Today, MaRS announced the launch of its Connected Entrepreneur Survey with the goal of creating a map that will “connect the dots” between entrepreneurs and the networks that led to their success.
The initiative is being led by MaRS Data Catalyst, which is currently collecting and tracking quantitative metrics — such as capital, revenue, and jobs — of nearly 5,000 companies across the province through the Innovation Data Partnership of Ontario. The organization wants to provide easy access to data and insights in order to encourage startup growth.
“There is a growing need to understand and measure the hidden connections within startup ecosystems in order to better support entrepreneurs around the world,” said Malavika Kumaran, senior associate of research at MaRS Data Catalyst. “Since Ontario is comprised of many established entrepreneurial cities like Toronto, Waterloo, and Ottawa, studying the networks of thousands of entrepreneurs, their mentors and investors across the province can help to put our cities on a global stage and set an example for other cities around the world.”
The survey is open for three months, and Kumaran said that the map will ultimately help researchers and policymakers discover large-scale patterns that characterize startup ecosystems, and identify common factors for a startups success.
“The map will uncover the critical connections between entrepreneurs, individuals and organizations that fuel the growth of the startup ecosystem in Ontario,” said Kumaran. “For the first time, we’ll have a comprehensive view of all startup activity across the province: not only the companies and technologies that are being created here, but every relationship and connection that contributes to a startup’s journey.”
MaRS is a member of the Global Entrepreneurship Research Network, a collaboration of 100 research organizations working to map 100 cities across the world. Ontario is the first province that MaRS Data Catalyst is mapping.