COBOURG, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Town of Cobourg and Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (Northumberland CFDC) today officially opened the doors of Venture13 (V13), Eastern Ontario’s newest innovation and entrepreneurship centre.
Formerly ‘Building 13’ of the Northam Industrial Park, located at 739 D’Arcy Street in Cobourg, Ontario, Venture13 is a fully transformed 30,000 square foot centre comprised of an Innovation Commons, MakerLab and VentureZone co-working and accelerator space for technology startups on its first floor. Located on the second floor is the Cobourg Police Service’s rapidly growing Corporate Services enterprise whose mission is to secure the future of the shared economy.
Today’s Grand Opening event included an opening ceremony, congratulatory video message from The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, a reception with Kim Rudd, MP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, and a community barbeque with V13 innovation partners, including: The Cobourg Police Service, Northumberland Makers, Northumberland Manufacturers Association, Fleming College, Spark Centre, the Impact Centre at The University of Toronto, UOIT, Durham College, Ontario Centres of Excellence and entrepreneurs from Northumberland CFDC’s N1M and N100 programs, as well as many from the local community, colleagues and sponsors.
Together, with the support of FedDev Ontario, V13 partners are working to strengthen the regional chain of innovation and provide a contemporary platform for new projects, partnerships and collaborations designed to support the development of the industries of the future from small-scale custom manufacturing to clean technology, from digital marketing to virtual reality.
The Venture13 centre is host to many desirable site features including 24/7 secure access, fibre connection, web-based facility management, a multitude of entrepreneurial development workshops and community events, program coordination support, a $1 million in-house Angel Sidecar fund (known as ‘Nventure’), an electric vehicle car charging station and, newly announced today by Lakefront Utility Services Inc. President Dereck Paul, a roof-top solar installation that will contribute sustainable power generation to the site.
Northumberland CFDC also announced today the inception of N100 Evolution, the next phase in the development and expansion of Northumberland’s open invitational technology startup competition. N100 will now run biennially from its new headquarters at Venture13 and has increased the total amount of early stage development funding from $100,000 to $250,000 for each edition of N100. Applications for N100 Evolution are now open (visit www.n100.ca) with a deadline to enter the competition of 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 13, 2018.
Finally, Northumberland CFDC is pleased to announce the all new $2,500 N100 Audience Choice – Best Pitch Award, sponsored by Chris Oliver of CCO Productions, and joining the ranks of Advisors for N100 is Ji Ke, Program Director at HAX: the world’s first and largest hardware accelerator.
Welcome to the Rural Renaissance.
Quotes
"Venture13 is one of the most exciting projects ever undertaken in Eastern Ontario, and I firmly believe it will be the "crown jewel" in any ongoing innovation strategy for the region. I want to give credit to the efforts of Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation, the Town of Cobourg, and Cobourg Police Services; their dynamic collaboration is jump-starting a new era in rural innovation.”
- MP Kim Rudd, Northumberland-Peterborough South
“This remarkable journey that included repurposing one of our existing municipal properties into a state-of-the-art innovation and entrepreneurship centre would not have been possible without the dedication and leadership of Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation and the support of FedDev Ontario. The Town of Cobourg is extremely proud of the educational opportunities and community engagement that will be made possible at Venture13 as we work with Fleming College, Northumberland Makers, and all of our partners, to position Northumberland County and Eastern Ontario for the innovation age.”
- Mayor Gil Brocanier, Town of Cobourg
“The Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation offers financing and strategy services as part of our attraction for early-stage technology and innovation-driven enterprise. Venture13 provides the missing critical soft landing space that entrepreneurs are looking for, with contemporary infrastructure and collaborative resources they need to launch and scale. In partnership with The Town of Cobourg, we are building a platform in Eastern Ontario for the industries of the future.”
- Wendy Curtis, Executive Director, Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation
““I am pleased that the Cobourg Police Service is playing an active role in this important regional initiative. As an innovation and entrepreneurship centre, Venture13 positions our Corporate Services enterprise for continued expansion and success. We are excited at the new business opportunities that will result from working collaboratively with other leading edge innovators and self-starters in this newly repurposed building.”
- Kai Liu, Police Chief, Cobourg Police Service
About Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation
Northumberland
Community Futures Development Corporation (Northumberland CFDC) provides
financing and strategy for entrepreneurs as a pathway to prosperity in
our communities. We deliver local and regional programs including N100,
N1M, EODP, CEDP the V13 VentureZone accelerator space and the core
Community Futures Program, with the support of the Government of Canada
and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev
Ontario). For more information, please visit us online at www.financingandstrategy.com
About The Town of Cobourg
The Town of Cobourg is a lakeside
community located on the north shore of Lake Ontario halfway between
Toronto and Kingston and has been recognized multiple times by
MoneySense Magazine as “One of Canada’s Best Places to Live” in
populations under 25,000. Founded in 1798, Cobourg is rich in heritage
offering a vibrant downtown, sophisticated small town atmosphere and
renowned waterfront that serves as a popular getaway destination. As the
largest town in Northumberland County, Cobourg is personified by
historic Victoria Hall, hosts a 27.4 million dollar community centre, an
educated and skilled labour force, flourishing commercial sector and
supportive municipal government. Cobourg has received the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities Sustainable Communities Award, accolades from
the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and
multiple heritage, environmental, and event awards.
