Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas is a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and scale their businesses. We help entrepreneurs reach their business goals so that our local community, job market, and economy continue to grow.

We support startup business success by providing dynamic programming, mentorship, workshops, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs through 3 core programs:

STARTUP INCUBATOR
Full-Service Startup Incubator Program

STARTup Visa Program Canada
Immigrant Entrepreneurship Program

FastStart
Student Entrepreneurship Program

We help startups bring their products and services to market and to become long-term members of the Peterborough and Kawarthas’ business community.

There are many reasons why Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas stands apart from other startup incubators, but the most significant one is that we prioritize quality of mentorship over quantity of clients.

We are passionate about ensuring all entrepreneurs receive meaningful 1-on-1 mentorship that makes a difference in their startup’s future. We ensure every client meets with their designated startup mentor regularly, and our mentors make themselves available for additional support should a client need
unexpected guidance navigating a new challenge or roadblock.

In short, we develop genuine connections with every client, serving them with the utmost commitment, integrity, and trust.

At the Innovation Cluster, we drive technology-based, innovation-focused, and entrepreneur-led economic growth and job creation by fostering and supporting new company formation and growth.

We deliver on that commitment by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our clients, investors, and ecosystem partners. We use our portfolio of innovative services to differentiate our content and programming and are dedicated to every client’s success.

Propelling growth, innovation and entrepreneurship across Peterborough and the Kawartha region.

The Innovation Cluster’s values are interconnected spanning across 4 main pillars: Relationship and Collaboration; Support and Facilitation; Creativity and Flexibility; and Talent and Convergence.

Relationship and Collaboration
Collaborating with our broader community to create a stronger innovation ecosystem.

What we do can’t be done alone. We function as part of a broader community that includes the business, academic, and investment communities; entrepreneurs and researchers; students and mentors; service networks and municipalities. We take on each initiative in a collaborative approach – working as a team, engaging our partners, and facilitating connections to launch client projects – we accomplish more together. We understand the power of contributing strengths and perspectives in facilitating meaningful and long lasting working relationships. We recognize that establishing a strong innovation ecosystem is based on the assets of community collaboration.

Support and Facilitation
Supporting and facilitating the business success of innovators.

We are here for our clients. The exciting part of what we do comes from the “out of the box” thinkers in our community. Understanding the needs and challenges that our regional innovators are facing, helps us facilitate what they need to be successful. We help them take their ideas and connect them with the mentors, partners, investors, and business building blocks needed to bring it to market.

Creativity and Flexibility
Approaching each initiative with creativity and flexibility to support our ever-evolving world and technologies.

We are ready for the new. The world in which we work is always changing – whether it is a new technology or technical problem to be solved, or evolving trends in the world of innovation – with each new project comes a new set of challenges. We approach each initiative with creativity and resourcefulness, and understand that we need to be flexible and adapt to a new idea or environment in order to be successful.

Talent Convergence
Leveraging diverse talents from within the Innovation Cluster and our greater community to fuel client success.

We thrive on the talented people that surround us. From within our team, to the knowledge and experience of the business community, to the fresh perspectives of students – understanding how to best connect the talent drives new ideas. Connecting the scientific minds with the entrepreneurial spirits and bridging the expertise with youthful energy creates a dynamic environment that inspires novel ideas.