York Council Backs JumpSTART for Women Entrepreneurs

In an effort to boost entrepreneurship, the York Regional Council has contributed $1.08 million over three years for a revolutionary project known as JumpSTART. This project, a cooperation between York University's innovation center, YSpace, the Schulich School of Business's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Treefrog Accelerator, aims to empower female and international entrepreneurs.

JumpSTART participants will have access to courses, mentorship opportunities, and specialized training at the Schulich Venture Academy. The newly allotted money will mostly be used to grow the YSpace ELLA Program, which supports female entrepreneurs, as well as Treefrog's accelerator program, which is available to both local and international firms.

The funding comes from the York Region Innovation Investment Fund, which is committed to improving research institutions, centers of excellence, post-secondary education, technology-related infrastructure projects, and research facilities in the region.

According to York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lento, with just 17% of Canadian enterprises owned by women, JumpSTART is well-positioned to address gender gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and attract international talent to York Region.

Furthermore, the project aims to promote diversity in entrepreneurship and develop the region as a welcome hub for technology innovators. This initiative is consistent with past attempts, such as the collaboration between York University's Schulich School of Business and Toronto's OneEleven innovation cluster, as well as the establishment of the Schulich Venture Academy, indicating a determined effort to revitalize the local tech industry.