Working with us
Get the support you need to take business concepts from idea to investor-ready. It doesn’t matter whether your venture idea is tech, social enterprise, commercial or non-profit.
"The most rewarding part of the Innovation Centre is accessing valuable resources, building a strong network and receiving support for the rapid growth of our startup.
They helped with the most important steps of how to start and sustain a business and the importance of having a strong network. In the next 2-3 months we will commission our pilot production plan in Victoria and sign a licencing agreement with a manufacturer in Asia to mass-produce our PVModules in Asia.
In 2024 we established a Megawatt factory in Asia to start selling our PVModules to our customers in large volume. Our PVModules will become the source of power for electronics devices and can generate electricity from indoor light.
In the next 2-3 years we will own the indoor market and will move to manufacturing large size flexible PVModule for outdoor applications such as electric vehicles and building facades."
—Sahar Sam, co-founder and CEO, Solaires
Stage 1: exploration
This is the earliest stage. Here, you create a business concept and look for a viable model for a sustainable venture.
Come and meet us. We'll tell you all about what we do and how we can help. We'll ask you about your connection to UVic and for a summary of your idea.
Some questions we may ask:
- How well-defined is the scope of your idea?
- Have you considered everything it will take to launch this idea?
- How committed are you at this point?
Stage 2: incubation
Now that you've met with us a few times, you're starting to investigate your venture concept in depth.
In this stage you'll meet our business and technical mentor. They are here to share their expertise and answer your initial questions.
Be sure to enter PlanIt, UVic's business plan competition, for a chance to win cash for your venture.
Stage 3: acceleration
After you assess your idea's viability, you can join the accelerator process as a client.
An entrepreneur in residence will guide your team. They will help you develop and launch your plan. Typically, ventures meet with their entrepreneur in residence twice a month.
We will help you:
- review the status of your venture development
- draw out advice from your entrepreneur in residence
- become really good at pitching your idea
- find investment and financing options to help launch your venture
Get started
Are you ready to move forward with your idea? Contact us and let's get started.
“Without the Innovation Centre my company, Sepura, would not have been able to undergo the significant R&D that was required to create a brand new proprietary kitchen device. The Innovation Centre was able to provide an office to allow me to apply for grants and hire my first employee. They helped me develop a business plan and through their network and competition funding, I was able to file our first patent and find great advisors who are still with us today.
We have now been named a TIME 100 Top Invention, closed meaningful investment rounds, and are entering a major growth phase in partnership with a world-renowned kitchen company. Without Jerome, the rest of the Innovation Centre team and other founders, Sepura wouldn’t have made it out of the lab.”
—Victor Nicolov – CEO, Sepura