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January Wrap-up: Kicking Off the New Year with Big Wins

The new year is here, but there's no time to rest. 2023 kicked off with a quantum announcement, major local tech news and impressive wins for UWaterloo.

January gives us the chance to start fresh, set out new goals and ease into a busy year ahead.

For Waterloo, there was no time to rest. We hit the ground running with a massive quantum announcement, some major local tech news and a couple of impressive wins for the University of Waterloo. What a way to kick off 2023.

Here are the top stories from January.

$360M quantum strategy announced in Waterloo

What happens when Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry comes to town? He announces a national, multimillion-dollar investment in quantum research, talent and commercialization. With this announcement, Waterloo upholds its title as a world leader in quantum.

Waterloo is one of Canada’s fastest growing communities

Statistics Canada released its latest annual estimates for population growth and Waterloo turned up in the top three, beating out bigger cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. So why are people and businesses flocking to Waterloo? We took some educated guesses in this recent article.

University of Waterloo is Canada’s top research university for 15 straight years

The University of Waterloo has been named Canada’s most comprehensive research university for the 15th year in a row. Building strong international connections and finding sustainable solutions to global issues are just two of the reasons they continue to earn this accolade.

Magnet Forensics $1.8B acquisition “benefits the entire tech sector”

January 2023 will go down in the books for Waterloo-based Magnet Forensics, which was acquired by private equity company, Thoma Bravo for $1.8B. “The record-breaking sale […] reinforces the region’s growing reputation as a world-class centre for cybersecurity expertise,” says Randall Howard, a veteran technology entrepreneur and investor.

University of Waterloo takes on America’s best automation schools

In our latest ‘5 Charts’ comparison, we matched the University of Waterloo up against some of the best US robotics and automation schools by examining their Electrical and Electronic Engineering rankings. Find out how the battle unfolded.

Vidyard brings on veteran tech executive as COO

Kitchener-based Vidyard has its sights set on unicorn status (or a $1B valuation) so they brought in a top tech executive with global scaling experience to help them get there. In January, former LinkedIn VP and Country Manager at Google Canada, Jonathan Lister joined Vidyard as COO.

Is 2023 ‘your year’ to expand your business in Waterloo?

2023 promises to be another big year for business in Waterloo – across tech, manufacturing, automotive and other industries. Want to grow with us? Here are six reasons to consider expanding your business in Waterloo this year.

Autotech leaders driving innovation in Waterloo

The automotive industry is gaining speed – with the EV boom and revolutionary advances in robotics and automation. We took the opportunity to highlight ten of the key players and industry leaders that are driving innovation in Waterloo.

DarwinAI raises US$6M

Just before the new year, Waterloo-based DarwinAI raised $6M USD to improve its AI-powered visual inspection system for the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The funding, which brings their total capital raised to $15.5M, will enable the company to increase its workforce from 30 people to 45-60 over the coming year.

Learn more about Waterloo’s thriving business ecosystem

Speak with one of our Market Development Managers