Startup New Brunswick, the umbrella group for startups in the province, is hosting a series of events in the next week to celebrate entrepreneurship in New Brunswick and across the region.
On Wednesday, Startup NB is hosting the inaugural Startup Festival NB, to showcase the startup activity that is happening throughout the province and draw attention to the developing ecosystem.
Many of the 10 Startup Canada communities in New Brunswick will host events throughout the week for entrepreneurs, entrepreneur supporters, and the general public.
On June 11, Fredericton will host the regional presentation ceremonies for the Startup Canada Awards.
This year, regional events will be held in Whitehorse, Vancouver, Edmonton, Mississauga, Fredericton and Montreal to celebrate entrepreneurs in those regions. The winners from each region will travel to Toronto in the fall to compete for the national awards.
Also on June 11, Fredericton will host the Canadian Export Challenge. This is a one-day accelerator and workshop for entrepreneurs looking to build their exporting and scaling skills. It is one of six regional events taking place across the country, along with the Startup Canada Awards.
It includes a pitch competition – entrepreneurs can pitch their business against other Atlantic Canadian startups for a $2,500 prize, and a trip to the national finals in Toronto to compete for $25,000 plus $100,000 of in-kind support.
Norm Couturier, the Community Lead for Startup Fredericton, and others have been working to develop a single group that would unite all the startup groups in New Brunswick. Once Startup New Brunswick achieves its goals in that province, he would like to see if it could expand to become a regional group.