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About Us

Mission

To transform and grow our communities through entrepreneurship

Vision

Navigate graduates and clients leading vibrant startups that create local jobs and wealth

Key Problems We Solve

  • Provide opportunities for learning, growth and idea generation for aspiring entrepreneurs
  • Promote entrepreneurship as a career to encourage students to stay and settle in the province
  • Help students and local entrepreneurs develop and validate business models
  • Expose students and local entrepreneurs to cutting edge innovation and market trends
  • Connect entrepreneurs with the resources, knowledge and financial support they need to succeed
  • Assist local entrepreneurs in transitioning to the rapid pace of global digitization

  • Link entrepreneurs to potential clients and business partners
  • Foster the integration of entrepreneurs into the broader ecosystem both local and global
  • Promote entrepreneurship and innovation awareness and knowledge in the community and region
  • Promote and aid the development of Innovation Clusters in Forestry, Agriculture, Tourism & Retail in Western NL
  • Identify ecosystem gaps
  • Contribute to the economic strategies of the City of Corner Brook and the Innovation Strategy of the Province

History of Navigate

Helping entrepreneurs find their way since 2004. Navigate is a champion of entrepreneurship in Western NL providing business coaching and support to the local entrepreneurial community and to students, faculty, staff and alumni of MUN Grenfell Campus and CNA Corner Brook Campus. Since our doors first opened in 2004, we’ve helped over 300 clients set sail on a business journey.

Our journey so far.

2004

Gateway West opens at Grenfell College, Memorial University

2009

Gateway West at Grenfell College provided business development expertise to entrepreneurs from the western region and helped create 18 new viable businesses. (Memorial University annual report 2009-2010)

2011

Renamed the Navigate Entrepreneurship Centre. Significant change in programming as business advising services were offered for the first time to students, faculty, staff and alumni at CNA. Navigate still remains the only Entrepreneurship Centre in Canada that exits as a partnership between a university and a college.

2013

Launch of the “Entrepreneurs of Western Newfoundland” video series:

2018

Navigate Business Incubator and Makerspace open at CNA-Corner Brook and Grenfell Campus

2020

4 companies graduate from the Business Incubator

2021/2022

Anticipated opening of a new Innovation Centre which will house the Incubator and Makerspace