Early this year, a new collaboration between Prochista Smart Technologies and Norda Technologies began paving the way for innovation in AI-driven telecom infrastructure, showcasing yet another example of how the ventureLAB ecosystem enables meaningful connections that turn into real opportunities for founders and industry partners.
Prochista Smart Technologies, a ventureLAB portfolio company, joined ventureLAB’s Accelerate AI program in 2024 and has since been an active participant in the community. The company specializes in AI-powered infrastructure monitoring and digital management solutions. Its technology is currently deployed at ventureLAB’s AI Compute Datacenter, where it not only demonstrates the company’s capabilities but also actively monitors the datacenter’s performance and conditions.
As an engaged startup within ventureLAB’s community, Prochista was introduced to MID Group during activities at ventureLAB’s innovation space. Rob Barlow, a long-standing ventureLAB partner and representative of MID Group, was immediately impressed by Prochista’s solution and recognized its potential relevance to network and telecom infrastructure projects. Drawing from his extensive industry network, Rob facilitated an introduction between Prochista and Norda Technologies, a company known for its expertise in outside plant fiber design, network construction, and infrastructure operations.
This connection sparked discussions between, Norda Technologies and Prochista about combining Norda’s field and construction intelligence with Prochista’s AI-driven monitoring and predictive management solutions. Together, the companies are now exploring opportunities to build smarter, more transparent, and more efficient network systems for telecom and infrastructure operators.
This collaboration was made possible through the support and strategic networking facilitated by Rob Barlow of MID Group, one of ventureLAB’s valued partners. Rob’s active engagement and ability to bridge innovators, operators, and investors continue to play a crucial role in helping startups identify new collaborations and unlock growth opportunities.
The connection between Norda Technologies and Prochista demonstrates how ventureLAB’s collaborative environment empowers founders to build relationships that translate into tangible, high-impact outcomes. It also underscores how partners like MID Group strengthen the network by fostering trust, knowledge sharing, and industry engagement.
“ventureLAB has provided us with an incredible platform to grow, from access to experienced mentors and industry experts to a collaborative workspace that fosters innovation. The environment here naturally encourages networking and meaningful connections. Through this ecosystem, we’ve had the opportunity to meet amazing partners and collaborators who have truly accelerated our progress.” Quote from Amirali Pasdar, CEO of Prochista
As Norda Technologies and Prochista continue to develop their joint initiatives, the partnership stands as a testament to the value of community-driven innovation and the important role ventureLAB’s ecosystem plays in shaping the future of Canada’s technology landscape.
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 7,000 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.
About MID Group
MID Group is a Canadian hardtech commercialization partner that takes products from concept to market-ready. With a 30-person team of engineers, designers, and software specialists, we deliver end-to-end services in IoT, mining, agriculture, industrial automation, and health tech. We help clients prototype, certify, manufacture, and scale, while opening doors to investors and strategic partners.
About Norda Technologies
NORDA unifies telecom-grade networks, IT systems, and cloud/IoT into one Digital Twin Fabric, delivering unprecedented resilience, sovereignty, and foresight for critical infrastructure.
