About Alacrity Ottawa
An initiative of Wesley Clover International, the global Alacrity program helps start and scale new technology companies around the world. Working with like-minded partners, the model is tailored to each location and brings together a unique combination of education, mentoring, business relationship building and customer opportunities that increase competitiveness and success rates.
Alacrity Ottawa has been formed in partnership with the University of Ottawa and offers graduate students from engineering disciplines a further Master’s-level, entrepreneur-focused program that marries campus education with on-the-job experience and focused ‘Technology Incubator” mentoring.
The mentoring services will be managed by Wesley Clover affiliate L-SPARK, the Ottawa-based Incubator/Accelerator that to date has helped more than 75 tech start-ups build the foundation and metrics to raise capital, grow revenues and reach global markets and partners, raising more than $97M in funding in the process. Alacrity Ottawa participants who complete the program successfully will be eligible to take the next steps in their own entrepreneurial journey by seeking investment partners to fund their new company.
Program
A fundamental component of Alacrity Ottawa is the Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Engineering Design (MEED), a custom, two-year program provided by the uOttawa Faculty of Engineering at their main campus. The program delivers academic instruction as well as practical business training and experience in the development of new business ideas and the creation of new companies. As students progress, they will spend time at the uOttawa Kanata North campus, in what is now the largest technology park in Canada, and then intern with technology companies based there.
In the next phase of the program, students will form teams to tackle identified industry challenges and receive business-building mentorship from L-SPARK. Industry focus will be centered around local expertise in 5G+ networking, for applications including Healthcare, Cybersecurity, A.I., autonomous transportation and more. Initial projects will target MedTech opportunities, and these will be expanded over time. Those teams producing viable and potentially scalable solutions will then be presented to appropriate investors. If a match is made, the team(s) will secure funding to form a new company and start their journey as a new technology start-up. Ongoing engagement with corporate partners will enhance the industry challenges, funding opportunities and support provided to this latest addition to the Alacrity ecosystem.
Team
Alacrity Ottawa is operated by a team of highly skilled educators, mentors and support workers. The experienced management team is shown here.
Elza has more than 25 years of leadership and consulting experience across the private, public and not-for-profit business sectors. From her roots at Nortel, where her team was recognized with awards for innovation and impact, to her own consulting business, Elza is known for her ability to synthesize complex issues and diverse perspectives to produce results. …
Leo is a veteran of both the corporate and entrepreneurial sides of the telecom industry. As CEO and co-founder of Skypoint Capital, a venture capital firm that specializes in telecom, he served as principal for each successive telecom fund within the firm. …
Michael Turner provides strategic analysis, government relations management and support to Wesley Clover, the Alacrity Global technology incubator program and WCS Global international sales programs. Previously, Michael was a senior executive with the Canadian Government, leading the Information Technologies and Telecommunications operations of the federal common services agency, Public Works and Government Services. …
Hanan is the Acting Director of uOttawa’s new School of Engineering Design and Teaching Innovation in the Faculty of Engineering. She holds the NSERC Chair in Entrepreneurial Engineering Design and is also a professor …
Address
390 March Road, Suite 110
Kanata ON Canada
K2K 0G7