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Written by Sarah Israel
What does it take to bring a business idea to life? Beyond tangible assets such as office space or seed capital, entrepreneurs need a sense of community i to succeed. It really does take a village, but if you’re an entrepreneur living in Durham Region, you’re in luck: Spark Centre is just around the corner.
Situated in the heart of Downtown Oshawa, Spark Centre is a business incubator dedicated to promoting economic growth in Durham Region. “We support entrepreneurs in the technology and innovations sectors as they’re looking to grow and scale their businesses through advisory, funding opportunities, and helping them expand globally,” says Kristy Sansom, Director of Operations and Client Success at Spark Centre. Sansom and the Spark Centre team have a clear goal: to turn big ideas into scalable, sustainable growth.
Bringing technology and innovation ideas to life
Spark Centre has approximately 180 clients on the roster. Whether a client is in the idea, discovery, or validation stage, Spark Centre offers a range of services to help take their business from concept to reality.
To join Spark Centre, a client needs an innovative business concept that:
- Has been incorporated for less than five years.
- Generates less than $1 million in annual revenue.
- Includes a product or service that is creating something new or improving an existing product or service.
- Involves technology, such as breakthrough research, ICT devices, or internet-based solutions.
New clients follow a curriculum that has been carefully designed to help their business grow. As part of this curriculum, Spark Centre offers masterclasses, access to advisors, networking opportunities with investors, peers and experts, and ongoing operations support.
Creating community for entrepreneurs in Durham Region
When asked about their reasons for joining Spark Centre, most clients have similar answers: it’s all about community. “We’re a remote software company, and I live in the region. We needed a place where we could meet as a group, strategize together, and get the support we need in terms of mentorship and advisors,” says Karen Elliott, CEO of Cinareo Solutions—a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that provides multi-channel capacity planning for contact centres. “We’ve met some fantastic people here with a wealth of experience that have helped us on the journey to grow and scale.”
Having a thriving business incubator so close to home creates a sense of pride. Joel Davies is CEO at Render Developments, a company offering 3D animation and software to enhance pre-construction real estate projects. “Spark Centre was an obvious choice. I live in Durham Region, and after hearing about Spark Centre at a Whitby Chamber of Commerce meeting, it made perfect sense for me to come here. It has been a great decision for my business.”
Gaurav Mathur, CEO of BookWiseLectures, echoes this sentiment. “I live in the area, and Spark Centre has tailored programs that are built for budding entrepreneurs and founders like me.” Mathur is building an ambitious platform that leverages Artificial Intelligence(AI) to create learning tools for students, educators, and institutions. Spark Centre has allowed him to make new connections and forge a strong network to help him take his business from concept to reality.
Programs for entrepreneurs at every stage
The Amplify Program, offered in partnership with Launch Lab, creates opportunities for businesses located from Durham Region to Hawkesbury, in Eastern Ontario. Over the course of six months, entrepreneurs follow a personalized action plan that is designed to address their unique business challenges. The program creates a supportive environment, with leadership coaching and access to advisors with significant entrepreneurial experience who can offer guidance to business owners at every stage.
The ElevateIP Program supports tech startups by enhancing their Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge and facilitating the creation of valuable IP assets. A unique IP can be a strong advantage for differentiating products from competition, and an understanding of the threats and opportunities of IP is a key part of business longevity. This program is offered in collaboration with Invest Ottawa, Launch Lab, Communitech, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). To participate, businesses must be headquartered in Eastern Ontario and have fewer than 500 full-time employees. The program is open to applicants from across the region, regardless of whether they’re a Spark Centre client or not.
The Landing-Pad Accelerator Program for newcomer and female entrepreneurs in the Environment, Energy, or Engineering sectors (EN3) is designed to support newcomer startups establishing in eastern Ontario. This four-year initiative (2024 to 2028) aims to assist 80 startups, including 24 female-founded ventures. Members receive a $10,000 grant as well as invaluable access to leadership coaching, mentorship, IP asset development support, financing opportunities, and more. Upon completing the program, each founder commits to offering 20 hours of advisory/mentorship time to other founders in the future, which helps create a strong network for founders who are new to Canada.
Spark Centre is also part of Canada’s Start-Up Visa (SUV) Program. This unique program targets foreign entrepreneurs who wish to establish new, high-growth businesses in Canada.
Spark Centre nurtures a strong network of technology and innovation entrepreneurs and supports economic growth and new job creation across Durham Region and beyond. Local and international entrepreneurs interested in becoming a Spark Centre client can contact info@SparkCentre.org for more information.
