In a bid to encourage tech start-ups to take the leap from software to hardware, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has partnered with venture accelerator Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) at the University of Toronto, said an article in the October 2014 issue of Monocle. “We’re focusing on radically innovative venture-fundable companies that provide software solutions with a physical component such as wearable technology,” said Dominic Belanger, vice president of strategic investments at BDC Capital. “Canada’s key sectors – energy, medicine, and agriculture – are full of potential for technological breakthroughs in terms of machinery and equipment.” CDL start-ups have generated over CA$ 100M (€70m) in equity value over the past two years. The eight-month program accepts up to 18 nascent firms per cohort, providing them with mentorship by successful business leaders. “We help entrepreneurs working on research-based technology, which typically doesn’t attract private investment in Canada,” CDL director Jesse Rodgers says.