Accelerator Centre

What if the gear protecting firefighters was also putting their health at risk?

For Drew Davidson, co-founder of ArcticEdge Technologies, that question is personal. Inspired by his mother, a retired firefighter, Drew and co-founder Kade Truman are developing a breathable, waterproof and PFAS-free material for firefighter protective gear.

Through AC:Studio and mentorship at the Accelerator Centre, ArcticEdge is now moving closer to market.

Swipe to learn how they’re working to build safer gear for the people who protect us.

🔗 Full story at the link in bio!

What if the gear designed to protect firefighters was also putting their health at risk?

For ArcticEdge Technologies co-founder Drew Davidson, that question became personal through his mother, a retired firefighter who had seen colleagues lose their lives to cancers linked to chemicals in their protective equipment.

Today, Drew and co-founder Kade Truman are developing a breathable, waterproof and PFAS-free material for firefighter protective gear.

Through the AC:Studio program, ArcticEdge Technologies has worked with AC mentors to navigate the challenges of commercializing deep tech and is now moving closer to market with prototypes, pilot projects and external certification.

Read how ArcticEdge is working to build safer gear for the people who protect us:

ArcticEdge Technologies is working to protect firefighters from forever chemicals Cancer is the leading cause of firefighter fatalities in Canada—and many of those cancers are related to the “forever chemicals” used in the same protective equipment they trust to keep them safe. Inspired by his mother, a retired firefighter, Drew Davidson set out to solve the problem. After ...

Meet our September Founder of the Month: Martin Droruga, CEO & Co-Founder of Amicare and an AC:Health founder.

His focus? Creating better connections across the patient care journey.

Amicare is building shared infrastructure that connects care providers as patients move through the healthcare system, helping teams see where patients stall and where resources are needed most.

For Martin, building Amicare has meant listening closely to the people experiencing the problem, challenging assumptions and being willing to change direction when the evidence points somewhere new.

Get to know Martin, what inspired Amicare and the experiences that have shaped his journey as a founder.

Would you know if someone was trying to access, copy or steal your technology?

For deep tech companies, protecting IP goes far beyond cybersecurity.

This Thursday, BDO experts Rob Philpotts and Mohammed Khan are joining us for Guarding the Breakthrough, a practical session on physical security, insider risk and corporate espionage.

Founders will learn how companies can be scoped out or compromised, where sensitive information gets exposed and how to better protect prototypes, technical drawings, lab spaces, trade secrets and IP.

With expertise spanning intelligence operations, red teaming, social engineering and physical security, Rob and Mohammed will share practical steps founders can take to strengthen their security baseline.

📅 Sept 24 from 10AM-12PM
📍 Accelerator Centre HQ
🔗 Secure your spot: https://www.acceleratorcentre.com/event-page/guarding-the-breakthrough-physical-security-insider-risk-corporate-espionage-for-deep-tech-founders/

Last night was one for the books.

Hundreds of founders, investors, partners and friends packed the Scale Canadian Tech Connect Mixer for an incredible night of conversations and connections during Waterloo Tech Week

A huge thank you to our co-host Graphite Ventures and our sponsors TextNow, TD Innovation Partners, David Johnston Research + Technology Park, Inertia and RBCx for helping make it happen.

And thank you to everyone who joined us. We loved seeing the connections made and can’t wait to see where they lead. Until next time!

Last night was one for the books.

Our Scale Canadian Tech Connect Mixer, co-hosted by Graphite Ventures, brought together hundreds of founders, investors, partners and friends from across the tech community, and it was pretty special to see so many familiar and new faces in one place.

The conversations started early, the space filled up fast and the energy carried right through the evening. This is exactly why we love bringing our community together.

A huge thank you to our sponsors TextNow, TD Innovation Partners, David Johnston Research + Technology Park, Inertia and RBCx, and every single person who joined us.

We loved seeing so many connections happen throughout the night and can’t wait to see where some of those conversations lead. Until next time!

What a way to kick off the first-ever Aero Expo!✈️

Catalyst137 was buzzing this morning as founders, industry leaders, government, researchers and innovators came together to showcase just how much is happening across Waterloo Region’s aerospace, defence and dual-use ecosystem.

The event opened with Laura Philippe of Region of Waterloo / AeroWR, AC CEO Ruth Casselman, Regional Chair Karen Redman and MPP Brian Riddell, and the message was loud and clear: Waterloo Region has the talent, technology and ambition to make its mark on this rapidly growing sector.

And we got to see exactly why. From the technology on display to the conversations happening across the room, Aero Expo brought together the companies, ideas and people already building that future right here in Waterloo Region.

A huge thank you to everyone who exhibited, attended and helped make the morning what it was, and to our partners at AeroWR, the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce and Cambridge Chamber of Commerce for bringing it to life with us as part of Tech Week.

And a special thank you to our event sponsors, BDO Canada, Smart & Biggar and STRIX, for helping make Aero Expo 2026 possible.

The first Aero Expo may be over, but the momentum is only building.

Would you know if someone was trying to access, copy or steal your technology?

On September 24, BDO experts Rob Philpotts and Mohammed Khan are joining us for a practical session on physical security, insider risk and corporate espionage.

Meet the speakers:

Rob Philpotts brings over 22 years of of cybersecurity and intelligence experience, with a background spanning NATO, United States Cyber Command, the NSA and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Mohammed Khan brings over 9 years of experience in offensive security, specializing in red teaming, social engineering and physical security assessments to uncover how organizations can be compromised.

For founders building in defence, quantum, advanced manufacturing and other high-risk sectors, this is a conversation worth being part of.

📅 Sept 24 from 10AM-12PM
📍 Accelerator Centre HQ
🔗 Secure your spot: https://www.acceleratorcentre.com/event-page/guarding-the-breakthrough-physical-security-insider-risk-corporate-espionage-for-deep-tech-founders/

Waterloo Tech Week, we’re ready for you.

This week, the Accelerator Centre is bringing the energy with two SOLD OUT events and two very different ways to experience Waterloo Region’s innovation ecosystem.

On Wednesday, Aero Expo 2026, presented by AeroWR, takes over Catalyst137 for the region’s first-ever Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use Industry Expo.

Then on Thursday, we’re bringing the Canadian tech community into our own backyard for the Scale Canadian Tech Connect Mixer with our friends at Graphite Ventures.

See an AC staff member in the wild? Come say hi. That’s what Waterloo Tech Week is all about.