Thanks to so many innovative intelligent technology firms being located in Waterloo, there is an understanding among community leaders that a connected community brings more than just technological and productivity benefits, it allows for a new and more intelligent community structure to take shape.

The strength of the Waterloo community in education and business development has allowed numerous innovative enterprises to develop within the region, nurtured by the understanding and insight fostered by the City of Waterloo's unique environment.

The region is headquarters to leading lights in intelligent technology business and research enterprises, such as Research in Motion (Learn about RIM's latest initiatives), DALSA, Sybase, Open Text, iAnywhere and Maplesoft and in 2004, LaunchPad $50K, a venture creation competition with $50,000 in prize money, was founded to encourage student entrepreneurship. In fact, over 22% of all the spin-off intelligent technology companies in Canada originate from the University of Waterloo and its world leading incubator programs for intelligent technology companies. 

This has propelled the region to account for 10% of all the intelligent technology-related initial public offerings on the Toronto Stock Exchange between 1994 and 2004, further reinforcing Waterloo's Top 7 status and demonstrating its contribution to the region and to the country as a whole.