Last year, 1090 startups strengthened their IP readiness 🎉

The AccelerateIP program is helping Canadian startups be more competitive as they grow and scale, attract more investment opportunities and protect their assets to expand globally.

In our second year as a program, AccelerateIP, in collaboration with our program partners and collaborators helped 1090 startups with education, mentorship and funding supports to support their intellectual property.

Strengthening IP capacity in BC, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut also means strengthening IP knowledge across accelerators and incubators–the essential organizations that support startups.

• This year, AIP supported 64 additional mentors with IP training.
• In Stream 2-2 and Stream 3, where startups can work with legal service providers, AIP disbursed 2.66M in IP funding supports.

Stream 1 Education: building foundational IP knowledge

This stream focuses on building IP capacity, awareness and the fundamentals for building an IP strategy. From NDAs to IP budgeting to data protection and the lifecycle of patents, we covered it all. The highlights:

• • 58 startups completed IP Certification cohort programs
  • 115 startups had 1:1 office hour sessions
  • 730+ startups attended 38 educational seminars 
  • 9 Train the Mentor sessions with participants from 25 accelerator organizations
  • 98 startups participated in online education modules

Stream 2 IP Strategy: mentorship and projects with legal service providers

In IP strategy, startups either work with a business mentor to tie their IP commercialization strategy to their business strategy, or undertake a project with an IP legal service provider. This year:

• • 135 startups completed up to 8 hours of 1:1 mentorship
  • 62 startups received funding supports, totalling $800,659
  • 85% of startups developed a new IP strategy through the program

Stream 3 Implementation: protecting IP with legal service providers

Our most competitive stream–we funded around 10% of applications submitted. Startups that were successfully awarded funding supports worked with an IP legal service provider to file patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. They also worked on commercialization contracts or other opportunities.

• • A total of $1,863,802 was disbursed to assist startups with implementing their IP strategies
  • 90% of Stream 3 participants filed for IP Protection, resulting in 200+ new IP filings