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The Stiller Centre celebrated its FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
[ London, Ontario
Canada 26
November 2007 ] London’s Stiller Centre for Technology
Commercialization marked its five year anniversary this past November 27th
with a celebration at the Windermere Manor. The Stiller
Centre’s doors opened for business in November 2002 and five years later, the
centre has established itself and continues to thrive as one of Canada’s leading technology
incubators, with a primary focus on commercializing ‘wet-science’ based
ventures. ‘Wet-science applies to a broad array of business applications
including drug development, medical devices and imaging, cellular therapy,
alternative energy, bio-fuel, chemical processing and
others.
The Stiller Centre’s success
confirms the strategic wisdom of earlier decisions. The City of London’s 2002 investment of $5 million secured a further $5
million from the Province of Ontario. These funds enabled the
construction of a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit the region for
decades to come.
Glen Smeltzer, Stiller Centre’s
President and Board Director recalls the early challenges of the Centre, “I
remember well the day in October of 2002 when, with the new building nearing
completion, the board reviewed the list of potential spin-off and start-up
companies that had been prepared two years earlier by our partner
organizations. The original list of eighteen prospective tenants had shrunk to
only three!” But the good news is that over time, new start-ups were
generated. Today, the Centre houses fourteen young technology companies. These
companies have raised some $47 million dollars in investment since 2006, and
have attracted approximately $10 million more in government R & D financing.
Hank Vander Laan, Trojan
Technologies’ Founder and Stiller Centre’s Chair of the Board states, "the
Stiller Center fifth year celebration is truly attributable to a small core of
visionary civic, academic, institutional and business leaders in the London
community. That vision has been translated into not only a sustainable first
class business incubation/acceleration facility that has become the envy in the
province but has created close to 100 professional careers for young men and
women focused on translating ideas into viable for-profit businesses.”
Collectively these businesses employ bright and creative individuals, most of
whom have at least one degree and many of whom have two or more. “These
businesses will not only create more jobs but will bring significant benefits to
people everywhere in terms of overall improvements to the quality of life. That
indeed is an event worthy of celebration," adds Vander
Laan.
Recently retired Stiller Chair,
Moira A. Burke of Ernst and Young reiterates the importance of these created
jobs and partnerships. “London can be tremendously proud of what has
been accomplished in a just few short years. From an empty shell to the home of
fourteen businesses and almost 100 business owners and staff, as well as truly
innovative services like our convergence laboratory. Stiller proves that by
working together as a community, we can successfully grow businesses and
careers”, states Burke.
What is more exciting is the new
companies and opportunities that approach the Stiller Centre each and every
week. These ventures and the entrepreneurs who drive them are a big part of our
city’s future. A recent report by the Association of University Research Parks
indicates that each research park job results in a net of 2.27 jobs in a
community. And in this, the Province
of Ontario and the Centre’s founding
partners – the City of London, the University of Western Ontario, the Lawson Health
Research Institute and the Robarts Research Institute - can take great pride!
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