Ottawa's Tech Strategy Shifts Toward the Practical

Ottawa has fostered the growth of at least a couple generations of solid tech companies in Canada. Area leaders are now wondering if the current generation of tech startups will be able to grow to the scale that earlier companies have reached. This has prompted a shift in the areas's tech development strategy.

The area's earlier strategy was to convince the federal and provincial governments to re-think the way they treat technology companies. At the moment, the focus is on research and development, with the feds offering plenty of tax assistance. But the task force members believe the emphasis should be on commercializing technologies -- developing the right products and getting them into customers' hands.

A new group of seasoned executives, called OrbitIQ, has been formed to work specifically on increasing the sales performance of Ottawa's new technology companies. The group has decided that local tech stars must excel in getting their products and services into use. That requires smart marketing and sales, which many young entrepreneurs are not equipped to do.

This makes great sense to me. I think the practical road is the one that more areas should follow as they work to advance their new companies. Kudos to Ottawa officials!

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