Waterloo’s Aerospace Accelerator: Igniting Innovation in the Skies

Waterloo’s tech dominance is well established, but the region’s thriving aerospace cluster often flies under the radar. In addition to being Ontario’s 4^th largest aerospace cluster, Waterloo’s aerospace arsenal has the following gems that you may not know:

• Region of Waterloo International Airport, a full-service international airport
• Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre, one of Canada’s largest professional flight training schools
• Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), a leading hub for sustainable aviation and aeronautics research
• 85+ tech-driven aerospace companies specializing in material design, software, sensor tech and more

The recent collaboration between the Region of Waterloo, Accelerator Centre (AC) – one of the world’s top-5 private business accelerators – and NAVBLUE, a subsidiary of Airbus, brings together 10 high-potential aerospace startups as part of the inaugural Aerospace Accelerator. The program is yet another example of Waterloo’s strategic focus and commitment to elevating our often-overlooked aerospace strengths.

We spoke with Ruth Casselman, Interim CEO of AC, Tabatha Laverty, VP Marketing and External Relations at AC and Erin Appleby, Managing Director at NAVBLUE to learn how this accelerator helps position Waterloo as a global hotspot for aviation and aerospace innovation.

Here’s what they said.

A sweet spot for aerospace innovation

With a legacy of tech innovations, Waterloo’s aerospace ecosystem is built on extraordinary talent and incredible research capabilities. The availability of Aviation Business Park’s fully serviced 1,000 acres of land signals bigger opportunities and room for growth.

This accelerator program provides a sweet spot for aerospace innovation by combining Waterloo’s commitment to grow the cluster and leveraging the tech and innovation expertise of our region.

“Mixing the Region of Waterloo International Airport with the tech and innovation expertise of our region makes a lot of sense. We have organizations like WISA with an amazing group of aerospace and aeronautics professionals,” Casselman shared.

“With expertise available through AC and collaborators like Region of Waterloo and NAVBLUE, this accelerator seems like the perfect way to elevate Waterloo’s capabilities in aerospace.”

Creating synergies through collaboration

The high-intensity nine-month program that’s currently underway includes nine startups from across Canada and one from France.

The participants get support through the global network of experts at NAVBLUE, the Flight Ops Services Company of Airbus, one-on-one mentorship through AC experts and testing facilities for cutting-edge tech at the Region of Waterloo International Airport.

The collaborative efforts of the industry experts will foster synergies that give the participants exposure and guidance to build viable industry solutions. “We’re finding the opportunities for creating synergies by doing workshops with multiple founders,” shared Appleby. “Being part of Airbus is the driving force that connects NAVBLUE, a seemingly small company, with big players in the aeronautical sector. We want this driver to be also the boost that participants need to gain visibility and access to new opportunities, always with NAVBLUE as a mentor.”

Positioning Waterloo as an aviation hub

The accelerator not only nurtures cutting edge aerospace technologies, but also elevates Waterloo’s reputation as a hub for sustainable aviation and advanced aeronautical solutions.

“There’s a lot of aviation companies in the region, but we’re not known as an aviation home,” commented Appleby. “This accelerator allowed us to promote the importance of this sector to the region. It helped solidify that there’s a strategy to build the sector here in the region.”

The Demo Day that culminates the program in November 2024 will serve as a fantastic opportunity to bring together the aviation community to celebrate the progress of participants.

Not only will it connect startups with investors to secure funding, but also bring Waterloo’s aerospace sector into the spotlight. “We’re hoping to make it a global event and to have folks from aviation come into the region to talk about how awesome this community is,” said Laverty.

Finding new trajectories

As the focus of the aeronautical industry continues to shift towards innovative and more sustainable solutions, this accelerator serves as a catalyst to chart new trajectories. Waterloo is the perfect place for the future of aerospace growth because we have the tech talent pool and the deep-rooted passion for innovation.

“There’s a lot of tech in aeronautics. It’s not all about equipment,” Appleby explained. “We’ll be acknowledged as a tech player, and we’ll leverage the tech competencies that Waterloo is known for.”