Since 2010, Innovation Guelph has been fostering prosperity for the community’s well-being. They offer mentorship and business assistance programs and services to assist innovative businesses in starting, growing, and thriving.
They adopt a flexible approach to assisting entrepreneurs and businesses, matching their clients’ changing demands.
Connecting To Support
Innovation Guelph is a one-stop destination for a provincial network of regional innovation centers and business support services. As a result, the region now has an innovative ecosystem that drives economic growth, promotes environmental sustainability, and improves the quality of life for all residents.
Their business acceleration programs aim at high-potential startups and small to medium-sized organizations eager to scale across southern Ontario.
Unique Program
Guelph Innovation offers unique programs and initiatives to assist businesses of all sizes and stages.
The Innovation Guelph (IG) Startup Program is intended for entrepreneurs and startups wanting to accelerate their business to revenue and investment.
The i.d.e.a. Fund is a program that promotes inclusion, diversity, the environment, and acceleration while contributing to a green recovery. It is delivered in collaboration with the Ontario Regional Innovation Centres (RICs), which include Innovation Guelph, Haltech, Innovate Niagara, WEtech Alliance, Innovation Factory, and TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario. They work together to promote a more sustainable economy and an inclusive and equitable recovery in southern Ontario.
This program will provide specialized industry expertise to develop growth plans and related strategies in areas such as talent attraction, follow-on investment raising, product development and quantification of product benefits/market value propositions, intellectual property commercialization, and market diversification. In addition, each RIC will grant up to $30,000 in matching seed cash to selected innovative startups from various industries.
The Rhyze Up! national accelerator focuses on the unique features of women-founded or co-founded businesses. The program is centered on their previous successful Rhyze women’s programs and has been designed to assist you in determining an effective path to scaling up.
The Circular Food Economy Innovation Hub (CFE iHub) connects you to business support groups and circular businesses in southern Ontario’s food and environmental sectors.
Guelph Innovation is proud to be where businesses and the community can congregate, collaborate, and cross-pollinate. Their mentorship, business support services, programming, and events have aided over 1,200 firms.
The Expert Advice
Alison Crumblehulme was appointed the CEO of Innovation Guelph in January 2022.
She has over 20 years of experience working with startups and as an innovation and business ecosystem leader. Furthermore, Alison has extensive leadership and executive expertise in all aspects of business development, such as strategic planning, finance, operations, and human resources.
She is also the CEO of Mirexus Biotechnologies and the founder and CEO of Veriphy Skincare. Alison is an Executive MBA graduate from Queen’s University.
Since 2019, Innovation Guelph has focused on supporting circular businesses and have played a pivotal role in helping Guelph-Wellington’s circular food economy grow and thrive.
Through their research and programming in the circular economy space, they have built an extensive network of leading regional and international experts through their research and programming in the circular economy space. In addition, they introduce you to ideas and people who can help you grow your business to the next level, regardless of where you are on your circular trip.
Innovation Guelph was the recipient of the University of Guelph Gordon S. Lang HeForShe Impact Award for their continued commitment to gender equity and our Rhyze™ programming for women entrepreneurs, including Rhyze UP! and Rhyze Ventures.
They were also honored with the National Enterprise Support of the Year Award and the Ontario Enterprise Support CANIE award from the Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation for advancing Canadian entrepreneurship through leadership and impact.
Innovation Guelph offers award-winning business acceleration programs that foster Innovation in Guelph and are designed for high-potential startups throughout Ontario and beyond. For more information, visit their website at http://innovationguelph.ca/.
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