LIFT Startups
A new way to market and network your local Vancouver Island business!
by Devon Jason
Whether you are looking to apply online for a small business loan, or need additional financing for a larger project, our financing solutions are designed to protect cash flow and help grow your business.
You can also access our network of experienced business consultants in Courtenay, who can provide you with practical advice to help you accelerate your company’s growth.
by Devon Jason
To describe them simply, makerspaces are community centers with tools. Makerspaces combine manufacturing equipment, community, and education for the purposes of enabling community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldn’t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone. These spaces can take the form of loosely-organized individuals sharing space and tools, for-profit companies, non-profit corporations, organizations affiliated with or hosted within schools, universities or libraries, and more. All are united in the purpose of providing access to equipment, community, and education, and all are unique in exactly how they are arranged to fit the purposes of the community they serve.
by Devon Jason
Douglas is Vancouver Island’s premier business magazine and media brand. It is essential reading for business leaders and innovators in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. Our in-depth, local coverage of the key people and issues affecting our region has earned a highly engaged, loyal and always-growing readership. Learn about how our editorial team goes behind the scenes to get the real stories about issues and trends that impact the region’s business community and economic growth to produce a must-read business magazine.
by Devon Jason
The New Ventures BC (NVBC) Society’s mandate is to recognize, encourage, and develop entrepreneurship and innovation in B.C.’s start-up technology sector.
Since 2001, NVBC has supported this mandate by offering education, mentorship, networking, cash prizes, grant funding, and recognition.
Outcomes have included thousands of new jobs, enhanced entrepreneurial skills, increased investment, technology commercialization, and above all, economic growth for B.C.
by Devon Jason
Curious about starting a business? SBBC is here to support you at every step of the journey. We’re an independent non-profit that provides affordable, universal access to expert advice, education and unbiased business resources.
Our goal is to help you succeed, whether we offer the service you need or we help connect you to another resource. And, as your business matures, we’ll be by your side – helping you expand, scale your operations, and prepare for your next big goal.
We created this page to provide easy access to practical resources and support you’ll find useful during the startup phase. If you’ve got questions, no matter how big or small, contact our team, and we’ll be happy to help.
by Devon Jason
Whether you are looking for a small art studio, a place to stream video games or vlog, a space to move your small home business, or a place to work… When working from home doesn’t work, the Alberni Valley Makerspace has it covered.
Our goal is to give people of every age the skills and knowledge to build, create and innovate. We focus on the educational model of the S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). Through equitable access to tools, resources, support, mentorship, collaborators, and community, the Alberni Valley
At the core of Makerspace are mentorship and sharing knowledge. The generation that helped build the community we are in today has so much knowledge and skill, whether it is a retired millwright sharing knowledge on tools or fabrication or someone sharing knowledge on preserving food or making clothes from a pattern; access to these skills helps the next generation by sharing this knowledge
We have five small office spaces available for users on short-term leases. The spaces come with unique features like;
These spaces are designed to help individuals who want to move their small home-based operations, transition into larger spaces, and act as an incubator of entrepreneurial development. The last few years have seen a dramatic rise in work-from-home opportunities, but this only works for some.
Makerspace will boost the ability of innovators, artisans, content creators, designers, and entrepreneurs to launch into production and manufacturing, removing the barrier of start-up costs and investments.