Thunder Bay's largest-ever startup class graduated this month — three of the eight are building with AI

Lakehead's ninth Ascend cohort, the program's biggest in nine years, includes CanopyAI (satellite ML for forest monitoring), JobRovr (AI recruitment matching), and Wearify (AI virtual try-on). A 40-year-old Thunder Bay tech firm demonstrated AI mining-safety cameras in front of 27,000 industry contacts at PDAC in March.

Eight ventures graduated from Lakehead University's Ingenuity Ascend Accelerator in July 2026 — the program's ninth cohort and its largest class in nine years. Three of the eight are built on AI and machine learning: CanopyAI applies satellite imagery and machine learning to deforestation monitoring; JobRovr uses an ML matching algorithm to connect computer science students with tech internships; and Wearify runs an AI virtual try-on platform for fashion retail. All three are building from Thunder Bay. On the established side of the local tech ecosystem, Teleco — a managed IT and communications services provider in operation since 1985 — demonstrated AI-powered safety cameras at the PDAC International Convention in March, in front of more than 27,000 mining industry contacts from 125 countries, supported by a FedNor-funded Northern Ontario pavilion. Neither end of that picture is a plan for the future. It is what is happening now.

Lakehead's 2026 cohort: the AI-native startups

The Ingenuity Ascend Accelerator is a 10-week program funded through the John Dobson Foundation, with up to $5,000 available per venture for qualifying expenses. In its ninth year, it graduated more companies at once than in any previous class. Three of those eight are AI-centric, and one has a direct Northwestern Ontario angle beyond the founders' address.

• CanopyAI (founder: Janki Gabani): applies satellite imagery and machine learning to detect and monitor deforestation, offering real-time alerts to conservation organizations, governments, and Indigenous stewardship groups. The prototype is being developed in Northwestern Ontario, making the region part of the testbed as well as the company's home.
• JobRovr (founders: Haard Pathak, Prajith Ravisankar, Srijan Ravisankar): a gamified coding-skills platform combined with an ML matching algorithm that connects computer science students with partner companies for internship placements — aimed at the gap between a CS degree and a first tech job. Co-founder Prajith Ravisankar described it as building "something that will help students break into tech."
• Wearify (founders: Priyansh Patel, Vijay Patel, Kush Makani, Sahil Nandha, Neel Patel): an AI virtual try-on platform that creates a digital avatar from a customer photo and generates personalized styling recommendations — aimed at fashion retail, where fit uncertainty drives high return and abandoned-cart rates.

The other five ventures in the cohort include mental health services: KC Woilford's ReClaimed Wolf Counselling & Consulting offers grief, burnout, and trauma support delivered in-person and online across Northwestern Ontario. Woilford said the business addresses "a huge gap for services in northwestern Ontario." The Ascend program accepts founders from any academic discipline — not only business or computer science — which explains why the same class produces a satellite ML startup and a rural counseling service. Alyson Mackay, who manages the program for Ingenuity, said the 2026 class showed "really good self-determination."

Teleco: AI for mine safety, at a global stage

The startup layer is the visible face of a local tech scene. The less visible layer is businesses that have been building technology in the North for years and are now applying AI to real industrial problems. Teleco has operated in Thunder Bay since 1985 as a managed IT and communications services provider. In March 2026, FedNor selected Teleco as one of seven exhibitors in the Northern Ontario Mining Showcase (NOMS) pavilion at PDAC — the world's largest mineral exploration and mining convention, held annually in Toronto — where the company demonstrated AI-powered PPE detection cameras, thermal imaging systems, and portable camera solutions designed for active mine sites. The technology is aimed at improving hazard awareness, strengthening compliance, and supporting safety decision-making in the demanding conditions of underground and surface mine operations. FedNor has run the NOMS pavilion since 2015; participating Northern Ontario businesses have generated more than $100 million in sales and exports and more than 900 jobs through the program across its history.

The programs connecting both ends of the ecosystem

• NOIC Costarter Accelerator: a 13-week intensive for early-stage founders in the Thunder Bay or Kenora districts ready to commit full-time, providing a non-dilutive cash contribution, co-working space at NOIC's offices on the Confederation College campus, mentorship, and investor connections. Between intakes as of mid-2026 — confirm the current schedule with NOIC (nwoinnovation.ca).
• NOHFC Invest North — Innovation: up to $2 million for R&D and commercialization of new technology in Northern Ontario, covering technical labour, prototyping, IP protection, and commercialization costs. Private-sector businesses can apply in partnership with academic institutions including Lakehead University. Continuous intake.
• NOIC BBAA (Building Blueprints for AI Adoption): up to $20,000 at 50% of eligible costs for Northwestern Ontario SMEs adopting AI tools — relevant to an established local tech firm building out AI-assisted products as well as to businesses integrating AI for the first time. Confirm current funding availability with NOIC.
• FedNor Northern Ontario Mining Showcase (NOMS): the program that put Teleco in front of 27,000 PDAC attendees. FedNor supports NWO companies' exhibition costs through this program; PDAC runs annually in early March in Toronto. Contact a FedNor officer (1-877-333-6673) for selection criteria and application timing well before the next convention.

Sources: Lakehead University Ingenuity Ascend Accelerator ninth cohort (eight ventures, largest class in nine-year history), July 10, 2026 — NewsBeep (newsbeep.com/us/754914/) based on Chronicle Journal coverage; startup descriptions for CanopyAI (Janki Gabani), JobRovr (Haard Pathak, Prajith Ravisankar, Srijan Ravisankar), Wearify (Priyansh Patel, Vijay Patel, Kush Makani, Sahil Nandha, Neel Patel), and ReClaimed Wolf (KC Woilford) from the same source; Mackay and Ravisankar and Woilford quotes from the same source. Program funding ($5,000 per venture), 10-week structure: Lakehead University Community Zone (communityzone.lakeheadu.ca/ingenuity-ascend-accelerator-program). John Dobson Foundation funding: Lakehead University news archive (lakeheadu.ca/about/news-and-events/news/archive/2025/node/298023). Teleco at PDAC 2026 — NetNewsLedger, March 4, 2026 (netnewsledger.com/2026/03/04/thunder-bays-teleco-showcases-ai-safety-camera-tech-at-pdac-2026/); YourThunderBay (yourthunderbay.ca/thunder-bay-tech-company-breaks-into-global-mining/). PDAC 2026 attendance (27,000+ attendees, 125 countries): NetNewsLedger coverage. NOMS $100M-plus in sales/exports and 900-plus jobs: FedNor program statistic, as reported in YourThunderBay coverage. Teleco company history (est. 1985): teleco.ca. NOIC programs: nwoinnovation.ca. NOHFC Invest North Innovation: nohfc.ca. Program terms and intake status can change — confirm directly with each program before applying. This is general information, not funding or investment advice.