We’re overwhelmed by the response we’re getting when we notify people about the Entrevestor Survey, which we will send out to about 300 Atlantic Canadian startups one week from today – Thursday, February 6.

What’s really heartening is the response from entrepreneurs – the people who are being asked to fill out the form, which is just over two pages long. When I tweeted about it last week, I tried to thank the people who were retweeting it. But there were simply too many of them.

This week, I’ve been contacting everyone on the list to let them know the survey is coming. (We’ll finish this part of the mission in the next few days.) I haven’t been able to respond to all the emails I’ve received saying it’s a great idea and people are happy to help.  

So Carol and I want everyone to know your sentiments are appreciated and we look forward to working with you on this project. Please keep generating the positive message, and spread it to other entrepreneurs.

We believe this survey is important because there are discussions across the region about reviewing and hopefully enhancing programs that help to develop startups. To make a stronger case, the startup community needs accurate metrics on its economic and social impact.

We will keep all the information on individual companies completely confidential. Yet, by aggregating the data, we will be able to present a more concrete picture of why the startup community is important to the region’s economic future.