Halifax-based incubator Volta Labs, which recently received $500,000 in federal funding, is welcoming Velocity and Creative Destruction Lab founding director Jesse Rodgers to the team.
According to a report from Entrevestor, Rodgers will take the helm as CEO. Besides founding the two startup hubs, Rodgers was also co-founder of TribeHR, which was eventually acquired by California-based NetSuite for an undisclosed sum. Executive director Melody Pardoe, who had been leading the incubator until now, will become the organization’s chief operating officer.
The publication notes that the hiring of Rodgers strengthens Volta’s connection to the startup-dense Waterloo Region, as Communitech CEO Iain Klugman already serves on the Volta board. In his role, Rodgers will assist Volta’s resident founders, establish community partnerships with educational institutions, expand Volta’s influence in the ICT sector and forge new relationships within the Atlantic Canada business ecosystem. The incubator is also pushing to move into the old Memorial Library, which has been empty since the opening of Halifax’s Central Library in late 2014. City staff has already recommended that Volta occupy the memorial library’s space.
Volta, which is currently located in the Maritime Building, says that it provides “quality not quantity”, and provides startups with office space, mentorship, and resources that encourage the establishment of new startups. Its 39 startups and alumni have raised $24.5 million in equity financing since Volta’s establishment in 2013.