CCS Innovation Hub for Social Ventures Launched at ISIS

Looking for some serious mentorship for your Social Venture?

Then perhaps you should consider the CCS Innovation Hub for Social Ventures - an incubator program recently launched by ISIS (ISIS Research Centre - part of the Sauder School of Business, at the University of British Columbia) and their community partner Coast Capital Savings (one of the largest credit unions in Canada, with almost $12 billion in assets and close to half a million members).

According to the ISIS website and the organizations marketing literature the program is being designed as an "Innovation Hub to propel social change through innovation and entrepreneurship... ...to help accelerate social ventures to the next level so that they are able to create deeper and long lasting social impact in their communities, the world of business, and society at large. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment and access support from a valuable network of industry experts and mentors". While the program doesn't specifically mention any financial support, it offers a number of benefits to promising social ventures, such as:

• A co-working space
• An educational workshop series tailored to the unique needs of social ventures featuring industry expert guest speakers
• Access to knowledge capital from the ISIS research center and the Sauder School of Business
• Peer learning and support
• Mentorship from industry experts
• A full-time student intern for a four month period
• Access to social innovation speaker series and events
• Opportunities for exposure to BC's social economy community

ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the incubator program the primary MISSION of your organization must be to "create social or environmental impact on individuals or communities within BC", it must also be INNOVATIVE, Financially SUSTAINABLE - considering people planet and profits, and also have a measurable SOCIAL IMPACT.

Your venture must have been "in operation for a minimum of one and no more than three years" it may take any LEGAL FORM, and entrepreneurs must make a committment to working in the incubator for 12 months (from Jan 2013 - Dec 2013) and participating in all incubator sanctioned activities.

APPLICATIONS
Applications for the first incubator program intake will be accepted until November 2nd, 2012 (with the inaugural program starting in January 2013).

To find out more or to apply for the ISIS incubator program, click on the following link to the ISIS website: http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Faculty/Research_Centres/ISIS/Programs/Coast_Ca...

...good luck!