Launch your own business this summer

Jan. 31, 2023 3:00 p.m.
​Apply now for the City of Vaughan’s 2023 Summer Company program

 

Aspiring student entrepreneurs can be their own boss this summer! The City of Vaughan is offering the Summer Company program, in association with the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, to prepare young entrepreneurs with a comprehensive portfolio of tools, skills, connections and resources required to succeed in their business ventures. Applications for this year’s Summer Company program are now open at vaughanbusiness.ca/Summer-Company and will close on Monday, April 17. 

This annual program provides students ages 15 to 29 with mentorship from Vaughan’s business community and access to business advisory services and workshops to help them develop important skills. Participants also have an opportunity to receive up to $3,000 in provincial grant funding to start their businesses.  

Students are invited to apply through the Province of Ontario application portal and will receive support from the City’s Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre (VBEC) to develop a business plan. Selected student entrepreneurs will be enrolled in Summer Company workshops and receive mentorship to help launch and grow their businesses. 

For the third year, training and mentorship for the program will be provided through Niagara University. Participating students will gain access to university-level business training in marketing, business modelling, operations and finance and receive a certificate of completion from Niagara. This partnership enhances the program by providing participating students with university-level educational opportunities, unique experiential learning and career-focused skills development. 

Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 230 Vaughan students have been supported. Learn more at vaughanbusiness.ca/Summer-Company. 

The Summer Company program contributes to achieving the mandate of the Advantage Vaughan initiative. 

Advantage Vaughan proposes a series of programs to support four strategic pillars of the economy, including:

  • community branding and marketing to demonstrate the advantages of doing business in Vaughan.
  • local small business owners and entrepreneurs.
  • Vaughan’s local organizations which animate the community and foster local destination development opportunities.
  • Vaughan’s residents who make up the city’s talent base. 

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