Halifax, October 16, 2015 | Thanks to a new partnership between Startup Canada and five East Coast coworking spaces – Hub SouthShore in Mahone Bay, N.S., The Spot in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Volta Labs in Halifax, N.S., Common Ground Co-Working in St. John’s, Nfld and Planet Hatch in Fredericton, N.B. – entrepreneurs now have more co-working opportunities in Atlantic Canada. These entrepreneur hubs are the first recipients of Startup Canada’s Startup Space Fund, the organization announced on Wednesday.
The announcement comes after a call-for-proposals was issued by Startup Canada in early September to partner with grassroots, entrepreneur-led co-working spaces, incubators, and makerspaces across Canada to create or provide physical spaces for Startup Canada Members to start and grow their businesses.
“The partnerships established through the Startup Canada Startup Space Fund will give entrepreneurs living and travelling in the Atlantic provinces easy access to innovative places to work,” said Victoria Lennox, CEO of Startup Canada. “It’s another step forward in connecting entrepreneurs to local support and showcasing what Atlantic Canada has to offer.”
The announcement was made Oct. 14 at Dalhousie University during Startup Canada’s #EveryEntrepreneur Tour kick-off, which inspired, mentored and connected East Coast entrepreneurs with new opportunities to start and grow their companies, and provided a platform for entrepreneurs to voice needs and calls-to-action to advance entrepreneurship in the region.
Hot desks at the four locations will be made available to entrepreneurs through the Startup Canada Passport, a component of the Startup Canada Membership Program, which launches in 2016.The spaces were chosen based on regional demand, the innovative nature of the space, and additional benefits provided to Startup Canada Members.
The Startup Canada Startup Space Fund is one of four Startup Canada Investment Funds. As Startup Canada travels the country with its #EveryEntrepreneur Tour, the organization will announce further recipients of the Startup Canada Startup Space Fund, the Startup Canada Retail Startup Fund, Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurship Fund and the Startup Canada Community Investment Fund.
The Startup Canada Startup Space Fund is supported by Intuit QuickBooks, TruShield Insurance and UPS, industry leaders committed to strengthening the national entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada through grassroots startup initiatives.
For more information or to schedule interviews with the recipients, please contact:
Kathryn Forrest
Communications & Marketing Manager, Startup Canada
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is a grassroots network of more than 100,000 entrepreneurs and more than 500 like-minded organizations that support entrepreneurs and small businesses as the voice of Canada’s startup community. Learn more at startupcan.ca.