BC Venture Acceleration Program rolls into Northwest B.C.
Smithers, British Columbia – It’s an excellent time to be a technology innovator in Northwest B.C. now that the province-wide BC Acceleration Program is available to companies in the region. The BC Innovation Council (BCIC) is pleased to welcome the Bulkley Valley Economic Development Association (BVEDA) as its newest partner in the BC Acceleration Network.
Today, the Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services Andrew Wilkinson was joined by representatives from the business and technology community in Smithers to celebrate the launch of the new program.
“Northwest B.C. is rich with talent and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Wilkinson. “Technology companies getting involved in this program will have access to extensive training and mentorship to help them grow and bring their products to the marketplace. I wish them much success.”
Earlier this summer, BVEDA welcomed its first company Road 2 Math Learning Inc., founded by Holdger Rode, to the program and he has already begun to benefit from the coaching provided by Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) Carl Anderson as he develops his company’s go-to market strategy.
“We are excited to bring the Venture Acceleration Program to the northwest and to get technology innovators working with EiR Carl Anderson, who truly understands the challenges in operating a small business in rural areas,” said Allan Stroet, Economic Development Officer, BVEDA. “There are huge opportunities for tech-related businesses to scale up their operations or introduce new ideas to the market with all of the industrial activity taking place around us."
The BC Venture Acceleration Program is a structured program designed to train, coach and grow ambitious technology entrepreneurs and innovators in B.C. Based on global best practices for successfully commercializing technology and innovation, the program is offered by partners in the BC Acceleration Network and led by a dedicated Executive in Residence (EiR).
“The Venture Acceleration Program is not only for traditional tech startups like software companies,” said Dean Prelazzi. “The program is also well suited to assist industrial innovators in successfully getting their products to market and growing their business so we’re pleased to be partnering with BVEDA to bring this program to entrepreneurs in the region.”
Launched in 2011, the BC Venture Acceleration Program is available to technology companies across eight regions in B.C. To date the program has trained 428 entrepreneurs in 275 companies who have created 758 jobs and raised more than $62.9 million in investment.
To learn more or apply for the BC Venture Acceleration Program with BVEDA, visit their website or bcacceleration.ca.
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