Markham, ON – January 15, 2026, ventureLAB, a leading global founder community for hardware and enterprise software companies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Lynn McNeil as Semiconductor Sector Expert. In this consulting role, Lynn will report to ventureLAB CEO Hugh Chow to support key semiconductor projects and initiatives and advance strategic partnerships across public, academic, and industry stakeholders.
Lynn will work with ventureLAB’s leadership team to support the continued development of the company’s Hardtech Industrial Cluster (HIC), helping position it as a platform for commercialisation, investment, and dual-use innovation. She will also contribute her expertise across ventureLAB’s other strategic pillars, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Medical Technology (MedTech), where advanced hardware capabilities intersect with software and health innovation.
“Lynn’s appointment adds critical depth to ventureLAB’s semiconductor capabilities at a pivotal moment for Canada’s hardtech ecosystem,” said Hugh Chow, CEO of ventureLAB. “Her experience delivering complex, multi-stakeholder programs and her practical understanding of commercialization and scale-up will directly support our founders and strengthen the platforms we are building to help them compete globally.”
Lynn brings more than 30 years of experience across the semiconductor, high-tech, and medical device sectors, with deep expertise in operations, finance, engineering, and ecosystem development. Most recently, she served as Vice President, FABrIC at CMC Microsystems, where she led the development and delivery of a $220M+ federal ISED Strategic Response Fund program to strengthen Canada’s semiconductor ecosystem.
“I’m excited to join ventureLAB at a time when semiconductors are increasingly central to Canada’s economic and national priorities,” said Lynn McNeil. “ventureLAB plays a unique role in bringing together founders, researchers, industry, and government, and I look forward to contributing my experience to help build strong, scalable pathways from innovation to commercialization.”
Lynn is a Chartered Director (C.Dir) with extensive board governance experience and a long-standing commitment to mentorship and ecosystem collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Physics from McMaster University and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
This appointment reflects ventureLAB’s continued investment in specialized expertise to strengthen its institutional capacity and deliver founder-centric impact across Canada’s semiconductor and hardtech ecosystem.
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.
