Lakehead partners with the Town of Innisfil to host South Simcoe Innovation Week
Innisfil, ON – The Town of Innisfil and Lakehead University will be hosting the first ever Lakehead University South Simcoe Innovation Week from April 30 to May 2, in partnership with Nottawasaga Futures, the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the County of Simcoe. The event, funded in part by the County of Simcoe Entrepreneurial Innovation Fund, will bring together entrepreneurial thinkers from across Simcoe County to access business and innovation-oriented workshops and events.
“Our community is fortunate to have world-class post-secondary partners, like Lakehead University, who are able to educate and empower business leaders to innovate within their own organizations,” says Mayor Lynn Dollin. “Through this partnership, we're thrilled to support entrepreneurs and even more thrilled that Lakehead will involve students from secondary schools in an innovation competition that will include future changemakers.”
The inaugural initiative will include an Adaptive Leadership and Design Thinking Workshop for business leaders who are looking at helping their teams incorporate entrepreneurial practices into their organization. A Business Model Canvas Workshop will support current or aspiring entrepreneurs capture their business idea in a simple yet structured business plan which can be used as a foundation to build or scale a business. Experts from Lakehead’s business accelerator, Ingenuity, will also host a student-only event at Nantyr Shores Secondary School to teach students about the entrepreneurial journey and engage them through an innovative competition.
This initiative aligns with Innisfil’s new Economic Development Strategic Plan, and in particular supports the goal of building an innovative and investment-ready business community. The purpose of South Simcoe Innovation Week is to connect entrepreneurs with supports like those available at Lakehead’s Ingenuity business accelerator and showcase the expertise available through Lakehead faculty and students. As part of the festivities, Lakehead will update the community on valuable and innovative research taking place at Innisfil’s Circle Park.
“Lakehead is proud to be part of such a creative and innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says Dr. Linda Rodenberg, Interim Principal of the Lakehead Orillia Campus. “We’re excited to be able to bring this programming to the South Simcoe community, and to empower the entrepreneurs of the future.”
South Simcoe Innovation Events will take place between April 30 and May 2, 2024, and registration is required. For more details, and to register, visit these links:
Business Model Canvas Workshop (in-person)
Business Model Canvas Workshop (virtual)
Adaptive Leadership and Design Thinking Workshop
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