Wat up? WatITis

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Wat up? WatITis
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• I am a believer in momentum.
• Lance Armstrong (1971 -) Seven-time Tour
  de France champion Cancer survivor

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Tech matters

• Revenues 130 billion
• Employment 565,900
• GDP (2004) 57.0 billion
• Share of GDP 5.4
• RD (2004 Intentions) 5.0 billion
• Share of private sector RD 40

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Why matter? The world is FlatEvening light
emissions are spreading
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But the spread of Global Innovation Relevance is
not Flattening
Scientific citations are very concentrated
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But has so much more potential
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Success is

• Capturing disruptive IP and productizing it
• Creating new ventures start and grow companies
• Supporting RD, Entrepreneurs, risk-taking
  behavior

• Results
• Demand-based, outward-focused innovation
• Increased Speed
• Improved Scope
• Scalability
• Multi-dimensional innovation

New Approach


Resources/Networks
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Some of the best and brightest
COM DEV Space Components
Open Text Document Management
Unitron Hearing Aids
DALSA Cameras
RIM BlackBerryTM
Christie Digital Projectors
the world has ever known
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• Waterloo Region is chockablock with tech. It
  crawls with many successful and serial
  entrepreneurs. What makes Waterloo Region tick,
  and what can the rest of us learn from it?
• Leaders should look under the skin at Waterloo
  Region, a case study for the world of tomorrow.
• David Ticoll, The Globe and Mail

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Welcome to our tech neighbourhood
More than 400 tech firms
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So what do we know?

• Our tech companies are independent,
  entrepreneurial and home-grown

Serial entrepreneurs
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So what do we know?

• Its all about growth

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Were growing more tech firms
Growth of tech firms 2004-2007
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Diversity across Waterloo Region
62 ICT 14 RD 13 Advanced Mfg 11 Life Sciences
38 Waterloo 22 Kitchener 21 Cambridge 19
Guelph
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Waterloo Region tech bytes

• ½ million people
• 274,000 labour force
• Diverse, quality-oriented
• Manufacturing, tech, financial,
• advanced manufacturing,
• commercial services
• Strong cultural and historic roots
• 12 billion revenue tech sector

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Well, were making magic
Tech Directory
Incredible invested venture ratio a red hot
acquisition market
In-depth Tech Cluster study
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Were making headlines
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• This is an increasingly fascinating region Ill
  just say this watch it grow
• Paul Wells, Macleans magazine

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What does Communitech do?
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Communitech is

• the strategic rallying point for the Waterloo
  Region tech sector.
• Lead on critical issues
• Connect people, ideas and resources
• Promote opportunities

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What we do

• Vision
• Communitech is an industry led organization
  dedicated to developing the Waterloo Region into
  a Tier-One tech cluster in North America
• Mission
• We help tech companies start, grow and succeed

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Enterprise level focus

• Start-ups Entrepreneurial programming
• Small to medium Commercialization
• Medium to large Exporting focus/Public Policy
• All Talent recruitment
• Workforce development
• Advocacy promotion Enterprise

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What we do

• Workforce development programs
• Industry education programs
• Entrepreneurial venture support programs
• Special events
• Communication programs
• Public policy advocacy
• Forge vital partnerships

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A life cycle of workforce development
College/ University Students
Start-up/ Commercialization/ Entrepreneur
Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Secondary Students
Medium Firms
Large Firms
Intensification of workforce development demand
High needs, Specific key roles, No dedicated HR
Coop placements, Recent Grads
Career Exploration In STEM
Rapid growth, diverse positions
Key executives
Internal Retention, Churn
Communitech Initiatives
Coop Campus Career Fairs
TechVibe, Boomerang cooperative recruiting
events, Waterlootechjobs.com, Relocation
Guide Referral Programs (Spousal,
Displacement) 3rd Party Recruiters (Workopolis,
Monster) Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment
Network
Recruiting, Retention Curricula for
HR Professionals HR Net Target
Alumni, Canadian Expats, Immigrants Advocacy
BEP Programs
Alumni/ Career Services Liaison
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Canada Day in Silicon Valley Recruit! Recruit!
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Attracting and retaining the best and brightest
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Business and Education Partnership of Waterloo
Region
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Monthly events

• Titan Corporate Partner Speaker Series
• - TechWorking Breakfasts
• Best Practice workshops Chasm Group, Pragmatic
  Marketing, Gazelles Inc, TopGrading

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Peer2Peer groups

• CEO, IT, Finance, Marketing, Sales, etc, etc.
• Over 25 on a monthly basis

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Special events

• Tech Leadership Conference
• Entrepreneur Week
• CEO Dinner
• Golf Tournament
• Communitech Connect New and Renewing Members
• Business Education Partnership events
• Annual General Meeting

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Entrepreneur and Venture Services

• Business Advisory Services
• Investment Readiness
• WatStart -- www.watstart.com
• ViaTech BarCamps
• Executives in Residence
• Carol Leaman
• Ron Neumann

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Communications and promotion

• Eblast weekly communications to 4000
• Communitech.ca
• Annual Listening Survey focus groups
• The Record monthly advertising campaign
• Tech from the Top the 570News Communitech
  Minute
• Media releases, news articles, editorials
• Publications
• Communitech Wall of Heroes

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Public policy advocacy

• Commercialization funding
• Homeland security US policy
• Open doors for technology companies
  looking/needing to access government programs
• Employer Health Tax
• Property Tax
• Employment Standards Act

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Vital partnerships
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Vital partnerships
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ROI of Communitech Membership
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Our Members tell us
What is the top Communitech Membership benefit?
Networking is, far and away, the top Communitech
Member benefit
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Our Members tell us
Rating Communitechs overall performance in
2005/2006
89 believe Communitech does a great job 50
said Communitechs performance has continually
improved
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Our Members tell us
How likely would you recommend Communitech
Membership to other business?
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Things you can do right now

• RSVP for upcoming Communitech events you wont
  want to miss at communitech.ca
• Get a free breakfast on December 12th -- and
  every month
• Signup for the Tech Conference on May 1st.
• Post a job on waterlootechjobs.com and peruse job
  candidate profiles
• Sign up for Peer2Peer groups more than 25
  professional groups to choose from
• Come out the CIO Conference for IS/IT teams on
  February 27th
• Tell your friends about getting involved with
  Communitech
• Call us! If there is anything we can do to help!

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• Waterloo Region is a powerful magnet for the
  worlds finest technical and entrepreneurial
  talent.
• Our best days -- are still ahead of us.
• Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO and Founder,
• Research In Motion (RIM)

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Thanks!

• Communitech Waterloo Region Technology
  Association
• Iain Klugman
• 519-888-9944 tel
• www.communitech.ca