Driving sustainable and circular economy growth in southern Ontario
As TechAlliance takes bold steps towards equitable growth, we continue to unlock opportunities for some of Canada’s most promising startups and fastest-growing innovation companies with the i.d.e.a. Fund™ to foster a vibrant, inclusive and green ecosystem.
In Cohort 3, we will distribute up to a maximum of $20,000 in matching seed funding and up to 30 hours of expertise from our Venture Growth team to select innovative businesses in various sectors.
Seed funding & support
How does this program work? You may receive:
- Non-repayable seed funding of up to $20,000 with matching funds
- Up to 30 hours of fully funded, targeted support from business leaders
- 1-on-1 time with TechAlliance Startup Advisors for application know-how
Expert help
Our experts have the knowledge and experience to help you address challenges and move your business forward in all areas including:
- growth plans and strategies
- talent attraction
- raising follow-on investment
- market diversification
- product development
- quantification of product benefits
- market value propositions
- commercialization of intellectual property
Who can apply?
Eligible i.d.e.a. Fund companies meet the following criteria:
- One or two team members of the business’ leadership team are available to participate in the program
- The applicant must be an early-stage business or Small to Medium Enterprise (1-499 employees), and the business must be headquartered in Southern Ontario (regions are outlined in Appendix A)
- Business must be incorporated (Ontario or federal)
- Business owner/founder must be working in the business full-time
- Business must have a scalable product or service
- One or two team members are available to participate in an online certificate program with the University of Guelph
i.d.e.a. Fund™ Cohort 3 Roadmap
Cohort 3
In Cohort 3, TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario provides 12 companies with advisory services and non-repayable contributions of up to $20,000 through the i.d.e.a. Fund™.
Since launching in 2022, the i.d.e.a. Fund™ has provided support for nearly 245 businesses focused on green technology and clean innovation. View the full list of Cohort 3 here.
The TechAlliance-supported companies in Cohort 2 are:
Cohort 2
In Cohort 2, TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario provided 20 companies with $600,000 and over 200 hours of expert advice through the i.d.e.a. Fund™.
Across Southwestern Ontario, approximately 125 companies received non-repayable contributions of up to $3,750,000 through Cohort 2 of the i.d.e.a. Fund™. View the full list here.
The TechAlliance-supported companies in Cohort 2 were:
Cohort 1
Across Southwestern Ontario, approximately 120 companies received non-repayable contributions of up to $3,600,000 through Cohort 1 of the i.d.e.a. Fund™. View the full list here.
The TechAlliance-supported companies in Cohort 1 were:
About i.d.e.a. Fund™
TechAlliance delivers the i.d.e.a. Fund™ in London, Middlesex County, Lambton County, Elgin County, Oxford County, and Huron County
i.d.e.a. Fund is a program that fosters inclusion, diversity, environment and acceleration while driving sustainable and circular economy growth, and is delivered in partnership with the following Ontario Regional Innovation Centres (RICs): Boundless Accelerator™, Innovate Niagara, Innovation Factory, Launch Lab, TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario, and WEtech Alliance.
This program will provide specialized industry expertise to develop growth plans and related strategies in areas such as talent attraction, raising follow-on investment, product development and quantification of product benefits/market value propositions, commercialization of intellectual property, and market diversification.
The i.d.e.a. Fund will drive sustainable and circular economy growth by accepting high-potential businesses that commit to developing new green products, services, processes, and technologies and/or redesigning existing products, services, processes, and technologies to reduce their environmental impacts.
Applications for Cohort 3 are closed. Please sign up for our newsletter here to be notified when recruitment for the next cohort begins.
