Following Startup Canada‘s call for proposals for its new Startup Space Fund, the organization announced the first recipients of the Fund, which sought grassroots, entrepreneur-led coworking spaces.
Startup Canada is beginning a partnership with four east coast coworking spaces — Hub SouthShore in Mahone Bay, N.S., The Spot in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Volta Labs in Halifax, N.S. and Common Ground Coworking in St. John’s, Nfld. The announcement was made at Dalhousie University during Startup Canada’s east coast #EveryEntrepreneur kickoff.
During the east coast kickoff, Startup Canada also announced that the organization would create an entrepreneur champion network, a collective of individuals dedicated to opening doors for entrepreneurs, and a community loan fund that will provide funding to entrepreneurs based on business validation.
Desks at the four west coast coworking spaces will be made available to entrepreneurs through the Startup Canada Passport, a component of the Startup Canada Membership Program that will launch 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 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.”
Photo credit: Cyprian Szalankiewicz