TRURO, N.S. – As startup culture and entrepreneurialism continues to rise, a new partnership is looking at how Truro can support its independent business ventures.
The Truro & Colchester Partnership for Economic Prosperity and Mashup Lab recently came together at the Truro NSCC campus to host Mashup Weekend, a two-day entrepreneurial event that promotes collaboration and business creation.
“The Mashup Weekend is a super simple concept,” said Andrew Button of Mashup Lab.
“People come in Friday evening and pitch a few business ideas. We then facilitate a process where the group selects the two-four projects that really get them excited to roll up their sleeves and dig in. The project owners then crowdsource a small team of people to help them and see how far they can get it lifted off the ground in 24 hours.”
Throughout the event, the group split up and worked on three pitches which revolved around a food service business, a service business to help the elderly with aging and placement, and a startup hub that would facilitate collaboration between budding entrepreneurs.
The startup hub is an idea the Truro & Colchester Partnership has begun taking an interest in themselves.
“It would be nice to have an actual, physical space in Truro that people can point to as a business hub,” said Brennan Gillis, CEO of the Truro & Colchester Partnership.
“A place where they know they can come in, and no matter if they’re just thinking of an idea or they’ve got an existing business and are looking for more help, they know where to go. Having that physical space and opportunities to connect with entrepreneurs, it’s important for them to have that network.”
Gillis and the partnership hopes by bringing in events such as Mashup Lab’s Mashup Weekend, they can help create and grow a successful startup culture in Truro and Colchester County.
“We’re really just looking to ramp that up around here to do a lot more,” said Gillis.
“I’ve been asking people around the area, ‘If you had a business idea, where would you go for support.’ Most people don’t know, and we’ve got to fix that.”
Button and Mashup Lab will be holding another Mashup Weekend in Pictou sometime in September, and are currently taking applications for their Dream Business program, a six-month, hands-on program that helps entrepreneurs from the start of their idea to figuring out if it could work as a business.
For more information on the Dream Business program or Mashup Weekend events, visit mashuplab.ca.
