Headquarters
Kitchener, Ontario

Managing Director
Avvey Peters

Board chair
Dave Caputo
CEO, Trusscore

National and regional players unite to help grow digital media sector

Canada’s digital media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade, which has proven to be a boon for hundreds of Canadian companies trying to break into international markets, and young graduates looking for rewarding and high-paying jobs here in Canada. To maintain and grow this momentum, Canada needed to connect innovative firms to sales opportunities globally, promote links between firms to advance business-to-business market opportunities and leverage government investments to benefit hundreds of small- and medium-sized firms. Achieving this goal calls for an innovative model that overcomes the distance of geography to create a critical mass of services and expertise in every region across Canada.

Founded by Communitech in the Waterloo Region, Canada’s Tech Network (the Network) connects Canadian technology companies to a national ecosystem of 26 digital media commercialization hubs where they can access the technical, legal, financial, marketing and business resources needed for success. Each hub brings unique expertise to the national network while serving as a regional centre for the development, acceleration and commercialization of technology ventures. The Network has become the go-to resource for commercialization of all types of digital technologies, including entertainment, health care, education, financial services and advanced manufacturing.

Among the results

• The Network’s Soft Landing program has helped 685 Canadian companies land in 63 countries to cultivate international business opportunities and establish a presence in markets such as the United States, India, France, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Costa Rica and China. To date, participating companies have reported more than $122.8 million in new revenues and $126.6 million in new investments as a result of their Soft Landing experiences. The Soft Landing program has also resulted in the creation of 438 jobs. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting global travel restrictions, the Network took the opportunity to pivot the Soft Landing program to virtual delivery in 2020. The first cohort of the new Scale From Home program received 235 applications, and 146 companies were selected.
• The Network piloted the Get There program in January 2016, bringing eight Waterloo region companies to Silicon Valley to expand their networks, meet investors and connect with potential clients. Since the pilot, Get There has helped 91 companies land in 4 different markets, including San Francisco and New York City, United States; and Shenyang and Tianjin, China. Companies have reported $511,000 in new revenues, $5,200,000 in new investments and 12 newly created jobs.
• Initially only available in Ontario, the Network helped MaRS Discovery District expand its Market Intelligence program to seven different hubs in six provinces. Data and statistics on consumer, industry and technology trends and market size are now available for free to network clients in the Atlantic region, Alberta and Quebec.
• The Network also offered nationwide support for hub startup/scale-up clients through the Passport program. Companies could land at any Network hub if they require short-term desk space while travelling. The program has been utilized over 80 times by clients from over 14 hubs in 6 provinces. The Network also piloted the Startup Virtual Passport program. In partnership with Platform Calgary, this program provided Canadian technology startups an inside look at a variety of innovation and tech communities in national and international markets. The program was designed to demystify global markets and create connections in the market. Twenty-two Canadian companies participated in this pilot and were given the opportunity to connect with investors and experts in the Houston, Texas market.

Connect with Canada’s Tech Network

•  Website
•  Twitter
•  LinkedIn

* (formerly known as Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media - CACDM and Canadian Digital Media Network – CDMN)