November 2022 Newsletter

IN THIS NEWSLETTER Navigate’s upcoming events and opportunities  Entrepreneur Spotlight: Congratulations to Navigate’s winners! Other events and opportunities In case you missed it: Small Business Week Recap Calling all mentors!   How to connect with us!  UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES  Navigate presents: Jose Lam Startup Event – November 4-5   Calling all aspiring entrepreneurs! This event is for you!   The Jose Lam Startup Event is the perfect opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs, ‘wantrepreneurs’, and anyone who has ever dreamt about starting their own business one day. This event will turn your “one day” into “day one’!   In a day and a half, participants will work as part of a team to experience the thrills and pains of starting a real company, while engaging with skilled mentors, coaches, and potential investors. The event will start with an initial Meet and Pitch on Friday evening followed by a Work and Learn session on Saturday morning and a final Pitch Competition on Saturday afternoon. The event is open to students and members of the general public who are interested in entrepreneurship and in learning more about starting a business. Meals will be provided for the duration of the event.   Friday, November 4, 2022 Meet, Mingle, Ideate and PitchHave dinner and brainstorm with the other entrepreneurs and ‘wantrepreneurs’Pitch an idea to have it included in the vote for which projects will proceed to the pitch competition on SaturdayParticipants vote on the projects they would like to see move forwardBuild a dream team by pairing up with participants who want to work on the same idea as you!Saturday, November 5, 2022 Morning: Work, Learn and Build your Business ModelWork with your group to further develop your idea, brand, product, service or prototype, develop a business model, and start testing your idea on potential clients. We will provide you with some of the things you will need to make this happen.Receive help from experienced mentors to solve some of the tougher challenges that you will inevitably encounter.Afternoon: Pitch your Idea!Build a compelling pitch with the help of assigned coaches. You will have 5 minutes to pitch your business idea to a panel of judges and to the other participants.Watch the presenting teams, have fun, and celebrate the work that you have done!Space is limited. Please register in advance HERE to reserve a spot.   This event pays tribute to one of the biggest fans of Startup Weekends: the late Dr. Jose Lam. REGISTER   Save the date: Open House at CRI Mark your calendars! On Saturday, Nov. 26, the Centre for Research and Innovation will open its doors to the public for a “sneak peek!” Don’t miss this opportunity to check out the renovations on the “former mill HR building.” Tours, Makerspace demonstrations on state-of-the-art equipment, snacks, SWAG and more!  Stay tuned for more details!   Announcing the next Navigate Entrepreneur Internship Program! Applications now open! Navigate Entrepreneur Internship Program 2022/23 Deadline to apply is November 27. Internships start in December.   Navigate is now accepting applications for a limited number of Entrepreneur Internship positions. This initiative will provide financial resources, support and guidance to students with a viable business plan to develop their business idea while still in school or just graduating. Must be a student of MUN Grenfell Campus or CNA Corner Brook Campus to be eligible.   Ready to forge your own career path? Want to be your own boss?   Apply now for one of our entrepreneur internship positions to help you start your own business!   As an entrepreneur intern, you will:Work on your business idea with the dedicated support and guidance of mentors and advisorsConnect with a network of peers and key ecosystem playersHave flexible hours to work on your business idea while pursuing your studiesReceive a $3000 stipend to help support you on your startup journeyConnect with potential customersComplete an 8-week internship during which time you will work with Navigate advisors to develop and refine your business idea Program requirements:Minimum commitment of 15 hours per week working on your businessWeekly meetings with the Navigate Manager to set goals and discuss progressAttend team meetings and meet with mentorsDisbursement of funding is contingent upon program completion* Please complete the application questions and information below and email to Allison Rowe, Navigate Manager at allisonr@grenfell.mun.ca Personal Information First name: Last name: Email: Phone number: Post-Secondary Institution: Program of Study: Student Number: Country of origin: Motivation and Goals: 1. What is your main motivation for applying for the Navigate Entrepreneur Internship Program?   2. What skills/background are you bringing to the internship? 3. What do you hope to achieve by completing the Navigate Internship Program? 4. Your Business Idea Give a high-level description of your business idea in one sentence, 10 words or less. 5. Business idea Overview (Less than 500 words) Please provide a brief overview of your proposed products/services, as well as target markets. If you have not yet identified a product or service, tell us about the problem you are looking to solve.   6. What assumptions do you currently have that, if proven wrong, could cause the business to fail? Please list the top three assumptions about your business.   7. Does your company seek to address a social, cultural, or environmental issue? If yes, please elaborate. Required Supporting Documents and Information   8. Please provide the following as part of your application: A one-page cover letter Your resume Please submit a completed Lean Canvas: Visit the links below for details. https://navigatesmallbusiness.ca/…/lean-canvas… https://leanstack.com/lean-canvas https://railsware.com/…/lean-canvas-a-tool-your…/ Navigate Feedback 9. How did you hear about the Navigate Internship program? Remember to send your completed application and any questions to Allison Rowe, Navigate Manager at allisonr@grenfell.mun.ca  ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT  Congratulations to our GCBBT Business Excellence Awards Gala awards winners!   The Navigate Student Entrepreneur of the Year awards are awarded to students who have shown great perseverance and drive in making their startup dreams a reality. They inspire others with their indomitable entrepreneurial spirit , creative problem solving and innovative business ideas and are representative of the next generation of startups that will shape the future of our province.   Navigate Student Entrepreneur of the Year – Undergraduate Student Dawson Greene GreenHead Growers Ltd.   A Business Administration student at Grenfell Campus, Dawson wanted to create a business that would ensure that the people of our province have access to high quality, fresh produce. He also wanted create jobs and boost the local economy in his community, Mainland, located on the Port au Port Peninsula. Earlier this year, Dawson launched GreenHead Growers Ltd., a hydroponic greenhouse operation focused on producing leafy greens for local sustainable food production. Their first of soon-to-be many commercial greenhouses is capable of producing 15,000 heads of lettuce of different varieties each year, year round. Their produce is currently being sold locally at Colemans.   Navigate Student Entrepreneur of the Year – Graduate Student Abdul-Latif Alhassan Abbatek Group INC. and JCI Consultancy      Abdul is a PhD Candidate in Trans­disciplinary Sustainability at the School of Science and the Environment, MUN Grenfell Campus. Abdul is a Mandela Washington Fellow and an African Leaders of Tomorrow (ALT) Scholar award winner who has worked for over a decade of in the Nonprofit sector, leadership and research. Driven by a desire to generate positive impacts for the plant and its people, Abdul has been busy developing not one but two new start-ups supporting environmental policy innovation: AbbaTek Group Inc. and JCI Consultancy. The first, AbbaTek, is a social enterprise registered in Newfoundland and Labrador supporting companies with environmental data, tools, and processes with a focus on aquatic ecosystems and microplastic remediation. The second, JCI, aims to provide environmental policy consulting support for the public and private sector for the development of agile sustainable cities and communities.    OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES  Venture for Canada — NLOWE Info SessionNovember 9 | 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom We have some exciting news for you! We’re collaborating with Venture for Canada to bring you an Info Session about all things startup. Join us virtually on Nov. 9 to learn about how Venture For Canada can help you and your business with:   Funding Hiring Talent Solutions And more! Register today! REGISTER   COMING TO YOUR REGION!Join NLOWE for a day of engaging conversations with a panel of entrepreneurs, stakeholders and industry experts. This symposium will focus on women in business, regional successes, and challenges as we move forward with recovery from the pandemic. Symposium Themes:·    Finding Opportunities: Growing your business and regional opportunities. ·    Workplace Evolution: Examining strengths and challenges in a new age of workplace culture. ·    Monetizing Your Story: Turning your experiences into a profitable business. ·    Show Me the Money: Exploring funding regional opportunities.   ANNOUNCING KEYNOTE SPEAKERZita Cobb, Founder of Shorefast Foundation NLOWE’s multi-city Economic Recovery & Growth Symposium continues Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s and we’re excited to share our panelists for this location with you! Visit https://www.nlowe.org/events/symposium/ for event details and to register for this fantastic event! REGISTER   YMCA + Futurpreneur: Business Plan Session  To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week YMCA + Futurpreneur will be hosting an upcoming Virtual Information Session on the topic of Business Plans.   Date/Time: Monday, Nov 14th from 2:30 – 3:30 pm    The session will be hosted by Futurpreneur Canada and the YMCA Business Planning Program. Ted Cadigan, YMCA Business Consultant, will walk you through the major components of a business plan and discuss how to make the business plan writing process work for you. This includes: Improving your writing style, knowing your audience and research-based business planning.    Simply click on this link at the time of the event.   Aspiring entrepreneurs from across Canada can join Futurpreneur experts at our Free Rock My Business workshop series!   Supported by RBC Future Launch, the series includes three online workshops that will help aspiring entrepreneurs begin their entrepreneurship journey:   • Rock My Business Idea: Learn how to evaluate your business idea and define next steps to move it forward. • Rock My Business Plan: Learn the essential elements of a solid business plan and get started on your plan. • Rock My Cash Flow: Learn how to project a realistic cash flow, including start-up costs, sales and expenses.   Additionally, participants who complete at least two of the workshops are eligible to receive a 30-minute one-on-one coaching session from a Futurpreneur Entrepreneur in Residence, helping you strengthen your idea and business plan further. Participants will also have the opportunity to apply for financing of up to $60K with up to two years of mentoring.   Workshops kick off the week of November 7th (next week)!!   If you know someone aged 18-39 who needs direction to develop their business idea, already has a strong business idea OR recently launched a small business that they’d like to grow, please encourage them to register today for the series! REGISTER  IN CASE YOU MISSED IT  Tech. Workforce Innovation. Western NL. Connecting the DotsNL Workforce Innovation Centre (NLWIC) hosted a panel session and networking event in collaboration with techNL Innovation Week 2022, MUN-Grenfell Campus’ Centre for Research & Innovation and the Navigate program. Check out the video and hear from experts in workforce development, innovation, startup development and the tech sector in Newfoundland and Labrador. We participated in Q&A, exchanged ideas and discussed opportunities to expand the workforce in our region. We engaged with employers, job seekers, training providers, startup advisors, students, and other stakeholders in our community.  THANK YOU  A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Greater CornerBrook Board of Trade Business Excellence Awards Gala for their generous donations to the cake auction. A powerful $1250 was raised for the upcoming Jose Lam Startup Event. 🙌 🙏 A huge thank you to everyone who attended the SBW events including networking sessions, events, etc. It was great to see everyone together again in person!   Navigate is recruiting mentors! Eligibility Criteria and Expectations:Looking for mentors with 5+ years entrepreneurship experience or 10+ years corporate experience in a pivotal roleAvailable to work with an entrepreneur mentee for a minimum of 4 hours per monthWilling to work with a mentee to set goals and expectations in addition to providing knowledge, advice, networking connections, etc.Agree to provide feedback and updates to Navigate Manager on the progress of the mentee and goals and targets attainedFor more information, contact Allison Rowe at allison@grenfell.mun.ca to become a mentor with Navigate.