Toronto, Ontario – HumberLaunch has been awarded $200,000 from the On-Campus Entrepreneurship Activities (OCEA) program offered through the Government of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy. The program facilitates the development of entrepreneurial activity in Ontario’s universities and colleges.
HumberLaunch is a business accelerator program that provides training and resources to Humber graduate entrepreneurs. The funding will enable HumberLaunch to expand its program and offer resources, including office space, mentorship, and funding opportunities, to entrepreneurs developing businesses within the west GTA.
“Connecting with our community and industry is integral to Humber. Receiving OCEA funding will help HumberLaunch to build important relationships while developing innovation and entrepreneurism opportunities across Humber and throughout the community,” said Chris Whitaker, President, Humber College.
HumberLaunch will also use the funding to host a number of new events and competitions focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the Mississauga Altitude Accelerator.
“Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among students is a key component of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy, through programs that help transfer their ideas and skills to the marketplace while creating rewarding careers,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation, and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “By partnering with colleges and universities to support entrepreneurship, we are ensuring our province’s business leaders of tomorrow are getting the support they need to succeed today.”
Ontario is investing $295 million over two years into the Youth Jobs Strategy to help 30,000 more youth from across the province connect with the tools, experiences and entrepreneurial support they need to find employment or start their own businesses. The $5 million OCEA program is being managed by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).
“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver this project as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario. I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs to good use in making this initiative a tremendous success,” said Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence.
About HumberLaunch
The mission of HumberLaunch is to cultivate innovative ideas and support new business ventures in the Humber community. HumberLaunch provides entrepreneurs with physical resources, business advice, knowledge, skills development, mentors and networking opportunities. Learn more by visiting www.humber.ca/humberlaunch.
About Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Established in 1967, Humber is one of Canada’s leading postsecondary institutions. Committed to student success through excellence in teaching and learning, Humber serves 27,000 full-time students and 56,000 continuing education registrants. With an internationally recognized reputation for quality learning, Humber offers a wide-range of career-focused opportunities for students to personalize their educational path, including 150 full-time programs across more than 40 fields of study, 200 part-time and 400 online programs or courses. More than four out of five of Humber graduates are employed within six months of completing their studies.
