- This article was written by Alex Riehl for BetaKit on April 5, 2024. Read the original article here.
- Read the original press release by Innovation Factory.
Two Southwestern Ontario tech accelerators have come together to bring their services and staff under one banner.
Hamilton-based Innovation Factory and Burlington-based Haltech combined their services on April 1, saying the decision followed years of close partnership and cooperation on joint programs and events. Going forward, the two accelerators will become one, led by Innovation Factory CEO David Carter while operating under the Innovation Factory name.
“By coming together and representing a larger region, we’ll be able to build a stronger network of innovative companies in diverse industries and provide more opportunities to develop programming that attracts new clients and influential strategic partners,” Carter said in a statement.
To date, the accelerators have supported more than 3,000 Ontario technology startups combined.
Innovation Factory said nothing will change for its clients, who can now access all programs and services from both accelerators at Innovation Factory’s offices at TechPlace in Burlington and McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton. The accelerator noted that staff from both organizations will remain the same.
Carter and Haltech CEO Shann McGrail explored the idea of combining forces to maximize the programs, services, and funding available to clients, according to a statement from Innovation Factory, a decision that was supported by both organizations’ boards of directors.
“I am happy to have been part of the idea and process and am excited for the opportunities it will create for clients and the community.” McGrail said in a statement. “It has been an honour to be part of Haltech’s evolution and it only makes sense to take the successes of both organizations to the next level.”
McGrail announced in a LinkedIn post this week that should we departing Haltech, adding that she is “looking forward to taking the time to go back to work and projects that have been sitting on the sidelines.”
Innovation Factory said since its creation in 2010 and Haltech’s in 2011, the accelerators have supported more than 3,000 Ontario technology startups combined, resulting in over $1 billion in funding raised and over $1 billion in revenue generated by its clients in the Hamilton and Halton regions.
