Invisu Visits Canada as part of Innovate UK’s Advanced Manufacturing GIP
13 October 2023
On 23rd September we travelled to Toronto for a week-long market visit with 6 other UK companies (Additive Manufacturing Solutions, NK Technology (SCALED), Scintam Engineering, Inventor-e, Loop Technology and Carbogenics), after being selected by Innovate UK to be part of their Global Incubator Programme for Advanced Manufacturing Canada.
Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK EDGE, is an acceleration programme for innovative businesses to work with world-leading incubators abroad.
The first day of our market visit commenced with a tour of the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto. Our cohort found out about the breadth of MaRS’ support, lead generation and the market intelligence service available to us. We also gained knowledge of the value opportunity in the aerospace and automotive sectors in both Canada and the US, as well as the market drivers and key issues in these sectors. It also gave us the opportunity to meet with the rest of the cohort and find out about their businesses. A very informative and productive day.
On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit the Toronto Congress Centre and exhibit at the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) in the MaRS & NGen Innovation Pavilion. CMTS is Canada’s stage for manufacturing technologies, best practices, and industry connections. The event offered a diverse mix of live technology on display, keynotes, panel discussions and technical sessions. This was an incredible event which also saw Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, visit the floor and show his support for Canadian manufacturing.
On Wednesday, we met with the MaRS network of advisors and a few local startups to share the type of support we were looking for. After lunch, we travelled south to the Elevate conference where various talks were taking place. There was the opportunity for us to make new connections with potential clients, investors, and partners. Our day concluded with a trip out to watch the Blue Jays Game at the Rogers Stadium – a fantastic experience!
On Thursday we attended a ‘Sales in Canada’ workshop with MaRS. For our final day in Toronto, we learned about MaRS’ PR Accelerator and how their PR team can us with visibility in the marketplace – a very informative and helpful session.
It has been incredible to introduce Invisu to the Canadian market, meet new businesses and build relationships in the sector. Following a successful visit, we are excited about attending the forthcoming online sessions and our second visit to Toronto which is scheduled for the end of January 2024.
Thank you to Innovate UK and MaRS for your incredible ongoing support.
Above Photo Credit: Innovate UK East