Startup Canada has finally announced its first venture on Thursday, May 2nd by the name of Startup Canada Communities. The flagship venture from Startup Canada will enable entrepreneurs in the region to access their local entrepreneur community so they could get in touch with mentors, gain space, support and funding to commence and boost their businesses by connecting with other startup founders as well. The Startup Canada Communities will make this possible through the network of local websites and events led by entrepreneurs along with activities that “unite the entire community.” According to the non-profit organization its venture will “trailblaze a new approach to support entrepreneurs—from the bottom up.”
“From access to co-working space in St. John’s and coding workshops for women entrepreneurs in London, to entrepreneur networking events in Prince George and startup pitch events in Ottawa, entrepreneurs across Canada will be able to plug into their local startup community easier than ever before and use the new Startup Communities website to find events, other startup founders and support in their local community.”
CEO of Startup Canada, Victoria Lennox, said on this occasion that, “Healthy and vibrant entrepreneurial communities at a local level are the heart of supporting and driving the growth of startups – community development and entrepreneurial development go hand-in-hand. We are uniting and harnessing the momentum of the Startup Canada movement to form the foundations of a pan-Canadian network to inspire, support, and provide constant encouragement to entrepreneurs.”
Startup Canada has managed to lure 15 pilot communities, as a wave of its local network to launch its venture. These 15 areas include: St. John’s, NF, Fredericton, NB, Charlottetown, PE, Quebec City, QC, Montreal, QC, Ottawa, ON, York Region, ON, London, ON, Kingston, ON, Winnipeg, MB, Calgary, AB, Lethbridge, AB, Smithers, BC, Prince George, BC and Langford, BC.
Founder of Startup Edmonton and a Startup Canada Communities Project Advisor, Ken Bautista has said that, “There are many bright, innovative business people in Canada who just need a bit of help with resources and guidance to get their ideas off the ground. As an entrepreneur-led, entrepreneur-driven initiative, this will enable home-grown entrepreneurs to keep pushing the bar as the world shifts to a global knowledge-based economy where the renewable resource is creativity and innovation.”
As far as the advisor team for the project is concerned it includes Bjoern Herrmann from Startup Genome, cofounder of TechStars Brad Feld, and Jonathan Ortmans of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Feld said, “This grassroots model for entrepreneurial development is truly transformative and will position Canada as a beacon for entrepreneurs worldwide. Startup Canada’s national network of communities will ensure that entrepreneurs of today and the generations to follow will have the necessary tools, communities and culture to succeed.”
The organization has also made it known on this occasion that the first year results of their pilot project will be utilised to make the model more solid, so it can help them launch a new wave of Startup Canada Communities during the next year.
Source: TechVibes
Canada-Based TradableBits Media Introduces New Web App Stream to Bring All Social Networks to One Place
Despite Having 15 Million Unique Monthly Visitors, Wattpad’s CEO Has No Plans to Monetize Site
Lunches So Good Kids Can’t Ignore Them
Invigorating Ginger Smoothie
The U.K.’s Youngest Parents Ever
The new hair Jennifer Lawrence