Flexible space for early-stage high potential companies.
Our space
Located at the heart of Kitchener’s Innovation District, Velocity offers 36,000 sq.ft of offices, product development, and events spaces designed to support early-stage founders.
Thanks to our connection with the University of Waterloo, we are one of the very few places in Canada with dedicated resources for technical founders.
We can help you quickly and cost-effectively:
- De-risk technology
- Generate IP
- Build prototypes
- Test your products before launch
Space to build a product
Labs
Accelerate your product development
Velocity houses 5,000+ ft2 of flexible development lab space. Our workflows are customized to each product development and founders share resources to maximize productivity.
Our laboratory supports product development space and resources in major areas such as Advanced Materials and Biotechnology and Medical devices for a variety of applications including therapeutics, diagnostics, green energy, genomics, food and agriculture.
Our facility includes:
- Wet chemistry lab equipped to support synthetic chemistry, solvent-based operations including coating and dispersion work, and low-risk biological work;
- BSL-2 lab for higher risk biological development; and
- Lab ‘lite’ space for lower-risk operations that may involve solvents, dusts, or fumes.
Hardware workshop & assembly space
From prototypes to early production
At Velocity, we know that developing products can take many different paths.
Our founders can access:
- Laser cutter
- 3D printers
- Electronic test equipment
- Prototyping shop
We also have a network of cost-efficient service providers (e.g., PCB fab, injection molding) both locally and abroad.
Dozens of past Velocity companies have created critical prototypes, demos, and shipped $1M+ of product from our incubator.
PerkinElmer demonstration lab
Thanks to a co-location agreement with PerkinElmer, a $2.8 billion health care diagnostics, life sciences, and food and environmental testing giant, $2 million worth of equipment is made available for Velocity startups.
Velocity acts as a dynamic environment for PerkinElmer to host their current and prospective customers. While the Velocity community gains access to the innovations and experts of PerkinElmer.
Space to build a company
Office services & amenities
Velocity startups will get access to an office that is designed for collaboration and longer working hours, as well as amenities you’d expect from a modern co-working space.
A sample list of goodies available:
- 16 meeting rooms and secluded enclaves
- High speed Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet internet
- Printing
- Caffeine (coffee, tea) and hydration (filtered water)–in order of importance
Administrative & operational support
Velocity startups receive key administrative and operational support while they incubate their ideas. You’ll have access to:
- Front desk and mailing support services.
- A lab manager who is responsible for operational oversight of the lab space as well as training and guidance on the use of chemical and biological instrumentation.
- A facilities manager who offers training and guidance with workshop, 3D printer and laser cutting tools.
Perks & deals
Velocity startups have access to exclusive business deals and discounts such as AWS credits.
A space to build a community
Join a community of peers
Startups at Velocity are not in direct competition with each other, which fosters a much more collaborative atmosphere. Companies share and learn together through working groups and domain specific meetups.
Connect with peers and recharge at our social events, like as Startups & Snacks and Velocity Founders’ Night, or join our very active Incubator Slack group.
Support from Velocity alumni
The Velocity alumni network comprises hundreds of experienced, seasoned founders who, collectively, have raised over $3.6 billion dollars and generated over 5,000 jobs.
Velocity Alumni are eager to support those who are at the beginning of their startup journey through:
- 1:1 meetings
- Alumni networking events
- Coaching sessions on accelerator applications/interviews (e.g., Y Combinator, IndieBio)
- Introductions to key contacts and investors
Located at the
heart of Canada’s Innovation District
Velocity is located in Kitchener-Waterloo’s Tannery building. In 2023, Velocity will move to our new headquarters: the Innovation Arena, in Downtown Kitchener. This 90,000 square-foot refurbished warehouse is close to the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Medicine and Communitech. The Innovation Arena is also close to dozens of Velocity alumni scaling within 5 km, including Faire, Vidyard, Nicoya, Kenota, ApplyBoard and other notable tech companies like Google, Shopify, D2L, Axonify etc.
Photo credit: Tony (Communitech)
The Innovation Arena
Coming soon: The Innovation Arena
In Fall 2023, Velocity will move to the Innovation Arena, occupying 90,000 sq.ft on the 1st floor of the new building.
Located in the City of Kitchener’s innovation district, the Innovation Arena will amplify Canada’s health tech sector. In partnership with the City of Kitchener, and with Velocity – Waterloo’s renowned startup incubator – at its core, the new collaboration space will streamline commercialization pathways for businesses, fast-track delivery of health technologies and drive Canada’s next wave of economic growth.
Learn more about the Innovation Arena