As 2025 draws to a close, we’re filled with gratitude and pride as we reflect on a remarkable year of growth, collaboration, and community impact.
WEtech Alliance has been privileged to work with and support so many amazing innovators, founders, and partners who continue to drive meaningful change in our region and beyond.
This year, we celebrated significant milestones and expanded opportunities for regional businesses and entrepreneurs, including crowing the $20,000 Cohort 8 winner of our ScaleUP Accelerator, and thanks to renewed support from Libro Credit Union and new partnerships with Communitech and FedDev Ontario, we were also able to expand ScaleUP beyond our Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent region for Cohort 9, as we welcomed 10 new companies into our largest cohort ever.
Cohort 4 of the i.d.e.a. Fund saw an additional 12 innovative companies receive up to $240,000 in non-repayable contributions in 2025, supporting clean growth solutions and sustainable technologies across southern Ontario.
We also saw our regional tech ecosystem come together for Tech Connect Meetups to celebrate the launch of a Windsor-made video game, and Canadian tech themed mural; for community events like Windsor-Essex DevFest 2025, the special Women of WIFF screening of Show Her the Money, and the region’s first ever AI Summit; and for deepened cross-border connections with events like the 2025 MedHealth Summit, and Downtown Detroit Partnership Fall Forum.
2025 brought new opportunities to shine a spotlight on regional leaders and innovators, including featuring five innovative regional companies during Canadian Innovation Week; celebrating the achievements of four regional women founders during International Women’s Month; highlighting eight incredible founders during Global Entrepreneurship Week; recognizing four Emerging Leaders named to The Peak’s 2025 list; and exploring the magic, mess and mastery of innovation with over a dozen regional leaders through our Innovation Alchemy podcast.
This year also marked important organizational milestones for WEtech Alliance, from welcoming new leaders to our Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 term, adding three new experts to our Growth Coach roster, launching the WEsecure pilot project to deliver dedicated cybersecurity supports to businesses, and relocating our team to a centralized space in downtown Windsor to deepen collaboration across the ecosystem.
As we look toward 2026, the entire WEtech Alliance team and Board of Directors would like to wish all of our clients, partners, and community members a very safe and happy holiday season.
Please note that our office will be closed for the holidays starting December 22nd, 2025, re-opening January 5th, 2026.
P.S. Speaking of that epic Canadian tech themed mural unveiling, our friends at Haunted Zoo have made it available as an art print, just in time for the holidays! Grab yours HERE.
