PTBOCanada Featured Post: Learn About How The Innovation Cluster Is Having A Huge Impact With Startups

Peterborough and the Kawarthas is becoming more and more a land of entrepreneurial opportunity. Our area is home to what seems like a new start up every week, and while it’s nice to see, it’s also sadly inevitable that many won’t stand the test of time regardless of the sector. Not everything is doom and gloom though!

Giving start-ups a better chance at survival in Peterborough and the Kawarthas is our local Innovation Cluster which is a fully funded not-for-profit that empowers and skyrockets start-ups by providing them with the tools, resources and connections to funding in their region which they may not be able to access on their own.

Great ideas are thought up all the time, but without the right backing many never see the light of day. Start-ups that are involved with incubators such as the Innovation Cluster have been reported to have an 80 percent survival rate while those going at it alone stand only a 25 percent chance of surviving for 4-5 years. Our math skills are limited, but that’s a pretty big difference in success rates!

The Innovation Cluster aims to be a difference maker for start-ups. They live and breathe entrepreneurship 24/7. They’re literally always available to provide assistance to those they’re helping.

They’re a business incubator for tech entrepreneurs within Peterborough and the Kawarthas that will launch your company both in and out of Peterborough. They help new and startup companies to develop by providing essential services such as physical office space, training and marketing assistance.

The Innovation Cluster takes everyone from early stage entrepreneurs and start-ups to young established companies in the digital, agtech, cleantech and healthcare fields, and provides them with all the means needed for a chance at success.

In order to reduce barriers to entry, the Innovation Cluster recently launched the Trent Makerspace Lab for clean tech companies and the Virtual & Augmented Reality Zone. These new facilities, located right in Peterborough, provide the equipment for R&D saving new companies time and money.

Their fun and innovative programs have helped launch several successful startups such as NobleGen Inc., Ribbet, Aclarus, Entomo Farms, Lab Improvements and Chimp Treats into fully functioning businesses located right here in our community.

Located in the newly renovated VentureNorth building in Downtown Peterborough and the DNA Building at Trent University, the knowledgeable staff and partners at the incubator will show you more support than you can shake a stick at, and ask for nothing other than your hard work in return.

Believe it or not, many incubators take equity or charge startups for their space/services. Thankfully theirs isn’t one of those! Their open concept, collaborative space is full of meeting rooms, brainstorming areas, a library/game room, and has staff just steps away at all times to provide you all the motivation and support their start-ups need. They also have the Trent Makerspace lab that is there for cleantech companies to use for product development/R&D in it’s incredible space.

The journey the Innovation Cluster will take you on to make sure you succeed is a fun one. After you’ve come up with your idea (they can’t do that part for you), you apply to the incubator. Those accepted applicants then work in a collaborative space, attend workshops, network with a lot of great professionals and other start-ups, and most importantly learn!

Here are 11 things you can expect to be provided with:

1. Innovation Specialists (advisors)

2. Access to capital

3. Access to other funding

4. Programs/Workshops

5. Networking events

6. Knowledge Partners

7. Experts in Residence

8. Incubation program

9. Accelerator program

10. Entrepreneur network

11. FastStart program (which is one of the top youth entrepreneurship programs in Ontario)

All of this is provided as a way to help you grow your business and find your path to market as the staff and fellow clients support you along the way. As you expand your business to accelerator stage, you’re then able to hire employees, buy space, and move out to be your own boss and rock it!

The decision to become your own boss isn’t an easy one. A lot of tough decisions have to be considered and sacrifices have to be made. One of the easiest decisions start-ups can make is to talk to The Innovation Cluster which can help take them down the road to a successful future. Their knowledgeable and approachable staff are eagerly waiting to help out the next big start-up in our community!

Watch this great video to learn more about the Innovation Cluster...

http://www.innovationcluster.ca/

**Apply now to the Innovation Cluster. Click here for details!

For more info on The Innovation Cluster, see below...

Website: innovationcluster.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/InnovationCluster
Twitter: @InnovationPtbo
Instagram: instagram.com/innovationcluster/

**If your business/organization is interested in a PTBOCanada Featured Post Advertorial, email our Brand Strategy Director Aaron Elliott at aaron@ptbocanada.com for info!