Kingston, Ontario – May 15, 2023 – The Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) and Kingston Economic Development Corporation are proud to announce the establishment of a dedicated Kingston office to support commercialization and scale-up of start-up companies in Eastern Ontario. In March 2023, OCI hired a Business Development and Commercialization Manager for the Eastern Ontario region. Cher Powers will be based out of Kingston Economic Development’s offices in Kingston and will work closely with both OCI and Kingston Economic Development’s teams to support companies driving Ontario’s economy to greater prosperity, health and sustainability.
“We are thrilled that Cher will be engaging in extensive ecosystem networking to identify and engage potential industry and academic partners, entrepreneurs, investors, and others, fostering collaborations and linking to support programs offered by OCI and our partners,” says Claudia Krywiak, President and CEO, OCI.
Cher brings extensive experience in project management, operations management, and partnership development in the Canadian innovation ecosystem. Prior to joining OCI, Cher was the Operations Manager at GreenCentre Canada for eight years and most recently, the Research Coordinator for the Applied Research and Innovation Department and part-time faculty within the School of Media, Business and Access at Loyalist College.
Cher will also support collaborations between industry and academia, encouraging entrepreneurs and company leaders to aspire to create globally scalable products and services. She will provide clients with insight, mentoring, coaching, and support entrepreneurs, start-ups, and high-growth companies, acting as a connector, facilitating the introduction of people and companies to share business, technical knowledge, and experience.
“We work closely with OCI to support new and scaling businesses and it is exciting to see that a dedicated Kingston office and commercialization manager are now in place. We have been working towards this partnership for a number of years and co-locating OCI’s Kingston office with the Kingston Economic Development team is a natural fit and furthers centralized support and services for entrepreneurs,” notes Donna Gillespie, CEO, Kingston Economic Development Corporation.
For more information about OCI’s programs visit oc-innovation.ca.
Media Contacts:
Nour Mazloum
Marketing & Communications Manager
Kingston Economic Development Corporation
613-329-9270
mazloum@investkingston.ca
