Oct 14, 2021

V13 Policetech Accelerator Entrepreneurs now have Access to Startup with IBM

Northumberland CFDC is pleased to announce that participating police technology ventures will now have access to a suite of benefits from IBM, including cloud credits across more than 170 IBM products and services, as well as direct technology assistance, marketplace access, cloud support and other powerful developer resources. Cloud credits alone are worth up to CAD $150,000.

The first of its kind in North America, the Policetech Accelerator at Venture13 provides competitively selected startups with investment and entrepreneurial development along with access to collaborative innovation opportunities with the Cobourg Police Service, including frontline demonstration projects carried out in a defined small town pilot-scale environment.

Since inception in 2019, the initiative has engaged with and supported over 30 startups and scaleups, the commercialization of 5 new technology products (evolved from early-stage prototypes) and has attracted over $1.2 million in follow-on investment and leveraged funding.

“The IBM partnership is another great example of the work emanating from Venture13 and the collaborative opportunities we’ve been able to develop here,” said Joe Miller, Business Development Officer. “Northumberland CFDC and the Cobourg Police Service are quite happy to now be able to offer the Startup with IBM program to all of the entrepreneurs we work with, present and future, and we would like to thank IBM on behalf of all involved in this innovative joint venture.”

“When we started the Policetech Accelerator in partnership with Northumberland CFDC, it was a shared vision to bring innovation to Cobourg by providing entrepreneurs with the right space and tools to cultivate solution-driven ideas.” said Chief Paul VandeGraaf, Cobourg Police Service. “Access to the IBM products provides an amazing opportunity for ventures to increase their capacity for progressive, forward-thinking approaches to address the current issues we face.”

Quick Facts
• The V13 Policetech Accelerator offers various interactive and collaborative mechanisms for academia, start-ups and SMEs through its three program Streams: Pilot Program Stream, Start-Up Stream, Scale-Up Stream.
• The Cobourg Police Service, one of the most innovative police services in Canada, has participated in 9 pilots in the last year leading to 5 new technologies currently in the marketplace.

Contact
Joe Miller, Business Development Officer
NCFDC/Venture13 Policetech Accelerator
jmiller@ncfdc.ca