Startup Cape Breton, the new group promoting entrepreneurship on the island, will hold its inaugural event Monday, July 14, from 4 to 6 pm at the Verschuren Centre of Cape Breton University.

The event aims to explore new opportunities in technology, business, and education and will feature speakers from Cape Breton, Atlantic Canada and outside the region.

Startup Cape Breton said it aims to develop a startup community on the island to capitalize on its strengths in creativity and human resources. It wants the island to be a “place that is home to hundreds of startups — small and medium-sized technology and innovation companies, working in everything from healthcare and the health sciences, to energy and transportation, to government and education.”

The guests at the event will include: Gavin Uhma, CTO , GoInstant; Valerie Fox, CEO, Digital Media Zone;  Wes Gould, COO, REDspace, Annette Verschuren, Chair/CEO , NRStor Inc.; David Rae, Dean, Shannon School of Business, CBU; Rachael Mackeigan, Coordinator, Community Access Program, Darren Gallop, CEO, Marcato Digital Solutions, Dale Keefe, VP, Academic & Research, CBU; Andrew Swanson, CEO, Verschuren Centre, CBU; Sheldon Levy, President, Ryerson University; David Wheeler, and President, Cape Breton University.