FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 6, 2016, Kingston ON – Queen’s University, in partnership with PARTEQ Innovations and Launch Lab, announced today that they are accepting applications for the Fall cohort of GrindSpaceXL-Kingston, a business acceleration program for high-potential technology startups. GrindSpaceXL is an intensive 12-week program that helps companies improve customer traction, grow sales, and prepare for investment. Successful applicants will participate in highly-interactive workshops and receive individualized mentoring and support from experienced entrepreneurs and advisors. The program, delivered 1 day per week commencing September 12th at Innovation Park (945 Princess Street) at Queen’s University in Kingston, is designed and led by seasoned entrepreneurs.
GrindSpaceXL is open to incorporated companies headquartered and operating in Canada and commercializing technology-based products.
One founder who demonstrates having made significant progress in advancing his/her company’s goals during the 2016 program will have the opportunity to attend a multi-day management program, offered by Queen's Executive Education at Smith School of Business, in recognition of his/her growth.
20 companies have graduated from three previous GrindSpaceXL-Kingston cohorts, in addition to four cohorts delivered by Invest Ottawa. Philip Tabet, CEO Buildmetric and a member of GrindSpaceXL-Kingston in 2015, has said, “The way we are selling has changed completely. I wish we had done GSXL a year ago. It was impressive overall – every entrepreneur should participate in GSXL.”
Participants have access to numerous resources through their interactions with Queen’s University, including shared lab and office space at Innovation Park. They also benefit from intellectual property and financial expertise available through PARTEQ Innovations and mentoring and coaching services provided by Launch Lab. Additionally, Secker Ross and Perry LLP, will meet with each company to identify areas of best practices for their corporate governance, and provide feedback and recommendations regarding tax structuring and compliance matters.
The cohort-based program offers early-stage ventures the opportunity to engage with other motivated entrepreneurs while working on deliverables laid out in a personalized development plan based on a needs assessment. Queen’s, PARTEQ and Launch Lab also provide support to participating entrepreneurs and startups following graduation from GrindSpaceXL, including facilitating access to funding opportunities. Selected graduates have the opportunity to pitch their business to the Southeastern Ontario Angel Network.
“The mentorship meetings were always extremely useful for bringing a new perspective on our business and being critical on the decisions we had made up to that point. These meetings helped lead us to our eventual pivot.” Esther Jiang, participant in 2015 and graduate of the Queen’s Innovation Connector Summer Initiative.
GrindSpaceXL is a key element in the suite of programs and services offered by Queen’s-PARTEQ-Launch Lab under the InnovationXL banner. Supported by the National Research Council-Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), InnovationXL forms part of a broader collaboration with Invest Ottawa and L-SPARK, a B2B SaaS incubator and accelerator, to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem in Eastern Ontario.