The City of Vancouver, Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC) and the Vancity Community Foundation have announced plans to create a Technology and Social Innovation Centre. The official location will be at 312/324 Main Street and the larger vision is to “build a financially sustainable economic development platform that fosters innovation and creates great companies and social enterprises that drive social impact and key economic development performance measures in Vancouver.”
The Technology and Social Innovation Centre will also support entrepreneurs, “social innovators,” and non-profit organizations through an accelerator program, which will focus on technology start-ups, sustainability and clean-tech, social enterprise, and micro-enterprise markets.
In addition to a startup hub, companies will also have the option to lease “lease the second floor of the building to create a hub for social innovation and inclusion.”
“Vancouver’s first Technology and Social Innovation Centre is a unique and exciting partnership that will provide significant new support to foster innovation in our community and economy,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The centre will further accelerate job growth and investment in Vancouver’s fast-growing social enterprise, technology, and start-up sectors, while providing important new resources, gathering space, and programming for the community.”
Vancouver is home to many successful startups, namely Hootsuite, Recon Instruments, Vision Critical, Unbounce, BuildDirect, QuickMobile, iQmetrix, Clio, Traction on Demand, and Axiom Zen.
Unfortunately, there was no indication as to when the Technology and Social Innovation Centre will open its doors.