Brampton Council unanimously approved a partnership with the Founder Institute (FI), a global accelerator firm providing support to high-potential, early stage companies. The partnership includes funding of an amount up to $30,000 per year, for three years, to the Founder Institute.
The addition of the FI is another step towards building Brampton’s downtown Innovation District that will provide supports for entrepreneurs and businesses through every stage of their journey.
FI provides support to companies through specialized programming, training courses, access to funding and introductions to a world-class mentor network. FI has graduated over 4,300 companies that have raised in excess of $950M, and has helped create approximately 25,000 jobs globally.
Benefits of the partnership include:
- Program expansion bringing tech entrepreneurs from Waterloo, Toronto and the surrounding regions into Brampton
- Scholarships for Brampton Entrepreneurs participating in the program
- Lead generation of international startups and investors
- Supporting the City’s Foreign Direct Investment efforts through international FI chapters
- Helping profile Brampton through the Global FI network
- Developing a dedicated Cybersecurity Stream and programming for cybersecurity startup founders
- Creating a mentor network composed of investors, entrepreneurs and executives
Expanding the City’s Innovation District is a key goal in the City’s Economic Recovery Strategy.
Other partners in Brampton’s Innovation District include the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre; the Catalyst Cyber Accelerator (led by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and Ryerson DMZ); the Research Innovation Commercialization or RIC Centre; Ryerson Venture Zone; the Brampton Board of Trade and the Downtown Brampton BIA.