Concordia University’s District 3 Innovation Centre is offering a soft landing program in New York City for its associated startups. According to the D3, 15 of its startups have been shortlisted for what D3 is dubbing, ‘District NYC’.

D3 is calling its soft landing program ‘District NYC’. It’s part of D3’s greater “Global X” initiative. The program says it secured 30 foreign partners in 20 markets. More than 100 startups have participated in their global expansion.

“GlobalX is about instilling a global mindset in founders of Canadian startups from day one,” said the program’s founder Xavier-Henri Hervé.

“At District 3, we realize that to become the next generation of globally competitive Canadian businesses, our startups must get customers outside of Canada.”

New footprint in the Big Apple

All told, select startups will receive access to office space and market testing labs. As well, they’ll get a partner incubator and referrals to trade commissioners services in Manhattan’s business district.”

The incubation/acceleration centre wrote that its partner incubator Ellis Accelerator will support selected startups through mentorship, funding, housing, community links and training. A select company will also participate in a five-day in-market program that offers a unique opportunity for startups to broaden their network.

The program is expected to take place during TechDay NYC in April 2020.

Concordia D3 New York was spearheaded by Gisleine Silveira, former head of international partnerships for D3, who is now on the ground in New York to help its startups.

According to D3, New York’s startup ecosystem is worth $64 billion, compared to Montreal’s $3.4 billion.

Not the first time they’ve offered a soft landing

In fall 2019, D3 sent its most competitive startups to Boston. Global X hosted a market testing lab in collaboration with the Consulate General of Canada in Boston. Startups who participated in the one-week immersion program included Aifred Health, Modelis, Geneboost, VitalTracer and Shaddari.

“We got a deeper understanding of the Boston market — a truly clear picture of all potentials and all possibilities,” said Azadeh Dastmalchi, CEO and co-founder at VitalTracer. The startup provides personalized medicine to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases through continuous monitoring of vital signs.

Participants in the program went to the 2019 Medical Technology Conference to explore commercial opportunities. They also gained new skills and international exposure.

D3 says it has supported more than 530 startups from all sectors and emerging technologies. That includes AI, synthetic biology and digital health.

Concordia D3 New York.

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