Vaughan welcomes new innovation space at Pierre Berton Resource Library
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City partners with Vaughan Public Libraries and ventureLAB to open satellite location for entrepreneurs
Today, the City of Vaughan, in partnership with Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) and ventureLAB, hosted a virtual ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the official opening of a new innovation space in Vaughan. ventureLAB’s new satellite location at the Pierre Berton Resource Library will provide resources and advisory support to local technology startups.
With the support and space provided by VPL at Pierre Berton Resource Library, ventureLAB will leverage this new entrepreneurship development site to further support Vaughan-based entrepreneurs with technology-driven programs and services. Entrepreneurs can book desk space through ventureLAB’s Innovation Hub Membership. Once in Step 3 of the Province of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopening framework, the innovation space capacity will be limited. COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place. Eventually, as more restrictions are lifted, entrepreneurs can access the site to co-work, connect with other innovators, gain advisory support, and attend workshops and other events.
ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software startups and scaleups, located in the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region. Through its growth-oriented initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, commercializing technology and IP, and customer acquisition, ventureLAB has enabled thousands of companies to create more than 4,000 jobs and raise more than $200 million in investment capital.
Working in collaboration with the City’s Economic and Cultural Development department, this partnership expands ventureLAB’s reach across the region to offer better access to professional coaching, mentoring and strategic advice from an experienced growth advisor for Vaughan-based businesses. In addition, founders and entrepreneurs can access tailored support services and workshops, such as an Investment Readiness Clinic.
Earlier this year, ventureLAB and VPL partnered with the City on a first-of-its-kind innovation program in Ontario, Activate!Vaughan. Under the Activate!Vaughan innovation challenge series, the City launched a Smart City Challenge, calling on entrepreneurs to present technological solutions that further enhance the quality of life in Vaughan. Activate!Vaughan is a problem-based innovation program that provides local startups and scaleups mentorship, co-development and collaboration opportunities with industry-leading enterprises, accelerating the development and commercialization of cutting-edge technologies.
The City is also working with ventureLAB to undertake a collaborative effort to transform an 82-acre parcel of land at Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive into the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in October 2019 between the City of Vaughan, York University, Mackenzie Health and ventureLAB to identify transformational opportunities to maximize the best use of lands surrounding the site of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital through a feasibility study. Part one of the study was completed and released on vaughanbusiness.ca in July 2020.
QUOTES
“Today, with the official opening of an innovation space located within the Pierre Berton Resource Library, the City of Vaughan, ventureLAB and Vaughan Public Libraries took another step forward to strengthen our collaborative partnership. This new site will enable ventureLAB to further engage and support local entrepreneurs through technology-driven programs and services. Vaughan continues to lead with innovation. As home to more than 19,000 companies that employ more than 225,000 people, our city has the talent, resources and networks to help businesses of all sizes grow. Creating the right environment to help professionals unleash their full potential is a top priority. This is achieved through effective partnerships. I want to extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Melissa Chee and the dedicated staff at ventureLAB for their ongoing collaboration to ensure Vaughan businesses are best positioned to forge ahead on the road to recovery. I also want to thank Margie Singleton and the remarkable team at Vaughan Public Libraries for their efforts to provide innovation, resources and support to our citizens and businesses. The Vaughan spirit is ready, resilient and resourceful. We remain focused on the path forward. I am confident that if we continue working together and supporting each other, we will emerge stronger.”
- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
“Vaughan Public Libraries is thrilled to partner with the City of Vaughan and ventureLAB at the Pierre Berton Resource Library. This incredible collaboration will create many opportunities for local businesses in York Region. VPL is committed to offering welcoming destinations that educate, excite, and empower our community. We have a host of resources, including databases, training courses, and Creation Space tools to use. We look forward to seeing entrepreneurs utilizing our spaces and serving our community through innovation and collaboration.”
- Rose Savage, Chair, Vaughan Public Libraries
"We are excited to partner with the City of Vaughan and Vaughan Public Libraries to expand ventureLAB's presence across York Region. Vaughan has a thriving entrepreneurial community, and we look forward to working with more scale-ready tech founders building a new generation of anchor Canadian companies with transformational hardware and enterprise solutions for health, clean energy, automotive, agriculture, and more for our local and global markets — all sectors that create well-paying jobs right here in Canada."
- Melissa Chee, President and CEO, ventureLAB
QUICK FACTS
- In October 2019, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and ventureLAB President and CEO, Melissa Chee, announced a new partnership during the City’s Small Business Week launch, with local business leaders.
- To stay informed on the City of Vaughan’s newest business resources and initiatives, entrepreneurs can sign up for the Economic and Cultural Development department’s eNewsletter at vaughanbusiness.ca/enewsletters.
- To stay up to date on the latest updates as they happen, residents are encouraged to sign up for the City Update eNewsletter at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate and follow the City’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels.
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