Queen’s University and L-SPARK announce first cohort for Compass North accelerator program focused on women-led technology companies

Queen’s University and L-SPARK, Canada’s largest accelerator for Software as a Service (SaaS) companies, today announced they will be launching the first cohort for Compass North, an accelerator program focused on growing women-led technology companies.

Compass North is a Kingston-based accelerator program for women entrepreneurs operating a technology-based business in the Belleville-Kingston-Brockville region. The program is delivered as part of the Women Entrepreneurs Can (WE-CAN) Project led by Queen’s and supported by the Government of Canada through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund.

Ignited by ��ֱ�� and L-SPARK, the five-month Compass North program features high-touch mentoring, tactical workshops and a tight-knit community of entrepreneurs. It is designed to help grow women-led companies with hustle and heart.

Quotes

“The Compass North accelerator is one of the premier programs being offered as part of the Queen’s-led WE-CAN Project. We are delighted to collaborate with L-SPARK on the design and delivery of Compass North and gratefully acknowledge the support for this program from the Government of Canada through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund, delivered in the region by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.”

- Janice Mady, Director of Research and Innovation Partnerships at Queen’s

“We are proud to partner with Queen’s University on Compass North, which shines a light on women entrepreneurs and helps them grow their businesses. We look forward to providing mentorship and strategic training to this first cohort of promising companies over the next 5 months.”

- Patrick White, Managing Director at L-SPARK

“The Compass North program represents an amazing opportunity to be part of a network of women in Tech entrepreneurs, and to benefit from the help and guidance offered by an inspiring woman entrepreneur in my community.”

- Florina Truica, Chief Technical Officer, Cold Plasma Group

Participating companies:

Anthony’s Natural Therapies (Belleville): developing and marketing a therapeutic line of scalp and hair products
Cold Plasma Group (Kingston): developing and commercializing a new, patent-pending process for the sterilization of dry cannabis based on the use of cold plasma treatments
CR Fixture Design (Napanee): an outsource design solution for the fixture and gauge industry, providing shops with high-quality designs and helping them to keep up with demand
Cultivate Media (Kingston): a multi-media platform offering a unique blend of international glamour and small-town charm that seeks to accurately and creatively reflect and engage readers through storytelling
HeroHub (Kingston): a charitable ecosystem that creates a greater social impact, by connecting individuals with charities, nonprofits, and their opportunities
iKare.Med (Cornwall and Belleville): commercializing a patent-pending medical device that helps women suffering from bladder leaks; provides reusable and insurable urinary incontinence devices for men and women after life's physical setbacks
QC Integrated Solutions (Kingston): builds and distributes automated testers designed to perform the compliance testing required by manufacturers of disposable AED and ECG electrodes
StayBillety (Kingston and Syracuse): the online home sharing platform serving Groups & Organizations and their communities. Shared Interests. Shared Roof.
The Power Collective (Kingston): designs, develops, and manufactures renewable energy solutions, including the RidgeBlade Wind Turbine, an innovative and unique, affordable, simple and effective way of harnessing the wind's power to produce electricity
The Small Social Company (Napanee): supports small businesses and startup companies with their online advertising and social media presence