Waterloo Region is internationally recognized as a hub of innovation. As the third-largest technology cluster in North America, it’s often associated with robotics, automation, and computer science. What’s less well known - but just as vital - is the region’s vibrant innovation ecosystem: a collaborative network where tech companies, incubators, and changemakers work together to amplify their impact on the community and beyond.
The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA) has played a role in a number of these collaborations.
In late June, senior leaders and board members from both Kindred Credit Union and Conrad Grebel University College embarked on an Innovation Ecosystem tour, visiting a range of organizations that are shaping the region’s future. The experience offered a glimpse into how these groups are not only driving progress but doing so through cooperation rooted in the values of mutual aid and community wellbeing.
The tour began at Communitech, a cornerstone of the local tech scene. Known for convening people, opportunities, and resources, Communitech fosters an environment where partnerships can flourish. They support tech leaders through a wide range of programs, connecting them to capital, talent, and markets. Several start-ups from the Grebel Peace Incubator, located within the CPA, have later found their way to Communitech.
Kevin Truer, Chief Technology Officer at Communitech, highlighted the Fierce Founders program which provides women founders with hands-on support, customized content, and access to a network of other women and non-binary founders. He also spoke to the mutual aid ethos – the old-fashioned barn raising - and how that spirit plays out in these collaborative spaces.
Next, the group visited Velocity’s Innovation Arena. Located on the University of Waterloo’s Health Sciences Campus in downtown Kitchener, the Innovation Arena accelerates Waterloo region’s thriving tech sector by connecting entrepreneurs with specialized resources to advance health and innovation across sectors. They foster collaboration, accelerate new ventures, and transform ideas into real-world impact. Often, ventures participate in Velocity and the Grebel Peace Incubator simultaneously as Velocity provides programming across the spectrum of venture development.
John Dick, Senior Director of Founder Development at Velocity, showcased a number of projects including an agricultural tech project that is a striking example of innovation meeting sustainability. Velocity provides the space to support a wide range of initiatives, from chemical and biological discovery to cutting-edge tech development.
The third stop on the tour was GreenHouse, a social impact incubator for students and community members who want to create social or environmental change. Located on the University of Waterloo campus at United College, they deliver the Social Innovators in Training program. GreenHouse also manages a Social Impact Fund, which provides seed funding to advance the creation and launch of student-led programs, products, services, ventures and other social change initiatives. At the end of every term, they host a Social Impact Showcase to celebrate the accomplishments of their students.
Director Tania Del Matto pointed out that GreenHouse is often the first place a student with an interest in social entrepreneurship might turn with their idea. She added that success for students can be measured in a variety of ways such as the number of projects that go on to become successful companies, what students learned in the process, or what skills they carried forward into the workforce. Many student founders in the Grebel Peace Incubator started their entrepreneurial journey at GreenHouse.
The tour concluded at the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, located on the fourth floor of Conrad Grebel University College. The Centre is a unique space where peacebuilding practitioners, researchers, and innovators work side by side. It serves as a bridge, linking campus and community, academics and practice, faith and justice, and theory with action. The Grebel Peace Incubator helps mid-stage social purpose ventures build their team and hone their business model to be sustainable and grow their social impact, contributing to positive peace.
An example of how startups benefit from the interconnected innovation ecosystem is BeBlended, an online platform which connects Black clients to hairstylists specializing in afro-curly hair textures. Founder Aileen Agada began at GreenHouse, joined the Grebel Peace Incubator, and was supported by Velocity. Aileen completed a Masters in Business Entrepreneurship and Technology through the Conrad School and has recently been accepted to the Fierce Founders program at Communitech, where she greeted tour participants.
Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach for entrepreneurs and innovators, the level of collaboration and support amongst the stakeholders is what makes the innovation ecosystem such a unique entity in Waterloo Region. At its heart, the innovation ecosystem is about people. People are the key to the success of these collaborations - as is true of the old-fashioned barn raising – where people worked together, bearing each other’s burdens, and lending a hand to build something greater than any one of us could achieve alone.