Markham, ON – January 13, 2026, ventureLAB is pleased to announce the appointment of Ciricia Proulx as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, a senior leadership role focused on advancing the organization’s long-term sustainability through globally aligned partnership and initiative models. This appointment supports ventureLAB’s mission to power hardtech founders to build and scale globally competitive ventures that advance Canada’s knowledge-based economy and reinforces its strategic focus across Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and MedTech.
Ciricia has worked with some of the world’s most influential technology companies. Through executive and senior leadership roles at Ericsson, Meta, and Intel, she has created and led global marketing initiatives, launching new technologies and driving global leadership for some of the world's leading technology products. Her marketing expertise across the tech sector has driven business success and propelled billion-dollar brands with major B2B and B2C programs, accelerating growth and driving innovation. She has a track record of building global partner initiatives and ecosystem collaboration in the most complex technology environments, including semiconductor, wireless, AI and connectivity.
In her role at ventureLAB, Ciricia will work across the organization and with sector leaders to translate ventureLAB’s strategic vision into actionable, financially sustainable partnership frameworks. Her mandate is global in scope and focused on shaping strategic narratives, enabling high-impact collaborations, and supporting long-term growth across ventureLAB’s priority sectors.
“Ciricia brings a strong combination of strategic insight and leadership experience that strengthens how we work with partners in support of our mission,” said Hugh Chow, CEO of ventureLAB. “Her ability to navigate complex organizations and align senior stakeholders will be instrumental as we expand our impact and help founders succeed in highly competitive markets.”
Prior to joining ventureLAB, Ciricia served as Chief Marketing Officer, North America at Ericsson, where she led marketing communications and corporate reputation for Ericsson’s largest market. In this role, she was a core member of the executive team and collaborated across leadership teams on high-impact initiatives, delivering significant business and reputational outcomes.
“I’m excited to join ventureLAB at a time of strong momentum,” said Ciricia Proulx, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships. “ventureLAB plays a critical role in Canada’s innovation ecosystem, and I look forward to working with partners globally to build sustainable models that support founders, accelerate commercialization, and strengthen Canada’s position in advanced technology.”
This appointment reflects ventureLAB’s continued commitment to collaboration, sustainability, and global impact. By aligning partners around shared value creation and long-term outcomes, ventureLAB continues to enable founders to build IP-rich companies that compete internationally.
About ventureLAB
ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada. Our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, commercializing technology and IP, and customer acquisition have enabled thousands of companies to create over 7,100 jobs and raise more than $480 million in investment capital. ventureLAB is powering hardtech founders to build and scale globally competitive ventures that advance Canada’s knowledge-based economy.
