Boreal Springboard initiative looking to re-energize NWO forestry
Economic development groups in Northwestern Ontario are joining forces to launch a forestry startup accelerator.
The Boreal Springboard initiative is kicking off a 3-month accelerator program for select startups. The program will provide funding, business development resources, investment planning and networking opportunities.
“The forestry sector is under a lot of pressure right now, especially with the trade war against our southern neighbour,” said Project Coordinator Graham Bracken. “Our response is to build a program which harnesses a lot of the fundamentals that we have.”
Bracken said northwestern Ontario has large sustainable forests and the skilled workforce required to convert them to international and domestic products.
“We have an embarrassment of riches and a lot of what it takes to build and sustain a sector,” Bracken said. “What we wanted to do with the program is support the next generation of entrepreneurs who will enter this sector.”
The program is a collaborative effort between the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre (NOIC), the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) and the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE).
There is also a second program under the Boreal Springboard umbrella aimed at assisting forestry businesses that are farther along in their journeys.
“You need to figure out where (a business) is going to land, where they’re going to work, what kind of supports are available for them either on product validation or figuring out their market,” Bracken said. “But more than that, it’s about us facilitating connections into the sector.”
From a NOIC press release, participating companies in the first cohort of the accelerator program are engaged in the following initiatives:
- Commercializing an innovative process for producing platform chemicals from hardwood chips, targeting large end markets with applications across the food and beverage sector as well as heavy industry.
- Prototyping and modularizing advanced wood construction for a direct‑to‑consumer product designed for at‑home assembly, leveraging local tree species and established manufacturing expertise.
- The development of a mass timber facility, manufacturing a product that strengthens the sector by increasing domestic demand for existing softwood lumber production and enhancing regional capacity for wood‑based construction.
- Commercializing an advanced biomass‑based diagnostic tool for the health sector, aimed at improving the management of known exposure risks in the mining and heavy industry workforce.
“Right now, we have about two years of runway,” Bracken said. “This is very much a pilot for us to kind of ensure that this works and show industry that we add value and that the community will benefit.”
“We want to put (these startups) in a position where by the end of the program, they’re either able to realize a first sale or they’re able to leverage into private investment or government funding to help them scale.”
Bracken also stressed that the program doesn’t intend to disrupt any incumbent businesses in the forestry sector. He says this program is about addition rather than subtraction, and new innovative products can extract value from unclaimed or under-utilized niches without competing against core manufacturers.
