Are you an alumni looking to move back to Kamloops, a working professional, or a student with an amazing startup that has potential to change the community, or the world?

Kamloops Innovation has launched the Built in Kamloops Contest, which will award an early-stage startup with a six-month intensive package in Kamloops to launch a business, valued at more than $50,000.

The program will give the winner accommodation, access to Kamloops Innovation’s office space, mentorship opportunities, $10,000 in cash to grow the business and tickets to sporting events and shows in the City of Kamloops. The aim is to give the startup the full experience of what it’s like to live and grow a startup in Kamloops. And did we mention, the centrally located fully-furnished downtown apartment is pet friendly, so you can even bring your dog.

What will the mentorship look like?

Venture Acceleration Program: you will get a six-month membership to the Venture Acceleration Program. The program is delivered by local Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EiR) that guide and coach early-stage companies through defining business models for sustained growth. Kamloops Innovation does not take equity stakes in companies, making companies free to grow on their own terms.

Research partnerships: Kamloops Innovation is uniquely connected to Thompson Rivers University to create research partnerships that find solutions to industry-driven challenges. The benefits of collaborating with TRU researchers include: research mentorship, access to technologies resulting from research collaboration, direct access to faculty expertise, access to specialized research facilities, access to highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral researchers and potential to leverage research dollars for research and development tax credits.

Regional connections: Kamloops offers connections to various industries. If your business pertains to a particular sector relevant to Kamloops, the opportunities for networking and mentorship are significant.

Kamloops Chamber of Commerce membership: the Chamber of Commerce provides access to local networking opportunities, potential mentorship opportunities, workshops, and events in the business community.

Kamloops Makerspace membership: whether you’re working on a prototype or taking up a new hobby, the makerspace has the equipment and people to mentor and help you.

Co-working: Gain mentorship from those you are sharing a space with. Co-working is a global movement that recognizes that people work better together than they do alone. Consultants or those with workplace flexibility benefit by having a place where they can gather to work on independent work in the company of others.

If this sounds like everything you could dream of, don’t miss out on this opportunity and apply now for the Built in Kamloops contest, the deadline to apply is May 26, 2017.

While a $10,000 cash prize is extremely exciting, the value of mentorship is likely the real MVP of this contest. To learn more about the importance of having a mentor, check out this article.

Entries will be evaluated based on merit of startup idea, likelihood of success, community participation and fit within the community.