Ottawa, ON – January 31, 2023:  Set in the heart of Canada’s Capital, Ottawa’s innovation, tech and business ecosystem today celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries; the six-year anniversary of Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s one-stop business acceleration shop and innovation hub; and the collective outcomes and impact achieved together as a collaborative community and global tech hub.   

From 2013 to 2022 (inclusive), Invest Ottawa has been privileged to collaborate with our ecosystem, and: 

• Support almost 14,000 companies 
• Help to facilitate more than 14,700 jobs 
• Help domestic companies raise $1.86 Billion in capital 

• Attract $1.47 Billion in domestic and foreign direct investment to Ottawa 
• Establish Area X.O, the R&D complex for next-gen smart mobility, autonomy and connectivity technologies valued at $50 million (and counting), together with public and private partners 
• Enable companies to benefit from almost $30 million in market intelligence and research 
• Provide more than 75,730 hours of advisory services to founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and companies 
• Facilitate training for almost 60,000 participants through our Education Centre 

 

To extend sincere appreciation to all founders, business owners, companies, investors, champions, sponsors and partners, Invest Ottawa hosted a special hybrid anniversary celebration with stakeholders at Bayview Yards and online. This included a live-streamed mainstage program featuring: 

• The announcement of almost $5.4 million in new funding for Area X.O, the R&D complex for next-gen smart mobility, autonomy and connectivity founded and operated by Invest Ottawa by the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario;  
• The unveiling of two stunning new murals in the RBC Foundry in the heart of Bayview Yards with Justin Schurman, Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services at Royal Bank of Canada, and Premier Sponsor of Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards; Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa; and Akseniia Karpachova, Artist, New Ukrainian Immigrant to Ottawa; and winner of the mural competition hosted by RBC and Invest Ottawa last fall; and  

• Three Invest Ottawa video presentations that celebrate Our Clients, Community and Impact; Area X.O; and the Evolution of Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards  

 

Invest Ottawa was honoured to welcome hundreds of participants in-person and online, including the following speakers: 

• Chandra Arya, MP for Nepean; 
• Jenna Sudds, MP for Kanata-Carleton and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth; 

• Yasir Naqvi, MP, Ottawa Centre, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness; 
• His Worship Mark Sutcliffe, Mayor of Ottawa; 
• Michael Tremblay, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O;  
• The Honourable Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Minister, Government of Ontario; 
• The Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Government of Ontario; 

• Jeff Westeinde, Entrepreneur, Investor, Inaugural Chair of Invest Ottawa; Inaugural Vice Chair of Bayview Yards; and  
• Steve West, Tech Executive, Investor and Inaugural Chair of Bayview Yards 

 

This anniversary celebration also enabled stakeholders to experience the capabilities, technologies and expertise offered by Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O, and meet founders and companies that are putting them to work to accelerate their business growth and success. It featured tours of Bayview Yards and demonstrations from Ottawa entrepreneurs, startups, scaleups and soft-landed companies that collaborate with Invest Ottawa through Area X.O, the Prototyping Lab, the IO Accelerator and Global Runway.  

“Looking back on the last six years, I am humbled as a leader by the outcomes and impact we have achieved together as a committed and collaborative community. I am incredibly grateful to, and for, all past and present clients, employees, Directors, investors, sponsors, mentors, partners and community members. This includes the City of Ottawa, the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada,” said Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O. 

“I experience the power of our collaboration every day. It is strengthening our community, creating new jobs and growing our economy. It builds on the visionary establishment of Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards; the execution of our recent five-year strategic plan; and our collective action to help fulfil Ottawa’s potential as an innovative, future-ready, and inclusive business community and global tech hub. I want to thank everyone who contributes to this impact year after year. I am very proud of everything we have done together. I look forward to achieving even greater collaborative impact on our community and economy in the future.  Thank you all.”  

 

Featured Quotes 

“Congratulations Invest Ottawa on 10 years in Ottawa and six years with Bayview Yards! With today’s investment in Area X.O, we will continue working together to boost the production of made-in-Canada products and solutions while increasing the meaningful participation of underrepresented Canadians.”   

The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Agency for Southern Ontario 

 

“Congratulations Invest Ottawa on 10 years in the Ottawa region. As Area X.O continues to set roots in Nepean, today’s Government of Canada investment will support this growth while boosting the local economy and providing valuable opportunities for local entrepreneurs, including underrepresented Canadians. We look forward to seeing what the next 10 years has in store for you!”  

Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament for Nepean 

 

“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Invest Ottawa on their 10-year anniversary, including six years with Bayview Yards. The Government of Canada continues to support Ottawa-area businesses and entrepreneurs through Invest Ottawa and today’s announcement for Area X.O will boost growth in important emergency sectors while strengthening our regional economy and increasing the participation of underrepresented Canadians.” 

Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre 

 

“Today’s investment in Area X.O will boost the meaningful participation of underrepresented Canadians, support our emergency sectors with the vital job of protecting Canadians, and will provide our local innovators with tools and resources they need to thrive.” 

Jenna Sudds, Member of Parliament for Kanata–Carleton 

 

“Over the last ten years, Invest Ottawa has significantly impacted entrepreneurs, founders, business owners and companies across our region. Including helping firms launch, grow and scale; attracting talent, companies, and investment to our region; and driving the commercialization of new solutions. I was honoured to serve as an inaugural Director of the Board in 2012 and experience Invest Ottawa’s evolution over the last decade. I look forward to continued collaboration to drive innovation and job creation for years to come.”  

His Worship Mark Sutcliffe, Mayor of Ottawa 

 

“I want to extend sincere congratulations to the many professionals at Invest Ottawa on behalf of the Ontario Government. As you celebrate this milestone, thank you for the tremendous impact Invest Ottawa has had on our local business community and economy. This includes your work in attracting venture capital, foreign direct investment and talent to help build and grow companies here in Ottawa. You are driving entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth in our region and province. I wish you many more successes together with out business community.” 

The Honourable Merrilee Fullerton, MPP for Kanata—Carleton; Minister of Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services 

 

“If we do not have people from all walks of life building our community, we will never build a community for everyone. Invest Ottawa is not just committed to the external problems they’re trying to solve. They are looking at themselves as an organization to make sure that the values they strive to foster in Ottawa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem are reflected in their own organization. It is the commitment to this hard work and journey that keeps me here. An organization that is willing to be vulnerable and have uncomfortable conversations to move forward with intention and integrity. This is what will have an impact over time.” 

Shav Hasfal-McIntosh, Director of DE&I, Wealthsimple; Director of the Board and Chair of the Women Founders and Owners Sub-Committee, Invest Ottawa 

 

“Over the last decade, Invest Ottawa has supported and collaborated with thousands of entrepreneurs, startups, scaleups, and SMEs, including many that were incubated at Bayview Yards. These founders have collectively created thousands of jobs in our region. I’m on the board or an investor in at least four accelerator companies, so I know first-hand that Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards are critical ingredients to this economic growth and success.” 

Jeff Westeinde, Entrepreneur, Investor, Inaugural Chair of Invest Ottawa, and Inaugural Vice-Chair of Bayview Yards 

 

“Bayview Yards is all about people. It’s the collaborative impact of many passionate, committed people that helped translate our vision for Ottawa’s first innovation hub into a reality. And it is people who are collaborating every day within and through Bayview Yards that are achieving impact on our economy and community. As I visit Bayview Yards today, I am incredibly proud that what once was a municipal garage has become a place where any business can come and get the support they need to grow and thrive.” 

Steve West, Tech Executive, Investor and Inaugural Chair of the Board, Bayview Yards 

 

Founder Quotes Highlighting Critical New Investment in Area X.O Announced by the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister Responsible for FedDev Ontario 

“As a scaling tech company, the ability to further develop, test, validate and demonstrate our technology to prospective customers, partners, and investors at Area X.O is invaluable. This R&D complex enables us to collaborate consistently with researchers, regulators, and industry leaders, and access technology infrastructure that doesn’t exist anywhere else. We can test and evaluate the performance of our technology in true four-season Ottawa weather as we move from lab to market.  This provides us with critical user feedback that supports the evolution of our product and accelerates our time to market.” 

    Fahed Hassanat, Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Engineering, Sensor Cortek  

“Kirality provides fast, safe and reliable drone logistics platform to transport a variety of goods, including first aid, in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way. Area X.O has a lot to offer new graduates such as myself and my Co-Founder, Mo. It has provided us with the infrastructure and expertise required to test and validate our capabilities and solutions. In addition, it gives us great opportunities to demonstrate our technology for prospective clients and investors.”  

Zainab Badawi, Co-Founder, Kirality Drones 

 

For additional quotes from founders, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, past and present Directors of the Board and partners, please reference the following three videos: 

• Our Clients, Community and Impact 
• Area X.O; and  
• The Evolution of Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards 

 

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 manager of Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s innovation hub and one-stop business acceleration shop; and founder and operator of Area X.O, the R&D complex for next-gen smart mobility, autonomy and connectivity technologies. Since 2013, Invest Ottawa has supported almost 14,000; contributed to the creation of more than 14,700 jobs; helped domestic companies raise $1.86 billion in capital; and attracted $1.47 billion in domestic and foreign direct investment to Ottawa. Explore Invest Ottawa’s 2022 Economic Impact Report for additional details, or visit www.investottawa.ca  

 

About Bayview Yards 

Bayview Yards is Ottawa’s one-stop business acceleration shop and the first entrepreneurial hub of its kind in Canada’s National Capital Region, operated by Invest Ottawa. An epicentre for job creation, Bayview Yards serves as a base camp for some of Ottawa’s greatest homegrown technology talent, capabilities and companies. It is the ultimate mash-up of technological, business and market capabilities that help entrepreneurs and firms to launch, grow and thrive. Leveraging $38 million from the City of Ottawa, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, and more than $1.3 million from founding sponsors, Bayview Yards brings together many organizations that provide services and support to entrepreneurs and firms.  

 

This includes Invest Ottawa which delivers its economic development programs and works with fellow academic, public, and private sector partners at this innovation hub. 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 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.bayviewyards.org  

 

Media Contact  

Sonya Shorey  

Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Communications  

Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O  

613.851.9416 [email protected]