After 10 weeks in Kootenay Employment Services’ Local Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (LEAP), four prospective enterprises will have a chance to win startup funds next week — and the public will decide which one.
A social enterprise launch party will run 7-9 p.m. June 10 at the Creston Hotel banquet room, where ticketholders will vote for a startup to receive cash—the proceeds of the tickets sold—and other prizes, including an iPad donated by Telus and a Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce membership.
“The spirit of the event is basically that many in the community share a feeling that we need new business but there are few opportunities to help make it happen,” said organizer Laura Hannant. “This is a chance to get behind local entrepreneurs.”
Guests will circulate throughout the room, hearing pitches from the four young entrepreneurs, who are interested in starting, among other things, a hostel and an ethical coffee roastery. They might pitch needing anything from money to a location to a partner, and the guests — after enjoying local wine and cheese — will use their tickets to vote after hearing from all four.
LEAP is a partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU), and every idea is a business or non-profit geared toward social or environmental improvement. SFU has run the program on the Sunshine Coast and in Squamish, where ideas included a car share co-op, child care and a hops farm that employed adults with developmental challenges.
The program, Hannant said, was a 10-week boot camp and startup support group, helping people develop their ideas.
“It’s friendly rather than fierce,” she said. “It’s been a really supportive process.”
LEAP was modeled on a startup process born in the Silicon Valley. It helps enterprises get off the ground with minimal investments of money — and time.
“Sometimes people sit on an idea for too long,” said Hannant. “This is a way for people to test their concept, stand up and own their idea, and engage their communities in making it happen.”
It’s also a way for the public to see what others in the community are capable of.
“We’ve got a lot of hidden skills and talent in our valley — that means lots of potential to unleash,” said Hannant,
Tickets include a drink ticket and hors d’oeuvres, and are $15, available at the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce.
