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Innovation Island Technology Association (IITA) is a regional partner of the BC Acceleration Network. We deliver the Innovate BC, Venture Acceleration Program (VAP) to Island communities outside of greater Victoria, including the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast. IITA also facilitates other programs such as the DER3 Program (created and launched on Vancouver Island) and other Innovate BC Programs to qualifying clients and applicants including programs and services for NRC-IRAP. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs to start and grow technology companies by providing them with programs and resources they need to succeed. We support business and entrepreneurs build, grow and stay.

Since 2011, Okanagan coLab (Community Lab) has been supporting entrepreneurs and inspired creatives to work in a new way — through coworking. We are a community of people who choose to work together to make our work, our lives, our cities, and our communities better. Our Values Community The coLab community is an eclectic, supportive, and highly talented group of like-minded professionals who realize that good things happen when people work together. coLab doesn’t just rely on its community; coLab is the community. Community is in our DNA. Creativity The term “knowledge economy” is a misnomer. The real impact doesn’t come from knowledge – it comes from creatively assembling knowledge into solutions. Creativity is an essential trait in business – and coLab strives to promote creativity in every way. Collaboration Community + creativity = collaboration. One of the great benefits of working alongside talented, knowledgeable people in a variety of industries is the ideas that are disseminated by osmosis – and then re-formed into cohesive plans through collaboration. At coLab, it’s easy to find that technical or creative whiz to run ideas past. Purposefulness Purposefulness is being aware that each of us is here for a reason. We value our lives by discovering the part we are uniquely meant to play. We discern our intention and focus on it mindfully. We visualize it happening. We set goals and achieve them step by step, resisting distractions. We give each task single minded concentration and excellence. We invest our full enthusiasm into even the simplest job. In the flow of our lives, there are many turns and unexpected events. Within it all, there are lessons to be learned and gifts to receive. Celebration Celebrating and having fun at work is an essential function for building a positive workplace culture, helping our members blow off steam, and fostering new ideas.

Empowered incubates and accelerates driven entrepreneurial leaders capable of building outstanding startups that bring customers and institutional capital knocking on the door. Our unique model incubates talented Canadian entrepreneurs and Foreign entrepreneurs and connects their start-ups with international customers. We invest seed capital and time in the best scalable start-ups so that our start-up founders can aggressively pursue their revenue goals.

Kyn Biosciences Inc. is a seed and series A-stage investment group that leverages expertise in technology, finance, governance, operations, and regulatory frameworks to identify global investment opportunities within the biosciences domain. Kyn’s areas of interest include, but are not limited to, novel extraction methodologies, pharmaceutical applications, delivery systems, experimental or research platforms, and clinical trials.