November 21st, 2019 (Windsor, ON) – On Thursday, Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) Grant Review Team member Paresh Jariwala celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) along with 20 regional business support partners from across Windsor & Essex County by crowning the Libro Credit Union powered ScaleUP Tech Accelerator’s winning tech start-up with a $10,000 prize.

Mr. Paresh Jariwala was also on hand to congratulate WEtech Alliance and hear more about how the $368,000 OTF Grow grant, that was given in 2017, led to the ground-breaking economic initiative, ScaleUP Tech Accelerator Program, and diversified the economy of Windsor-Essex. ScaleUP is the first and only accelerator program dedicated to scaling tech companies in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.

“This unique program, helping established companies take the next steps to growth through the application of innovative agile methods has shown itself to be wonderfully successful,” said Lisa Gretzky, Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor West. “It is yet another example of the positive impact the Ontario Trillium Fund has had in our community, and I congratulate the WEtech Alliance for their achievements.”

The four-month accelerator program provided an intensive sprint for companies looking to scale new products and services. Each company created a strategy for growth, which includes one-on-one mentoring with industry advisors of the highest caliber, gap analysis and skills training, and go-to-market planning all valued over $15,000.

The ScaleUP program, established in 2017, has seen 3 cohorts graduate and positive economic impact in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.

“When we did our economic impact analysis on the first two cohorts, we found that these companies were now doing business literally around the globe, on 6 continents in 23 countries, they’ve also hired nearly 60 employees to keep up with that growth.” said Adam Castle, Director of Venture Services for WEtech Alliance. “That growth is a testament to just how hard these entrepreneurs are working, and the value they’ve been able to leverage through our program.”

Find out who took home the $10k top prize HERE!