Innovation Boulevard

What Innovation Boulevard does

Innovation Boulevard is a publicly-funded innovation hub operated as a joint initiative between the City of Surrey and Simon Fraser University, located in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The organization functions as an ecosystem broker that connects scaling businesses, university researchers, NGOs, and municipal government to accelerate commercialization, with explicit focus on five industry verticals: cleantech, agritech, smart cities, health tech, and manufacturing. Its service portfolio comprises six core offerings — Innovation Labs and Facilities (prototyping labs, manufacturing equipment, mechatronics), Prototyping and Product Testing, Talent and Mentorship Programs (via SFU students, researchers, and executive educators), Pilot Project Support, Market Expansion and Export Support, and Funding and Investment Support (grants, municipal incentives, de-risking).

The underlying operating model is non-commercial: services are provided at no cost to qualifying businesses, with the website stating 'no cost, no commitment, just possibilities.' Funding flows from the City of Surrey and Simon Fraser University rather than from fees or venture capital, and the website copyright is held by the City of Surrey (© 2025 City of Surrey), confirming its status as a municipal initiative rather than a private enterprise. The go-to-market motion is community-led and partner-driven, with lead generation routed through website contact forms, a shared inbox ([email protected]), and referrals from SFU, the City of Surrey, and Invest Surrey.

Operationally, the hub leverages the SFU Surrey Campus for physical infrastructure — including manufacturing labs, mechatronics facilities, and Interactive Arts and Technology resources — and the City of Surrey for municipal incentives, industrial land access, and transportation-corridor proximity. Customer segments are diversified by design across startups, scaling businesses, researchers/academia, and multi-vertical industry participants. There are no disclosed customers, revenue figures, funding rounds, patents, acquisitions, or product launches in the source material; the entity is structurally a public-sector economic-development platform, not an investable growth company in the conventional PE/VC sense.

Name

Innovation Boulevard

Legal name

Innovation Boulevard

Website

https://innovationboulevard.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Innovation Boulevard is a publicly-funded innovation hub jointly operated by Simon Fraser University and the City of Surrey that provides free prototyping, mentorship, funding pathway, and market expansion services to startups and scaling businesses in cleantech, agritech, smart cities, health tech, and manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Hub Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

Keywords

• Innovation hub services
• Business incubation support
• Prototyping facilities access
• Commercialization assistance
• Funding pathway advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Innovation Support Services: Innovation Boulevard operates as a non-profit innovation hub powered by Simon Fraser University and the City of Surrey, providing support services at no cost to businesses. The organization does not charge for initial consultations or access to resources, suggesting government and academic institutional funding as the primary revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Innovation Boulevard is a publicly-funded innovation hub that helps businesses scale from ideation through prototyping, testing, commercialization, and global market launch. It provides free access to physical innovation labs, prototyping and product testing services, talent and mentorship programs connected to Simon Fraser University, pilot project support, market expansion pathways, and funding/investment advisory across cleantech, agritech, smart cities, health tech, and manufacturing verticals.

Product overview

Innovation Boulevard is a full-spectrum innovation hub that operates as a unified platform combining multiple support services for business scaling. The offering integrates Innovation Labs and Facilities (prototyping labs, manufacturing, mechatronics), Prototyping and Product Testing Services, Talent and Mentorship Programs, Pilot Project Support, Market Expansion and Export Support, and Funding and Investment Support. These services work together to help businesses move from ideation through prototyping, testing, pilot projects, funding, and ultimately to market launch and commercialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Simon Fraser University (SFU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSimon Fraser University is a co-founding partner powering Innovation Boulevard. The partnership provides access to university researchers, student innovators, executive educators, and research facilities including manufacturing labs, mechatronics, and Interactive Arts and Technology. SFU Surrey Campus serves as a physical hub location.
• City of SurreycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Surrey is a co-founding partner providing municipal backing, policies, incentives, and connections that enable business success. The city leverages its advantages including top-tier talent, industrial land, and direct access to major transportation corridors to support scaling companies.
• Invest SurreysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerInvest Surrey is a partner organization supporting Innovation Boulevard by providing investment and business development connections, helping connect businesses to growth opportunities in the Surrey region and beyond.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL): University-affiliated (Rotman School of Management) venture creation program offering mentorship and commercialization support to science-based startups. Comparable university-anchored incubation model.
• Launch Academy: Vancouver-based tech accelerator offering mentorship, workspace, and investor access to early-stage startups. Operates in the same BC tech ecosystem as Innovation Boulevard.
• DMZ (Digital Media Zone): Ryerson-led startup incubator in Toronto providing mentorship, funding access, and commercialization support to scaling tech companies — a structurally similar university-affiliated innovation hub.

Emerging players

• Foresight Cleantech Accelerator: Canadian cleantech accelerator supporting commercialization of environmental innovation — directly comparable to Innovation Boulevard's cleantech vertical focus.

Others

• Venture for Canada: Canadian nonprofit supporting entrepreneurship and talent development across the country. Tangentially related as an ecosystem enabler operating in a similar public-good, talent-pipeline orientation.

Broad incumbents

• MaRS Discovery District: Canada's largest urban innovation hub in Toronto. Directly comparable as a multi-vertical innovation hub supporting startups across health, cleantech, fintech, and smart cities with university and government backing.
• Communitech: Waterloo, Ontario innovation hub supporting tech startups with corporate, academic, and government partnerships. Highly comparable model of university-government industry collaboration.

Regional players

• Volta: Halifax-based startup hub providing incubation, mentorship, and capital connections to Atlantic Canadian startups. Another regional peer with university and government backing.
• Innovation Factory: Hamilton, Ontario regional innovation hub supporting startup growth through mentorship, funding connections, and commercialization support. Comparable city-backed innovation center model in a different region.
• Accelerate Okanagan: Kelowna-based tech accelerator and innovation hub supporting BC interior startups. Regional peer with similar community-led innovation ecosystem model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovation-boulevard-ib-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innovation Boulevard