Student Businesses Put Ideas to the Test at Innovation Cluster Slingshot Pitch Competition

Jagadheesh Sathya Nayarana Rao of ParkQuik got the top prize of $3,000 from the Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas (ICPK) Slingshot Pitch Competition held at Venture North on Thursday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster Peterborough.

The competition was a finale of the seven-week Slingshot Student Accelerator Program from six diverse student companies.

The contest turns students’ ideas into Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and crafting robust business models. It spans form healthcare innovations to AI-powered software solutions, the ideas have been brought to life by students from Trent University and Fleming College.

“This seven-week program was a transformative journey for me,” said Rao. “Winning the top prize in the final pitch competition not only validates my hard work but also provides essential funds to boost my business after the app launch. The program's hands-on approach to innovation and technology, along with expert mentorship, has prepared me for success.”

Camila Duarte, programs director, along with experts helped advisor the projects as advisors.

“Seeing these young entrepreneurs grow and succeed has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Duarte. “The Slingshot program exemplifies our commitment to fostering innovation, and we look forward to seeing these bright minds continue to thrive in the business world.”

Each of the six participating student companies has been granted a conditionally pre-approved loan of $20,000 from Community Futures Peterborough.

Judges for the final pitch included:

• Waun Broderick, CTO, & Co-Founder of Gyroscopic Inc, Innovation Cluster Expert in Residence

• Wael Nawara, Professor at Fleming College

• Jaime Nobes, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, Leapzone Lead and Science Teacher

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Fresh Boost, Naturopathic Medicine, TryberSecurity and Photo Booth Fun

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StoosNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Fresh Boost is a new Health-minded takeout restaurant, in Bridgenorth.

Located at 892 Ward St. just before the Causeway, Fresh Boost offers a wide variety of banana, tropical, fruit blend and morning rush smoothies, parfait cups, salads, bowls, wraps, lots of protein options and more. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., stop in or find Fresh Boost on Facebook.

Dr. Kori Macarthur is a Naturopathic Doctor who recently launched her practice at the Peterborough Center of Naturopathic Medicine in East City and will be joining the team at the new Millbrook Apothecary within the next few weeks.

She also offers virtual care to anyone in Ontario online. Dr. Macarthur focuses on skin health, treating acne, eczema, psoriasis, digestion problems, hormonal health and more. You can contact Dr. Kori Macarthur at The Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine at pcnm.ca or korimacarthur.com.

Graeme Barrie is gearing up for the launch of TryberSecurity, a revolutionary cybersecurity platform tailored to the unique needs of startups and small businesses.

Cybersecurity has become a major concern for small businesses and startups as they face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The TryberSecurity platform is an all-in-one solution and includes a secure and collaborative information-sharing space, informative training videos, policy templates and practical playbooks. Graeme is looking for founding members who will benefit from a lifetime membership at no cost. Visit trybersecurity.com for details.

If you are looking for a way to add some fun to your next event, check out Phillip Jolicoeur’s Photo Booth Fun.

Whether it’s a private party, graduation, wedding, anniversary, you name it, the Photo Booth Fun offers anything from silly photo props to stunning backdrops to the luxurious touch of red carpets and velvet ropes, Guests get on-the-spot, customized photo prints. If you are a not-for-profit or charity, you can even create sponsorship opportunities where every photo printed bears the sponsor’s logo. Bookings are available at pjthemarketingguy.com.

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Voice of Business: Creating a National Strategy Regarding Healthcare Credentials

Every province and territory in Canada is struggling to find enough healthcare professionals, adding strain on already overburdened systems.

This is impacting access to effective and efficient healthcare, limiting labour mobility and increasing lost time and productivity across all sectors. As we struggle to train enough workers domestically, barriers to labour mobility in the healthcare sector are keeping skilled workers away. The fragmented and archaic foreign credential recognition processes across the country are leaving qualified newcomers working in areas outside of their expertise. We need a national strategy regarding accreditation barriers in the healthcare sector that addresses interprovincial and international qualifications.

The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce and Fredericton Chamber of Commerce have teamed up on a policy resolution submitted to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) at the October convention, urging the federal government to take action on this issue. Policy resolutions are one way for Chambers to work together to create change. If approved by the CCC members, this resolution would become part of the CCC’s advocacy efforts for the next three years.

Systemic healthcare deficiencies across Canada are holding back our workforce and our economy.

The OurCare national survey showed an estimated 6.5 million Canadians are without a family doctor. In Ontario alone, the Ontario College of Family Physicians estimates 15 per cent of the population is without a family doctor and expects that to increase.

Workers who do not have access to primary healthcare through a family doctor are left to piece together solutions for their healthcare needs. The demands on hospitals and a lack of available workers have led to lengthy ER wait times, contributing to worse health outcomes, more time spent trying to access healthcare and more lost time in the workforce.

A shortage of accredited workers is also holding back private sector healthcare providers from meeting the needs of Canadians and supplementing the public system.

In 2020, a Statistics Canada report noted skilled newcomers are under-used in the healthcare sector with 47 per cent of them either unemployed or underemployed in non-healthcare jobs needing only a high school education.

The Government of Canada already provides funding to governments and organizations through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) to support foreign credential recognition in Canada. These other organizations may include regulatory bodies, national associations and credential assessment agencies. Every year, Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program invests roughly $27.1 million through agreements with provinces and territories, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders to help support the labour market integration of skilled newcomers.

While these measures may help, this piecemeal approach will also further exacerbate provincial and territorial variance as programs and projects are implemented on a case-by-case basis. These investments also demonstrate that the federal government accepts that it has a role to play in credential recognition, despite most credentialling bodies being provincial in nature.

Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Class Istanbul, Jaclyn's, Rollz Ice Cream and Held to the Fire

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StoosNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Class Istanbul Kebab House is Mert Baran’s new restaurant in Peterborough.

Located at 116 Parkhill Rd, just over the Parkhill Road bridge beside Domino’s, Baran brings authentic Turkish cuisine with familiar dishes such as wraps, shawarma, baklava and of course shish kebabs. You’ll also find Turkish pizza, called pide, Turkish desserts and doner kebab. Mert and his family recently moved to Bridgenorth. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. for dine-in or takeout or find them on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Ashley Meade and Cathy Alton have also jumped into the restaurant business in Bobcaygeon.

Named after Cathy’s daughter and Ashley’s sister, Jaclyn’s recently opened at 40 Bolton St. in Bobcaygeon at the former EggSmart location. Already owners of the Daylight Diner, Jaclyn’s is open daily, from 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. except on Thursdays. They serve traditional breakfasts, several varieties of eggs benedict, pancakes and French toast, skillets, omelets and breakfast sandwiches, as well as burgers, salads, sandwiches, poutines and baskets for lunch. Stop in or find them on Facebook.

Jay Patel recently opened his own Rollz Ice Cream and Desserts franchise in Peterborough.

Located at 1135 Lansdowne St., in the Parkway Plaza, Rollz features rolled ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, cheesecakes and ice cream burgers, all in a wide variety of flavours and customized toppings, including vegan, desi and halal.

Matthew Flagler has just published a book, described as ‘an authentic retelling of the most tragic event in the Peterborough’s history – the 1916 Quaker Oats Fire.’

Held To The Fire is told in a narrative format, through the eyes of those who experienced it. It’s a fascinating look into Peterborough’s history against the context of the first world war, and honours the people as much as the event, including Flagler’s Great Grandfather, Dennis O’Brien, who is credited with saving several lives that day, before perishing in the fire himself. You’ll find Held To The Fire in both print and ebook formats, and available in local independent bookstores or on Amazon. Look for @author_matthewflagler on Instagram and TikTok.

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Voice of Business: Government Loan Repayment Post Cabinet Shuffle

Repaying loans is creating another financial challenge for our local business community.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), The Bank of Canada recently increased interest rates and now the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) repayment deadline is looming. Many small business owners are facing more debt and more barriers to the long road of recovery from the pandemic. As we previously stated in our March Voice of Business column, it cannot be stressed enough that CEBA loan repayment is still a challenge for many small businesses. Recently, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and 280 industry associations penned a letter to Minister Freeland highlighting the number of businesses that may not survive in the long term due to ever-growing debt. According to the letter, 49 per cent of small businesses’ revenues are still below normal, and approximately half of tourism-based businesses may not survive in the next few years.

“…not all businesses have their heads above water yet: they’re facing extreme inflation, unreliable supply chains, and the tightest hiring market in a generation. They’re just asking for more time to pay the government back.”

- Matthew Holmes, Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

In another turn of events, the federal government announced a cabinet shuffle on July 26. In this change, there will be a new Minister of Small Business, MP Rechie Valdez. Valdez is a former small business owner herself. We look forward to seeing what she can bring to the table. In the swearing-in ceremony, she stated she would like to make the small business its own portfolio.

The need for an extension has already come up in the past. In 2021, the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce authored a Policy Resolution for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce calling on the federal government to:

1. Extend the deadlines for repayment of the Canada Emergency Business Account program by two years.

2. Make the forgivable portion of the loan available to all businesses that continue to have operations impacted by ongoing COVID-19 public health restrictions throughout 2021.

3. Allow businesses that continue to have operations impacted by ongoing COVID-19 public health restrictions in 2021 to be exempt from incurring interest prior to the balance of their loan being due.

With the deadline to receive partial loan forgiveness approaching in approximately 5 months, it is imperative that those who can repay their loans do so and return those funds back to government coffers. We can ease the decision for the government to extend the loan repayment windows for the businesses that are struggling the most. We have a new Minister of Small Business, which means now is the time to remind the government that not all businesses have recovered and are in a position to pay back their debts.

While most of the restrictions and challenges of the pandemic are over, we are still seeing the lasting impacts for the small business community. Peterborough and the Kawarthas’ economy depends on tourism and hospitality businesses, so let’s continue to work together to climb the ladder out of the pandemic slump still facing us today, hopefully with continued support from the federal government.

Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Naomi Gaskin, Naturopathic, Open Sky Stories and The Chill Desire

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StoosNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Naomi Gaskin is a registered Psychotherapist, offering Psychotherapy, Executive Coaching and Group Workshops from her Peterborough office.

Located in East City, Naomi works with individuals, adults or young adults, couples or groups offering trust, safety, and a promise to be seen and heard. Naomi believes that the way forward is through it. Visit naomigtherapy.com for details or to book a free consultation.

Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine is expanding into Millbrook.

Owner Dr. Brenda Tapp says her second location will be opening in mid-august at 36 King St East downtown Millbrook, offering four naturopathic doctors accepting new patients as well as a retail store featuring personal care products, chemical free cleaners, supplements, health foods and more! Watch for the official opening of The Village Apothecary in Millbrook in the next few weeks.

Open Sky Stories is Erica Richmond’s business.

Richmond is inspiring connection, creativity and collaboration, one word at a time! Richmond offers a writing community, with writing workshops, programs such as the Mail Art Stories, and the Connected Stories projects, a product line including her clever Postcard Stories featuring writing activities printed on postcards, and she has published her own book called Pixie and the Bees. Check it all out at openskystories.com or on Facebook and Instagram.

The Chill Desire is a new destination for Peterborough Ice Cream lovers.

Brothers Juneja and Nitish recently opened their new ice cream parlour at 366 George St. N. The brothers start with quality local ice cream from Central Smith Creamery and Kawartha Dairy in cones, Belgian waffles or cups, sundaes, smoothies and milkshakes. They are also bringing their Indian heritage into some of their menu items, so can try falooda, kulfi, gulab jamun, badam milk, and a few Indian ice cream flavours. Nitish and Juneja are Fleming graduates and good guys, so check them out at 366 George St. or on Instagram.

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New Turkish Restaurant 'Class Istanbul Kebab House' To Host Its Grand Opening This Sunday

Peterborough’s newest restaurant brings a taste of Turkey to town as Class Istanbul Kebab House is set to make its grand opening this Sunday at 2 p.m.

Mert Baran, Class Istanbul Kebab House owner showcases his Iskender Doner: doner kebab meat with a hot tomato sauce over pita with yogurt. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The restaurant brings authentic Turkish cuisine with familiar dishes such as wraps, shawarma, baklava and a variety of shish kebabs. They also bring cheese pide (Turkish pizza), Turkish desserts and their national dish, doner kebab.

Mert Baran, Class Istanbul Kebab House owner said that every time he’s been in Peterborough, he’s never seen any Turkish restaurants in town. He wanted to bring his heritage cuisine to share with the city.

“We want to bring our food up here,” he explained. “I really want people to try it. I trust our kitchen, I trust our food and it’s really tasty.”

The restaurant is located at the former Nicholas Oval restaurant on 116 Parkhill Rd. E. They have soft-opened since Monday and have already been met with several customers leaving positive feedback according to Baran.

“People have come by, tasted our food and they really love it,” he said. “I always have had good comments since we opened the restaurant.”

Class Istanbul Kebab House is the first restaurant Baran has ever owned. He owns a construction company and has done a lot of business near Peterborough since 2009. He always enjoyed his time spent in the City when he visited.

He has a house in Woodbridge and in Bridgenorth. He thought about opening his restaurant in Toronto but opted for Peterborough as he moved his family to his Bridgenorth property to focus on Class Istanbul Kebab House.

“I really love Peterborough,” said Baran. “That's why I opened my business up here.”

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Community Futures Peterborough Launches Program 'ScaleUP' to Aid Growth For Local Businesses

Community Futures Peterborough (CFP) and Scotiabank have partnered to pilot ‘ScaleUP’, a program designed to help local businesses grow announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Community Futures Peterborough.

"Business owners in the community have told us they are facing roadblocks when making key decisions about when and how to scale their operations,” says Devon Girard, CFP executive director. “Encouraging sustainable employment within our region is central to our mission at Community Futures Peterborough. The ScaleUP 2023 program has been specially designed to address this, offering a custom roadmap that guides entrepreneurs through the complex landscape of sustainable growth.”

The ScaleUP program started in 2022 and aided six local women-led businesses according to a press release. CFP reports that the seats available for area businesses have doubled since partnering with Scotiabank.

“Scotiabank has long been committed to supporting entrepreneurs and we are excited to be part of this initiative in partnership with Community Futures Peterborough,” said Chris Skinner, Scotiabank’s district VP of Ontario Central East. “The support this program offers to participants is aligned to the advice we deliver to our customers through personalized conversations and planning that can position them to grow their business.”

This year’s cohort of entrepreneurs is led by industry consultant Diane Richard and a team of regional experts according to a press release. They will learn in a mix of classroom sessions and one-on-one strategic consultations tailored to their unique growth opportunities.

The cohort will delve into crucial areas such as financial management, supply chain optimization, people management, crisis control, organizational structuring, and creating effective policies as stated by CFP. The program will finish with a tailor-made growth plan for sustainable expansion.

"Seeing the growth and evolution of local businesses is genuinely rewarding. The ScaleUP program aims to drive expansion and equip entrepreneurs with long-term strategies for success,” said Richard. “It's about building thriving businesses, contributing to our local economy and creating employment opportunities.”

Nancy Wiskel, Dan Joyce Clothing owner, expanded to a second location from the 2022 ScaleUP pilot.

“The program has positively influenced the health of my business,” she said. “I'm now more proactive with my staff and contractors and have developed a critical view of my supply chain, leading to open and constructive discussions with suppliers.”

“The ScaleUP program far exceeded my expectations in multiple ways,” said Roxanne McDonald-Brown, owner of Renew Medical Aesthetics and a 2022 ScaleUP graduate. “Diane, our mentor, was a powerhouse of support and knowledge. But it was more than just a learning experience. The bonds I formed with fellow entrepreneurs, who offered mutual support throughout the process, have become one of my favourite aspects of the program. Even post-program, we continue to meet at local restaurants, discussing triumphs and challenges. This sense of community and belonging we've cultivated is unparalleled.”

Applications for the 2023 ScaleUP program are open to businesses located within Peterborough City or County.

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Voice of Business: Passenger Rail Service One Step Closer

Passenger rail service to Peterborough and beyond has cleared another stage toward construction.

Transport Canada announced on July 20 that the Request for Qualifications it issued back in April had concluded and three proponents were selected as eligible to bid on the upcoming Request for Proposals.

The project will link Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Trois-Rivières, and Québec City with regular passenger rail service on dedicated passenger lines. It will require hundreds of kilometres of new track, refurbishment of old rail beds, new or improved crossings at every road it crosses, agreements with property owners, new stations, and a lot of planning. Creating a proposal for a project of this scale will require significant resources, which is why each of the three proponents are conglomerates made up of large construction and transportation industry companies.

The following groups have been invited to move to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage:

• Cadence (CDPQ Infra, SNC-Lavalin, Systra Canada, Keolis Canada)

• Intercity Rail Developers (Intercity Development Partners, EllisDon Capital, Kilmer Transportation, First Rail Holdings, Jacobs, Hatch, CIMA+, First Group, RATP Dev Canada, Renfe Operadora)

• QConnexiON Rail Partners (Fengate, John Laing, Bechtel, WSP Canada, Deutsche Bahn)

Next up will be one of the most exciting phases in the project: Request for Proposals. Expected to launch this September, proponents will be expected to draw up their plan to meet the goals of VIA HFR and Transport Canada with a technically and commercially feasible solution that includes both a business and management plan. The proposals should answer a lot of the big questions about this project, including cost, where the lines will run, whether there will be high-speed sections, construction timelines, whether any additional towns/cities will get a stop, where the line will connect to Toronto, and whether the lines will twin alongside freight and include much-needed freight line refurbishment.

Additionally, the project will be required to meet reconciliation goals, as per Transport Canada:

“Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is a priority for the Government of Canada, and this is why early engagement with Indigenous communities is already underway. As part of the RFQ process, respondents were required to demonstrate their capacity to work with the government to create mutually beneficial, socio-economic development opportunities for Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous reconciliation is critical to the success of the HFR project and will be integrated in all phases of the project.”

The government expects to evaluate the proposal submissions in the summer of 2024. Following that, a case will be made to our federal government to fund it. Considering the years and hundreds of millions of dollars that will have already been spent at that point, it should be a choice between different business models and levels of service. Ideally, the business plan will show a high return on investment. After all, VIA’s big push for this project and its first dedicated passenger tracks is that they will be able to provide a higher level of service, which should equate to a much higher return on investment and push the crown corporation toward profitability.

As well, this project promises to move us forward in fighting climate change. The proposals should lay out a case for the amount of emissions they will help us cut while improving intercity connectivity. The rail network should be electric (or at least almost all electric), providing people with sustainable and environmentally-friendly transportation.

We still have a long way to go before passenger trains will stop in Peterborough, but we have come a long way in the last few years. If you want to read up a bit more on the history of how we got here, check out our Voice of Business column from March 1.

Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.

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Local Pet Store Owner Get Spicy By Launching New Brand Of Hot Sauce

Reptile pet store owner Jordan Leal is going from selling geckos and iguanas to selling small-batch hot sauce by launching his brand ‘The Hub Sauce Co.’

Jordan Leal with his Otafukumami (Chili Crisp oil) and ghost pepper honey mustard with a Nigerian uromastyx from his House of Scales Business. Leal is celebrating the sixth-year anniversary of his House of Scales Business this Saturday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Leal is the owner of ‘House of Scales’ in Brookdale Plaza which has been operating for the last six years.

He had the idea of getting into the hot sauce business after his oldest son crafted a barbecue sauce in school for Father’s Day. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it opened up free time for Leal to explore a new business venture since it slowed down his business and had more downtime.

“We were basically made to pre-order everybody's orders,” explained Leal. “We'd come in the morning, pack everything and then it was sitting around waiting for people to pick up their order.”

He learned more about small-batch hot sauce businesses over social media groups during COVID-19 lockdowns which sparked his interest in starting his own business. He grows several of his own ingredients used in his product and sources locally for everything else.

He eventually launched his brand in February with his first product being his ‘Gold Medal Mustard,’ a ghost pepper honey mustard.

“It's probably one of the most rewarding things when you make that first sale,” explained Leal. “The first person I made my first sale to in the hot sauce company was the same person that was my first sale in this pet store.”

In addition to his mustard, he released a chilli crisp oil containing garlic crips called ‘Otafukumami’ with Asian-inspired flavours. He is nearing the development of a spicy peanut sauce and spicy barbecue sauce.

His hot sauce has already garnered international attention, selling his products in the United States, Europe and South Africa.

“Selling something that I've made start-to-finish is unbelievable,” said Leal. “It's a great feeling to have people happy about what they are eating.”

His products are available to order online at his website. They can be shipped or picked up at House of Scales on Fridays. Leal plans to make his product more widely available by having mom-and-pop shops carry it. Snack Attack Supermarket is scheduled to open a Lindsay location in the near future and Leal says they will carry it there.

He is also promoting his brand at upcoming farmers’ markets and festivals. He is attending the Hastings Waterfront Festival on Aug. 19 and Heating Up the Captial 3 in Ottawa on Sept. 16. for his hot sauce brand.

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