This fall, Accelerate Okanagan is joining forces with Valley First and MNP to launch a Route 97 Edition of Startup Basics. On November 5th our team will hit the road and visit four Okanagan cities in four days. The purpose of the Route 97 Edition of Startup Basics is to engage in a meaningful way with entrepreneurs and community organizations and to support the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem across the Okanagan.

In each of the four cities (Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, and Salmon Arm), there will be two back-to-back workshop-style sessions presented by Accelerate Okanagan mentors, a panel discussion featuring local entrepreneurs and innovators, and a networking event designed to build community and inspire connection.

 

Salmon Arms’s Event Details

Salmon Arm’s Startup Basics | Route 97 Edition will be hosted here in our space on November 8th from 3:00pm to 7:30pm. The two Startup Basics sessions hosted in Kelowna will be; Laws of Attraction and Building Business. 

Laws of Attraction is all about finding your customer. Entrepreneurs will walk through the Customer Discovery process and learn how to ask the right questions and formulate hypotheses to validate their product and market.

Business Building helps entrepreneurs plan the next step for their business ideas by using the nine elements of a business model canvas. This canvas is designed to get each entrepreneur thinking about every aspect of their business and can be a powerful tool to help ignite their idea.

After these two sessions, there will be a Lesson’s Learned panel discussion. We’ve invited Local entrepreneurs and community members to share their journey, insights, challenges, and successes in order to inspire you to take the leap. At the end of the evening, there will be an opportunity to network with the panellists and speakers as well as your fellow entrepreneurs. 

 

Meet the Mentor

Scott is an Executive in Residence with Accelerate Okanagan. He is a business leader with experience building and managing software products and teams from small startups to large enterprises spanning healthcare, semiconductor, and defence industries. As a co-founder of a successful software startup, Scott has expertise in business process improvement and software product development from concept through to nation-wide deployment. He enjoys bridging the gaps between people, process, technology, and business. 

Scott holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering from UBC. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, biking, skiing, and playing celtic guitar and jazz piano.

 

Meet the Panellists

Andrew teaches at the Okanagan School of Business specializing in the areas of marketing and management. Prior to joining Okanagan College, Andrew consulted to major corporations such as Telus, TD Canada Trust and General Motors. His true passion is entrepreneurship.  He has been involved with many new ventures as an operator, investor and advisor. Connect with Andrew. Learn more about the Okanagan College. 

Ed gained his interest for technology in 1967 when he took a two-year course in Computer Science. With his new found passion he went on to work for Neotec, a company that was eventually bought by a Norwegian software company in 2009. Ed is now retired in Salmon Arm and is excited to share his 50 years of experience. 

 

Lane Henderson is the Founder of SPARQ Industries. Henderson has managed some of the largest most technical projects in Canada. He got his wings in the Canadian oil sands building, designing and commissioning mega projects for the likes of Suncor, Shell, and Imperial Oil. Lane recently completed work on a multi-billion dollar E&I Commissioning Scope for the Suncor FortHills Project. He specializes in project management, quality management, technical compliance, field design/review and design/build projects. He also has been a peer reviewer for the Canadian Standards Association in the area of Hazardous Location Classification standards and coursework.

Prior to becoming an engineer, Lane was a RED SEAL Electrician working in the industry. Lane now runs SPARQ Industries out of Salmon Arm B.C., an electrical consulting company that specializes in small cap design-build, testing and commissioning of electrical and control systems. Connect with Lane. Learn more about SPARQ Industries. 

 

Althea Mongerson is the business owner of Intwined Fibre Arts here in Salmon Arm. Althea grew up in Salmon Arm, and moved back to the region after attending school at the University of Alberta. Upon her return Althea soon realized the demand for a wool and yarn retail store. She completed Launch-a-preneur through Community Futures Shuswap and turned her idea into a reality. Her store has now been up and running for the past 5 years. Connect with Althea. Learn more about Intwined Fibre Arts. 

 

Not in tech? Not a problem

We welcome all entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs, not just those in the tech sector.

Get your ticket for the Startup Basics Workshops 

Can’t make it to the workshops? Come to the FREE Lesson’s Learned panel