Westchester Innovation Network Launches International Collaborations

The BCW’s Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) is going global with the launch of international collaborations with Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and the MATI business development center in Israel.

WIN’s work with Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario began earlier this year when WIN matched two early-stage startups founded by Laurier students with local partners. WIN’s relationship with Wilfrid Laurier University is deepening with the launch of a new project in collaboration with a local university.

The MATI business development center in Jerusalem is a not-for-profit organization that helps aspiring entrepreneurs open new businesses and expand existing ones in all fields. MATI will work with WIN to develop a strategic alliance with the goal of connecting Israel’s innovation culture with Westchester County.

“Both Wilfrid Laurier University and MATI offer resources for innovators, and they will send us innovators. The Westchester Innovation Network will serve as a safe landing spot for these innovators from abroad,” said Dr. Marsha Gordon, the BCW’s President and CEO. “At the same time, we hope that our collaboration with Wilfrid Laurier University and MATI will open international doors for Westchester County’s innovators who are eager to get their products and services to foreign markets.”

Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, is in a geographic region ranked as the fastest growing small tech talent market in North America for tech talent market in North America and #1` market for tech talent quality in Canada, according to the 2021 CBRE Scoring Tech Talent report. Last week, Laurier students won a $5,000 innovation grant at WIN’s Showcase for their startup Last20, a sustainable pavement company.

“Our school’s work with WIN has already yielded positive results for our students who participated in a match,” said Laura Allan, the university’s director of innovation and entrepreneurship “We are eager to expand our work with WIN so that more of our students have opportunities to make new connections as they build their careers.”

Established in 1991, MATI helps the citizens of Jerusalem achieve financial independence by supporting the development of small and medium-sized businesses and the advancement of existing ones. The organization is also at the vanguard of job creation in Jerusalem, driving local growth and social equity by providing solutions to societal immobility and unemployment.

“We have succeeded in creating 16,000 new businesses,” said Alan Freeman, a member of MATI’s International Advisory Committee. “The BCW felt that it was time that we started to mix and match between Jerusalem businesses and Westchester businesses.”

Additional news about the WIN program is posted on the BCW’s website.