Last week, MetaOptima was proud to be one of nearly 50 organizations to sign a memorandum of understanding to establish the Cascadia Venture Acceleration Network! The basis of this partnership is for participants to work together in the support of inventors, researchers, and businesses in the areas of Life Sciences, Information Technology, and CleanTech industries across British Columbia, Washington State and Oregon.
Comprised of universities, investors, businesses, industry associations and accelerators, this is an excellent opportunity for innovators in the Pacific Northwest to unite in an international partnership for the continued development of our science and health technologies. Distinguished speakers included the Lieutenant Governor of WA State, Cyrus Habib, the Consul General of Canada in Seattle, Brandon Lee, and the Consul & Trade Commisioner, Lewis Coughlin.
“We are so excited to be a part of Cascadia VAN. It gives us an amazing opportunity to collaborate with investors, businesses, and other researchers along the coast dedicated to joining forces to help one another in the areas of science, technology, and health tech.” Maryam Sadeghi, MetaOptima CEO
At the event, Maryam had the opportunity to speak with important leaders including Bruce Ralston, the BC Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, where they discussed how innovations from companies like MetaOptima are essential for the continued development of BC’s tech supercluster.
Additionally, both recognized the importance in fostering Canada’s growing place in intelligent healthcare solutions, and the role that international partnerships in technology plays in this continued success! “The Cascadia Venture Acceleration Network holds great potential for tech innovation: connecting research, industry, academia and investment across the Pacific Northwest,” said Bruce Ralston, B.C. Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology. “The Government of B.C. fully supports this significant agreement. By working together towards shared goals, our regions can create a powerful innovation economy that benefits from local talent and entrepreneurship.”
Key goals of the Cascadia Venture Acceleration Network will focus on innovation implementation and commercialization, to include activities such as:
Identifying innovations ready, or nearly ready, for commercialization
Introducing innovators to cross-border funding and support opportunities
Facilitating cross-border trade and collaboration for innovators
Redirecting non-commercial-ready innovations to research organizations
Sharing activities such as workshops, seminars and other educational and networking events
We're excited to have experienced this opportunity to work alongside key leaders for the development of health technologies in BC, Washington, and Oregon. We hope that the memorandum of understanding set out by this project will encourage the Pacific Northwest Coast to work in unison for the continued innovation and growth in clean, reliable and intelligent technologies.
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-The MetaOptima Team