Millennials, those of us born between 1982 and 2004, have received a lot of bad press; we are often associated with the personality traits of being “bratty”, narcissistic, lazy, and entitled. However, Millennials now make up a third of the Canadian and American population and are the largest customer demographic in the North America. With…
Until earlier this year, when I started my career with Mentor Works, I felt like nothing that I did really mattered. I felt empty, like I wasn’t contributing in a way that made a difference to myself or to society. I often attribute this to an education system that provides lots of “what” (the material…
FedDev Ontario’s 2014 launch of the Southern Ontario Prosperity Initiatives (SOPI) provided $530 million for small businesses to finance a variety of innovative and productivity-building projects. Investing in Business Innovation (IBI) is one of the four business-oriented programs created through the SOPI’s and aims to assist early-stage businesses to commercialize new, innovative products and processes….
Mentor Works gets several calls a day from entrepreneurs and aspiring small business owners on how to get started. Their questions vary, but each one is looking to orient themselves in this space and find out what sort of government backed programs exist to support them. I have had the pleasure of working in this space…
Waterloo, Ontario-based social messaging application Kik has become one of three Canadian companies to be valued at $1 billion or more. This valuation comes after the company received an investment of $50 million (USD) from Chinese internet giant Tencent. With over 240 million registered users around the world, Kik has gained a great following and by…
This summer I had the privilege of walking Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario during the final round of the Canadian Open golf tournament. My second time being on the course, I was immediately taken back by the stunning landscape, the peaceful chirp of birds, and being surrounded by some of the best golfers…
FedDev Ontario recently announced their continued support for Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (Northumberland CFDC). The CFDC – a not-for-profit organization that delivers financing and business strategy to entrepreneurs – will receive a $1.1M expansion to their original pilot project which supported 22 tech startups in the area. The program also created 53 new jobs…
The state of entrepreneurship is changing globally as more youth are taking self-employment options over working for established organizations. The statistics, provided in July’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, are clear that this trend is significant and shows a shift in the way that youth across the world are approaching the labour market. Youth are…
The Western Ontario Community Futures Development Corporation Association (WOCFDCA) has recently received over $3.2 million in funds from FedDev Ontario. This funding will be matched by Southwestern Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs), allowing for the establishment of a $6.2 million investment fund for the regional diversification of businesses across southwestern Ontario. These funds will…
Innovation Factory is a Regional Innovation Centre (RIC) which assists startups and SMEs in the Greater Hamilton Area by helping them bring innovation to market and get their business to the ‘next level’ of excellence. Startups as well as established businesses can benefit from Innovation Factory’s resources which help to strategically build innovation into their…