Bayview Yards Announces Eight Founding Sponsors Contributing More than $1.3 Million to Ottawa’s One-Stop Business Acceleration Shop and Innovation Community
Industry and Academic Leaders Join Forces with Bayview Yards and Invest Ottawa to Fuel Entrepreneurship and Business Success Across the Nation’s Capital
OTTAWA, ONTARIO; June 23, 2017: Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s one-stop business acceleration shop, today announced eight founding sponsors that are injecting more than $1.3 million to the innovation hub that serves innovators, entrepreneurs and SMEs from 7 Bayview Road in the heart of the Nation’s Capital.
Committed to fueling the city’s innovation economy, the following industry and academic leaders will provide critical investment and technology to Bayview Yards, and in many cases also to Invest Ottawa, the lead economic development agency that serves as its anchor tenant and strategic partner, over the next three years:
- Premier Sponsors: RBC, Canada’s largest bank and one of the largest banks in the world based on market capitalization; and Flex, the Sketch-to-Scale™ solutions provider that designs, manufactures and distributes intelligent products for a connected world™
- Major Sponsors: Rogers, a leading diversified Canadian communications and media company; and CIBC, a leading Canadian-based global financial institution and lead partner of Ottawa 2017 for Canada’s 150th anniversary;
- Technology Sponsor: I4C, a leading business and technology consulting company founded in Ottawa; and
- Innovation Sponsors: BDO, one of the largest national accounting and advisory partnerships in Canada; BDC, Canada’s business development bank and the only financial institution dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs; and Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology, a public college that transforms hopes and dreams into lifelong success.
The valued contribution of these founding sponsors builds on $38 million of anchor investment in Bayview Yards by the City of Ottawa, Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada. It will strengthen the capabilities, programs and services available to local innovators, entrepreneurs and firms, helping to accelerate their commercial success, job creation and contribution to the economy. It will also directly support the sustainable operation of Bayview Yards, reinforcing the value of this public-private sector partnership.
In addition to investment, sponsors will collaborate with, and contribute to, the innovation community in many different ways. Working closely with Bayview Yards, Invest Ottawa and fellow private and public organizations that deliver programs and services to entrepreneurs, sponsors may: provide complimentary consultations; host innovation-based events; deliver educational workshops to entrepreneurs; bolster onsite technological capabilities that enable more effective and productive meetings and collaboration; provide entrepreneurial, business and investment guidance to local and international firms expanding in the region; and facilitate technical and business linkages for companies.
Founding sponsors were announced and celebrated during a special event at Bayview Yards today, together with the official opening of MadeMill, the advanced manufacturing and digital media laboratory. More than 250 invited guests enjoyed a panel discussion with senior executives from the founding sponsor organizations facilitated by Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa.
The program also featured remarks from his Worship Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa; the Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure, Government of Ontario; the Honourable Yasir Naqvi, Attorney General of Ontario; David McGuinty, MP for Ottawa South; and Dr. Frank Rybicki, Professor and Chair of Radiology at the University of Ottawa and Chief of Medical Imaging at The Ottawa Hospital. The event concluded with tours of MadeMill, enabling all participants to experience the tools, technologies and capabilities available to innovators and entrepreneurs firsthand at Bayview Yards with critical support from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). FedDev Ontario provided Bayview Yards with up to $8 million through its Investing in Regional Diversification initiative.
Quotes
“Today, we celebrate an important milestone for Bayview Yards, and the innovation community we serve,” said Steve West, Chair of the Board of Bayview Yards. “The critical contribution of these founding sponsors will help us to realize the vision established for this entrepreneurial hub, underscoring the value of public-private sector collaboration. Together with these leaders, we will drive innovation, technology commercialization and business development that bolsters economic growth and job creation across our region.”
“Ottawa is an economic engine that develops some of the world’s greatest technology talent and firms, and makes a significant contribution to our national economy,” said Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa. “The founding sponsors announced today are true leaders in their field of expertise, and they will help catalyze the success of the entrepreneurs and firms that work with us through Bayview Yards. I would like to extend sincere thanks to all sponsors for investing in our innovation community, and helping us to achieve even greater impact for Ottawa entrepreneurs, companies and citizens in the days ahead.”
“We are extremely proud to be a premier sponsor of Bayview Yards, the first entrepreneurial hub of its kind in the Ottawa Region, and work together with organizations such as Invest Ottawa that help innovators and entrepreneurs turn dreams into business reality,” said Tina Sarellas, Regional President of RBC Canada. “We believe our investment in innovation and commitment to helping grow high-performance companies will drive the future prosperity and economic success of Canada, and benefit the many communities we serve.”
“Innovation is in our DNA at CIBC and as part of the Bayview Yards ecosystem we will collaborate with local technology talent and foster partnerships to help drive forward-thinking digital solutions for our clients as we build the bank of the future,” says Kathleen Woodard, SVP and Region Head, Ontario, Retail and Business Banking, CIBC. “CIBC Live Hub is a place where collaboration and creativity will collide as together we work to continue strengthening Canada’s innovation economy.”
“I4C is excited and honoured to be a founding partner of Bayview Yards”, said Neil Cooke, President and CEO of I4C. “This one-stop business acceleration shop is instrumental to our city. We are delighted to be a part of this strategic initiative which brings together some of the best and brightest minds in the spirit of collaboration and innovation. The combination of great market, business and technical resources under one roof is a recipe for success and creativity. With the support of Invest Ottawa, its sponsors, and our business community, Bayview Yards will transform great ideas into successful products, services and firms.”
“As Canada’s development bank, supporting the innovation ecosystem in Ottawa to ensure entrepreneurs have the support they need to achieve their ambitions is important for us,” said Lesley Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Ontario of BDC. “That’s why we are so proud to be a founding partner of Bayview Yards. The public-private approach that’s being created at Bayview Yards has a lot of potential to drive innovation and commercialization to propel growth and productivity in the Ottawa region and across Canada.”
“Community building is about launching new initiatives, cultivating better leaders and creating stronger networks, whether those are 5G networks, people networks or networks that connect us around the world,” said Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “Algonquin College is very fortunate to be part of a community that believes in this, because that’s a big part of what’s helping us create a new generations of learners who are also innovators.”
“BDO Canada has chosen to invest in Bayview Yards and Invest Ottawa because they are at the forefront of economic development in the National Capital Region,” said Robert C. Rhéaume, Partner at BDO Canada. “Launching a business is both exciting and stressful, and we hope to be there for our clients from the start. We are leaders in supporting small to medium-sized enterprises and are committed to providing our clients with the advice they need to build a sustainable business. We strive to create clarity, minimize risks and help our clients solve complex tax and accounting challenges, and believe we can achieve this by being on the ground level with entrepreneurs at the Innovation Centre.”
About Bayview Yards
Bayview Yards is Ottawa’s one stop business acceleration shop and the first entrepreneurial hub of its kind in National Capital Region. An epicenter for job creation, Bayview Yards serves as basecamp for some of Ottawa’s greatest homegrown technology talent, capabilities and companies. It is the ultimate ‘mashup’ of technical, business and market capabilities that help entrepreneurs and firms to launch, grow and thrive. Leveraging $38 million from the City of Ottawa, Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, and more than $1.3 from founding sponsors, Bayview Yards brings together many organizations that provide services and support to entrepreneurs and firms. This includes Invest Ottawa, anchor tenant and strategic partner, which delivers its economic development programs from this new home, and works with fellow academic, public and private sector partners. Harnessing the power of these partnerships, Bayview Yards assembles many ingredients for commercial success under one roof. These include: incubation and meeting space; business programs, services and support; prototyping tools and technologies; market linkages; and access to investment. These offerings will work together to accelerate business growth and success, and stimulate new jobs and wealth creation in the Ottawa economy. For more information, please visit: www.thebayviewyards.com
About Invest Ottawa
Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for Canada’s capital, facilitates economic growth and job creation in the city of Ottawa. Since 2012, Invest Ottawa has helped facilitate the creation of over 5100 jobs and worked thousands of small to medium size enterprises. Guided by a mission to make Ottawa the best place in Canada to start and grow a business, we help to catalyze the growth and success of local entrepreneurs and firms. A non-profit corporation, Invest Ottawa delivers programs and services that enable innovation, investment and trade, helping companies to compete with anyone in the world. This includes: start-up incubation and mentorship, acceleration for existing companies, global business and investment attraction and local business retention, targeted sector development, commercialization, and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life. For additional information, please visit: investottawa.ca
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 35 other countries. For more information, please visit http://www.rbc.com/. RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/
About CIBC
CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units – Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Capital Markets – CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at http://www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre/or by following on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/cibc), Twitter @CIBC, Facebook (www.facebook.com/CIBC) and Instagram @CIBCNow.
About I4C
I4C Consulting is a business and technology consultancy focused on long term relationships and building trust through delivery, integrity and results. At I4C, we consistently deliver top quality consulting services, supporting both business and technology. We work alongside our clients to assess their needs and ensure our approach, recommendations and move-forward plan will deliver the results they expect and the value they deserve. The core of our business foundation is trust. When you work with I4C Consulting, you can count on us to bring the right skills and capabilities to the table, at the place and at the right time, in order to achieve a successful outcome. We are well versed in both business and technology and often times become the bridge between the two, creating cohesive projects that achieve on desired outcomes. For additional information, please visit: www.i4c.ca
About BDC
BDC is the only bank dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs. It promotes Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. With its 110+ business centres from coast to coast, BDC provides businesses in all industries with financing and advisory services. Its investment arm, BDC Capital, offers equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions. To find out more, visit bdc.ca.
About Algonquin College
The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario. For additional information, please visit: www.algonquincollege.com
About BDO
BDO is one of the nation’s leading providers of assurance, accounting, tax, and advisory services. With strengths firmly rooted in the communities we serve, our professionals deliver highly individualized services informed by deep industry knowledge and nearly 100 years of experience working in local markets throughout the country. And with resources across Canada and around the world, BDO provides seamless and consistent cross-border services to clients with international needs. BDO is an international network of public accounting, tax, and advisory firms that performs professional services under the name of BDO. With nearly 65,000 people working out of more than 1,400 offices in over 150 countries, the network generates worldwide revenue of $7.30 billion.
For Additional Information:
Sonya Shorey
Transition Communications Director, Invest Ottawa
Communications Director, Bayview Yards
Cell: 613.851.9416
[email protected]
[email protected]