# Communitech

> Communitech is a nonprofit technology membership organization in Kitchener, Ontario, founded by local entrepreneurs in 1997. It connects Waterloo Region startups, scale-ups and established technology companies with peers, advisors, talent, intellectual-property support and practical AI adoption programs.

- **Founded:** 1997
- **Headquarters:** Kitchener, Canada
- **Founders:** Yvan Couture (Founding organizer), Randall Howard (Founding organizer; Atlas Group member), Tom Jenkins (Founding organizer; recruited initial corporate commitments)
- **Products:** Founder membership, Peer Groups, Growth Advisors, AI@Work, ElevateIP
- **Notable:** Operating since 1997; received a Kitchener Business Heritage Award for 25 years of community service., Moved into downtown Kitchener’s Tannery in 2010., Selected as one of five national ElevateIP delivery partners in 2022.

## Products & services

- **Founder membership** — Startup, Startup Premium, Growth and Champion tiers connect technology companies to peers, account management and stage-specific benefits.
- **Peer Groups** — Curated founder and executive groups; available with Startup Premium membership and above.
- **Growth Advisors** — One-to-one guidance from experienced technology leaders for eligible post-ideation companies in Southwestern Ontario.
- **AI@Work** — Student teams from three local post-secondary institutions build business AI projects with AltaML oversight; participating employers share wages and supervise students.
- **ElevateIP** — Federally supported intellectual-property education, strategy and implementation support serving Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
- **Fierce Founders Intensive Track** — Relaunched in 2026: eight-week strategy phase followed by six months of execution for 15 selected companies, with C$30,000-C$50,000 in matching non-dilutive funding.
- **Leadership development** — Leadership FYI, Leadership WTF and Product-Strong to People-Strong develop influence and people-management skills.
- **Workspace Solutions** — Hot desks, dedicated desks, suites, meeting rooms and virtual mail/address services.
- **Work in Tech** — Job board and talent visibility for technology employers and job seekers.
- **Pro Squad** — Business-services partner network covering legal, accounting, insurance and recruitment expertise.

## Achievements

- Operating since 1997; received a Kitchener Business Heritage Award for 25 years of community service.
- Moved into downtown Kitchener’s Tannery in 2010.
- Selected as one of five national ElevateIP delivery partners in 2022.
- Fierce Founders alumni had raised over C$485 million in capital as reported in its April 2026 release; this is alumni fundraising, not Communitech revenue.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Joined the Stakeholders in Intellectual Property Education MOU with 13 other entities.
- **2026-06** — CEO Sheldon McCormick described a return to a Waterloo-focused membership organization in a Waterloo EDC interview.
- **2026-04** — Relaunched Fierce Founders Intensive Track with matching funding and staged growth support.
- **2026-04** — Federal registry records an ElevateIP contribution amendment increasing the agreement value to C$47,849,357.
- **2025-04** — Appointed Sheldon McCormick CEO, effective April 14; Jennifer Gruber returned to CFO.

## Links

- Website: https://communitech.ca/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/communitech/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Communitech
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CommunitechChannel
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communitech/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitechpage/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/communitech
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24