Dal President Richard Florizone used his keynote speech at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 fall dinner Wednesday night to share stories of Nova Scotian accomplishment, all of which emphasized what鈥檚 possible when people, communities and organizations come together in new ways.
So it only made sense, then, for Dr. Florizone to close his address by announcing a brand new partnership 鈥斅爋ne that will help kickstart Nova Scotian entrepreneurship.
It鈥檚 called ideaHUB: an engineering incubator/accelerator space designed to equip students with creative and entrepreneurial skills while also providing support to local start-up companies and small businesses. Part of the larger IDEA project 鈥� a $64-million revitalization of Dal鈥檚 downtown Sexton Campus announced in late September 鈥� ideaHUB is a partnership linking universities (including Dal, Acadia and NSCAD) with the corporate sector, entrepreneurs, venture capital and government.
鈥渋deaHUB will be the most advanced engineering incubator and accelerator space in Canada,鈥� said Dr. Florizone. 鈥淚t will add important capacity to our entrepreneurial ecosystem, adding further momentum to what is rapidly becoming one of Canada鈥檚 most dynamic startup scenes.鈥�
Joining Dr. Florizone for the ideaHUB announcement was Bob Hanf, executive vice-president of stakeholder relations with . The local energy company is a founding partner in ideaHUB,聽alongside organizations like Volta Labs, Innovacorp, Clearwater, Micco Companies and Build Ventures. In Emera鈥檚 case, they鈥檙e not only stepping up as a partner 鈥斅爐hey鈥檙e investing $10 million to support the ideaHUB space and its programming.
President Florizone and Emera's Bob Hanf.
鈥淲e are so thrilled to be partnering with Dal on ideaHUB,鈥� said Hanf, highlighting the importance of innovation for not only the energy industry, but Nova Scotia more broadly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not every day a project comes along that will make such an incredible difference in the way new ideas are fostered and developed in this province. We鈥檙e very proud to be part of this collaborative effort鈥� it鈥檚 one I know will make an important difference for Nova Scotia students.鈥�
A unique, collaborative space
ideaHUB has been designed, in many respects, as a direct response to the recommendations of the oneNS Commission. Among the commission鈥檚 calls to action: increasing the number of new start-ups in Nova Scotia; improving youth unemployment; doubling business enterprise and university R&D partnerships; and improving venture capital investment.
In his speech, Dr. Florizone noted significant momentum on several of these fronts. Halifax quickly becoming a national hotbed for startup development, for example, recognized last year for having more promising IT startup companies than any other city in Canada. And there has been more than $1.5 billion in 鈥渆xits鈥� (company purchases) of Atlantic Canadian startup companies in the past five years. 聽
What ideaHUB does is build on this momentum, as well as on the success to-date of the IDEA Sandbox (an existing space that鈥檚 a partnership between Dal, NSCAD and the Nova Scotia government). ideaHUB will be a unique, collaborative environment combining mentorship and support with world-class engineering research infrastructure. Inside the 10,000 sq. ft. space will be testing and fabrication facilities, early stage funding supports and links with venture capital and accelerators. ideaHUB will allow participants to create physical prototypes while also developing business strategies.
The ideaHUB vision has already attracted significant support from Nova Scotia鈥檚 business community. Alongside Emera鈥檚 $10 million donation, a trio of Nova Scotian entrepreneurs 鈥� John Risley, Colin MacDonald and Mickey MacDonald 鈥斅爓ere among the very first to respond to the call for further private sector support, committing a combined $2.5 million in additional funds. 新加坡六合彩开奖直播 is leading an ongoing fundraising campaign to attract further support for ideaHUB from alumni, donors and industry partners.
鈥淭his is not just a 新加坡六合彩开奖直播 story, or an Emera story,鈥� said Dr. Florizone, citing the wide variety of partners and supporters involved in ideaHUB.聽鈥淭his is a story of what Nova Scotians can do when we come together and work differently.鈥�
ideaHUB will be located in one of two new buildings on Dal鈥檚 Sexton Campus (currently referred to as the 鈥淚nnovation Building鈥�) announced in September. The building and the ideaHUB space are both set to open in 2018.
鈥淟ook what we can do鈥�
Dr. Florizone鈥檚 keynote address touched on several initiatives with Dal connections 鈥� including ideaHUB and the new Ocean Frontier Institute 鈥� but it wasn鈥檛 really a speech about the university. Instead, Dr. Florizone wished to speak more as a member of the Halifax community 鈥� one who鈥檚 inspired by the power of what people can do when they come together.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think [Nova Scotia鈥檚] momentum should surprise us,聽even given some of the challenges we face,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the reason I say that is because I believe 鈥� and I have seen 鈥� that the people in this province are capable of truly incredible things.鈥�
To help illuminate his point, Dr. Florizone frequently shared the stage with other guest speakers throughout the evening. In addition to Emera鈥檚 Bob Hanf, Dr. Florizone invited 新加坡六合彩开奖直播 Professor Sara Iverson and Memorial Professor Paul Snelgrove to share insights about the Ocean Frontier Institute 鈥斅�a $220-million research collaboration, based in Atlantic Canada, poised to propel the region to global ocean leadership.
鈥淎 lot of outstanding research at 新加坡六合彩开奖直播 and Memorial and UPEI over many years has helped us to understand ocean ecosystems and human interaction with them,鈥� said Dr. Snelgrove. 鈥淏ut here we have a unique opportunity to build major bridges so that instead of working piecemeal we can link those efforts across disciplines and universities and leap forward our understanding of ocean change.鈥�
Dr. Iverson showcased some of the technology involved in OFI: wave gliders that help track fish and other sea vertebrates as they make their way through the ocean.
鈥淔ish recognize no boundaries,鈥� she said. 鈥淪haring data across OFI enables us to manage sustainable fisheries at a global scale. We work with fishermen and councils to understand exactly what we need to do to sustain fisheries around the globe.鈥�
Coming together in new ways
Dr. Florizone also invited Mary Beth Doucette to the Chamber dinner to speak about . The Cape Breton Mi鈥檏maq community 鈥� with a diversified portfolio that ranges from commercial fishing and convention hosting to data services and tourism 鈥斅爃as earned national attention in Indigenous business development. It鈥檚 become third largest employer in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (employing more than 650 people) and has donated more than $1.8 million to local charities.
鈥淢embertou鈥檚 strategy is essentially a model of transparent governance, a commitment to education, a commitment to health and wellness in the community and a vision for growth through partnership,鈥� said Doucette, who is the Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies at Cape Breton University鈥檚 .
Dr. Florizone said it鈥檚 that idea of success through partnership that makes Membertou such an exciting Nova Scotian success story 鈥斅爅ust as is the case with the Ocean Frontier Institute and ideaHUB.
鈥淚t is too trite simply to say the secret to success is for us all to work together, to collaborate,鈥� said Dr. Florizone. 鈥淲e must find new ways of coming together.
鈥淟ook what we can do when we work together 鈥� when we bring the best of our region together with the best of the world, when we find ways to be more inclusive, when we challenge ourselves to think bigger. Look what we can do.鈥�
