EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.
Recent Searches
Trending
-
Advancing Canada’s defence innovation
09 Apr 2026 -
Canadian Insurance Outlook 2026: navigating uncertainty, unlocking opportunity
13 Mar 2026 Financial services -
From bottleneck to accelerator: the strategic role of digital identity controls for industrials and energy companies
18 Feb 2026 Energy and resources
City Spotlight — Ottawa
Ottawa: defence tech, semiconductors and a first‑customer advantage
Ottawa pairs defence/security and photonics with proximity to a federal first customer — turning pilots into deployments.
Discover the ideas and voices shaping what comes next.
What’s ahead for Ottawa and why it matters now:
Ottawa has evolved from “Silicon Valley North” into a hands‑on staging ground where founders can co‑design with one of Canada’s biggest buyers, tighten security and interoperability early and move faster from demos to deployments. Momentum spans defence/security, photonics/semiconductors for next‑gen AI infrastructure and testing assets that shorten time‑to‑validation.
Why Ottawa, why now?
Over the last two decades, we’ve really seen Ottawa evolve from Silicon Valley North to a hotbed for integrated, tech-driven commerce. Amazing startups have changed the way the world operates, from Shopify to Fullscript and others now evolving the AI space. Ottawa’s swagger is evolving and taking on a new vibe from what we’ve seen in the past. In the federal government’s backyard, this region is the ideal place to keep creating, testing and evolving emerging technologies with one of the biggest buyers in Canada. There are a lot of opportunities for founders and builders ready to connect those dots and take innovation further.
What’s next and why is Ottawa promising?
There’s a very positive tension between innovation and startups here in Ottawa. Layer in the fact that Ottawa startups can make the government more innovative, and the government can give Ottawa startups access to market that they don’t have, and there’s a unique dynamic here that can spur so much progress.
How can national priorities cultivate local growth?
There’s been a lot said about Canadian sovereignty and the importance of having one national economy. In Ottawa, we have this rare chance to help fuel that shift. We have the skills, talent and entrepreneurial grit to create solutions for markets outside our city limits, right across Canada and the world.
I believe your next great innovation may just come from Ottawa. That’s an exciting proposition for this ecosystem and the country.
Warren Tomlin
EY Canada Managing Partner, Technology, Media & Entertainment, and Telecommunications
For the full Ottawa City Spotlight, explore the full publication here
- Articles
Leaders who put people at the center build trust, adopt AI responsibly and scale faster with stronger customer and workforce outcomes. Read more.
Disruptive headwinds: entrepreneurial tailwinds
Founders face disruption, but tailwinds exist. Build resilience, partner for scale and standardize trade readiness to grow through volatility. Learn more.
Start up. Scale up. Stand out.
Founders can turn early traction into durable growth by mastering product market fit go to market discipline capital strategy and export readiness.
How telcos can help enterprises scale emerging technologies
Enterprises are pursuing digital transformation by investing more in emerging technologies – and vendors must adopt new strategies to help them succeed. Read more.
Curious to learn more about Pointing North at a larger scale?
Pointing North
A national lens on Canadian innovation. City spotlights, founder stories and practical insights to help ideas scale and win.
Toronto - City Spotlight
Toronto is deploying AI across cleantech, fintech and biotech, with cross sector partnerships driving scale and longevity.
Waterloo Region - City Spotlight
Incubators power medtech and AI adoption—paired with a renowned security cluster and hospital–university links that speed deployment.
Halifax - City Spotlight
Halifax converts oceans, defence and energy strengths into dual use innovation—autonomy, sensing and resilient systems.
Calgary - City Spotlight
Calgary is scaling cleantech and fintech, with founder built platforms moving from pilots to production and real outcomes.
Vancouver - City Spotlight
Vancouver’s innovation economy is scaling applied AI, digital health and cleantech with real use cases and cross ecosystem.
Montréal - City Spotlight
Montréal blends applied AI, quantum and infrastructure investment—uniting founders and research centres to scale.