Area X.O Operated by Invest Ottawa Becomes a Strategic Partner of Hub350

Posted in Press Releases
Oct 21, 2021

The new partnership builds on a long history of collaboration between Invest Ottawa and Kanata North Business Association

Ottawa, Ontario –October 21, 2021: The Kanata North Business Association (KNBA) and Hub350 today announced a strategic partnership with Invest Ottawa and Area X.O. This collaboration builds on the long-standing co-operation between the two organizations that has benefited local companies and the Ottawa economy for years.

 

Hub350 will officially open this month, creating a physical gateway for Canada’s largest technology park at 350 Legget Drive, and fostering a collaborative environment where corporate innovation partners, academia, investors, and talent from across the country and around the world can connect to Kanata North’s 540+ companies.

 

“We are delighted to welcome Invest Ottawa and Area X.O into the broader group of Hub350 strategic partners,” said Jamie Petten, President and Executive Director of the Kanata North Business Association. “Given our strong history working with Invest Ottawa, and the incredible job they do supporting local businesses and fueling economic growth in the city, we couldn’t imagine Hub350 without them.”

 

Invest Ottawa is the lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in the Capital, facilitating economic growth and job creation in Ottawa.  In support of this mandate, Invest Ottawa established and operates Area X.O, a state-of-the-art R&D complex that enables and accelerates the safe and secure development, testing, and application of next-generation smart mobility, autonomy and connected technologies. These applications span intelligent transportation; telecom; smart agriculture; defence, security, and public safety; unmanned aerial vehicles; and smart cities.

 

Area X.O’s Public Innovation Facility and Test Track is anchored in the heart of Kanata North Tech Park, with supporting collaboration space at Hub350. Featuring 9 kilometres of public roads for smart mobility testing, 5G and a wealth of connected, live city infrastructure, this Area X.O track enables the implementation of smart mobility and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies in a real-world environment.

 

Ottawa’s technology sector will be a driving force in the region’s economic recovery. This strategic partnership will allow Invest Ottawa and KNBA to work together to build on regional strengths, address key challenges, and seize new economic opportunity for the city.

 

“We have established a bold vision: help realize Ottawa’s full potential as a globally recognized, innovative and future-ready city, and the best place to learn, work, live, and play,” said Sonya Shorey, Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Communications, Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O.

 

“Kanata North Tech Park has helped put our city on the map as the largest of its kind in Canada. This further reinforces Ottawa as a leading global tech hub with the highest concentration of tech talent in North America. It is an ideal home for our Area X.O Public Track.

We are excited to further accelerate the growth of innovative tech firms, our talent pool and smart mobility cluster and achieve even greater impact together.”

 

“This is exciting news for Ottawa. Both the Kanata North Business Association and Invest Ottawa are doing incredible things to attract the top talent and companies, and build local expertise in our city,” said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. “Together there is a multiplier effect that will catalyze growth and success.”

 

“SMATS Traffic Solutions provides traffic data analytics to better monitor and manage traffic congestion,” said Amir Ghods, President and CEO, SMATS Traffic Solutions. “Area X.O has accelerated our development by enabling us to test and validate our technologies at their Private Track. We are now excited to pilot our solution in a real world environment at the smart intersection in Area X.O’s Public Test track. Hub350 will help us to collaborate with Invest Ottawa, the City of Ottawa, and other partners productively in Kanata North Tech Park.”

 

About Kanata North Business Association & Hub350

Kanata North Business Association is a non-profit organization committed to representing and advocating for the best interests of the over 543 member companies located in the area. As a critical part of Ottawa’s economic development future and a renowned hub of technology and innovation, the Kanata North business area is a robust and vital region that can foster even greater success for its constituent companies.

 

Hub350 is a new ecosystem for Industry, Academic and Finance partners to co-exist and collaborate in the heart of Kanata North.

 

For more information visit: www.kanatanorthba.com or www.hub350.com.

 

About Invest Ottawa

Invest Ottawa is the lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in Canada’s Capital, facilitating economic growth and job creation in Ottawa.  Guided by a vision to help realize Ottawa’s full potential as a globally recognized, innovative, inclusive, and future-ready city, Invest Ottawa delivers venture development, global expansion and talent programs and services that catalyze the growth and success of entrepreneurs and firms.  These include small business training, mentorship, acceleration for technology firms, foreign business and investment attraction, local business retention and expansion in targeted sectors, commercialization, and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life.  Invest Ottawa is also the founder and manager of Area X.O, the futureplex of innovation and collaboration. Since 2012, Invest Ottawa has worked with thousands of startups, scale-ups and SMEs; helped firms to attract more than $992 million in capital; contributed to the creation of more than 11,178 jobs; and attracted more than $1 billion in domestic and Foreign Direct Investment.

 

About Area X.O

Area X.O is the futureplex of innovation and collaboration in Canada’s Capital that enables and accelerates the safe and secure development, testing, and application of next-generation technologies.  Combining diverse expertise with Ottawa’s telecom and cybersecurity strengths as a tech hub, this R&D complex helps local, national, and global startups, SMEs, multinationals, and

governments address grand challenges and opportunities. It fuels the creation, commercialization, and adoption of breakthrough innovations in mobility, autonomy and connectivity that benefit our

community, economy and environment. These applications span telecom; smart agriculture; defence, security, and public safety; unmanned aerial vehicles; and smart cities. Established and managed by Invest Ottawa and evolving from the Ottawa L5 Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Test Facility, Area X.O leverages critical support from world-class founding partners. These include: the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Ottawa, Accenture, BlackBerry QNX, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, and Ottawa’s post-secondary institutions.  For additional information, please visit: www.AreaXO.com.

 

For media inquiries please contact:

Jennifer Madigan

Vice President, Media & Communications

Syntax Strategic

[email protected]

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