It seemed appropriate that Equals6, the Halifax-based social network for students, should win a startup award in Boston on the same day that entrepreneurs gathered in downtown Halifax to unveil a national networking scheme for young enterprises.
The news of Equals6’s success came just before StartUp Canada unveiled its plan to link the entrepreneurial communities across the country through meetings, online tools and a campaign.
Equals6 CEO Andy Osburn said yesterday that his company, which helps students around the world connect with prospective employers, was voted the Hottest Startup at the TechCocktail Boston event. TechCocktail is a series of moderately liquid social events held in cities around the world that include a showcase of cutting-edge technology.
“The timing of the event is great as growth in Boston and U.S. Northeast are very important strategic elements for us,” said Osburn in an email. He added that he is attending two VC events in Boston next week as part of the company’s plan to raise capital in New England. The company previously secured $250,000 from Innovacorp.
The proliferation of events, contests and support mechanisms for entrepreneurs has been huge in the past few years. It’s a trend that will continue as Startup Canada, a national organization aimed at encouraging new businesses, announced a three-pronged campaign to encourage a culture of entrepreneurship.
Since last year, the organization has been touring the country, including stops in cities and towns throughout Atlantic Canada, and canvassed entrepreneurs on what is needed to accelerate the entrepreneurial movement.
“This blueprint is a summation of the discussion that has engaged more than 20,000 entrepreneurs in person and more than 50,000 online,” Mike Wyse, CEO of the Black Business Initiative, told a gathering at the Hub in Halifax. He added that Startup Canada believes there is already a lot to build on to help to develop a more entrepreneurial culture in the country.
The three main components of Startup Canada’s plan are:
- Startup Canada Connect: a free social online site to connect and support Canadian entrepreneurs with the various tools to help with business growth.
- Startup Canada Communities: this is sort of a network of networks. Startup Canada found strong local startup communities across the country, but it wants to develop a mechanism to link them and facilitate a national conversation about the needs of entrepreneurs.
- Startup Canada Campaign: Startup Canada wants to broadcast more stories of successful entrepreneurs and will use mainstream media, social media and key national institutions to tell these stories.
