups get:

• Talent recruitment opportunities at our Tech Jam events.
• Special member pricing on Communitech Academy training and programs.
• Connections to investors.
• Investor readiness preparation and support.
• Assistance seeking loans.
• Potential access to Communitech Growth Coaches.
• Dedicated lead advisor.
• Access to the Communitech Pro Squad.
• Access to advanced tech platforms (5G, advanced computing, HD mapping).
• IP strategy support
• Connections, networking events, Member2Member discounts and more.

We work with you to build your org structure, learn how to scale your culture and develop a repeatable sales strategy that you can use to expand into new markets. Scale-up companies get:

• Access to Communitech Growth Coaches.
• Dedicated Customer Success Manager.
• Access to advanced tech platforms (5G, advanced computing, HD mapping).
• IP strategy support.
• Help expanding to global markets with Communitech Outposts.
• Connections to investors.
• Investor readiness.
• Assistance seeking grants, funding and loans.
• Connections, networking events, Member2Member discounts and more.

Membership for tech and tech-driven startups is tiered by your number of employees.

• Startups getting off the ground with less than 20 employees receive membership for free.
• Scale-up memberships start at $2,000 per year plus HST with 21-40 employees. See our Membership page for the full breakdown.