YSpace Northern Entrepreneurship Hub
Entrepreneurship in East Gwillimbury
YSpace Northern York Region Entrepreneurship Hub provides entrepreneurial resources, including mentorship, access to peer-to-peer networks, and coworking space for collaboration. It fosters new business opportunities as well as personal and professional development for new and existing businesses.
A combination of on-demand business support and programming is available in East Gwillimbury and Georgina, both in-person and virtually. Programs are refined and augmented to address the specific needs of each business community.
Schedule an Idea Consultation (in-person or virtual) with our entrepreneurship team to get started.
Digital Skills for Business
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Digital Skills for Business is back for 2025! This free program offers workshops to help your business grow online. Learn how to start or improve your online presence and close the digital gap. Gain the tools you need for business success. This years program will include in-person sessions in East Gwillimbury and Georgina covering topics like LinkedIn, AI Marketing, and Introduction to Canva.
Eligibility: Digital Skills for Business is open to entrepreneurs aged 18 and older who live or operate a business in East Gwillimbury, Georgina, the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nations and the surrounding area. For established business owners or first-time founders, this program is designed to close the digital gap for your business.
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Mentor Match
Seeking expert guidance to kickstart or grow your small business venture?
The Mentor Match program (formerly Office Hours) is now accepting entrepreneurs. This program connects you with experienced business mentors who align with your entrepreneurial goals, offering personalized insights and strategies to fuel your growth.
Whether you’re starting out or scaling up, our mentors are here to help you achieve success.
Meet our Mentors
York Small Business Enterprise Centre (YSBEC)
- Expertise: Foundational business tools and planning.
- Focus: Business plans, business model development, and market research to understand trends and target audiences.
- Date: December 3, 2024 | Location: East Gwillimbury
Eligibility: This program is open to YSpace participants.
- Not a participant? Start by booking an Idea Consultation to join the YSpace community.
- Already completed an Idea Consultation? Contact our Business Entrepreneurship Coordinator, Negin Khorasani, to discuss your next steps.
Ongoing Programs
Idea Consultations are your entry-point into the YSpace program. This one-on-one consultation connects you with the YSpace entrepreneurship team who will learn about your aspirations and how our programs can support your business growth or bring your ideas to life.
Join TechConnex, local entrepreneurs, and business owners in-person for a monthly peer-to-peer session. Peer-to-peer is where fast-growth business leaders and entrepreneurs can come together to exchange information that will help expand your businesses.
The Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) program offers an 8-session, one-on-one mentorship experience. Our industry-leading mentors will work closely with you, providing guidance to accelerate your business growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What is YSpace Northern York Region? |
| YSpace is York University’s pan-university entrepreneurship and innovation hub supporting startups and entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors and communities. YSpace programming spans scaling innovative technologies through customer and investor capital to scaling agri-food businesses into mass retail to diversity-focused initiatives like ELLA for women-led businesses and Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) for Black-led businesses.
YSpace Northern York Region in an entrepreneurship hub in East Gwillimbury and Georgina. YSpace offers an ecosystem of entrepreneurial resources, including mentorship, peer-to-peer networks, and co-working space. It fosters new business opportunities as well as personal and professional development for new and existing entrepreneurs. A combination of on-demand business support and programming is available in East Gwillimbury and Georgina, both in-person and virtually at no cost to your business. |
| Who is eligible to join YSpace Northern York Region? |
| YSpace Northern York Region is open to entrepreneurs 18+ who reside in northern York Region, primarily in East Gwillimbury, Georgina, and the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nations. |
| Is there a cost to access mentorship or enroll in a program? |
| No, there is no cost to join a YSpace Northern York Region workshop, networking group, or to use the coworking space in Georgina. YSpace Northern York Region is made possible through a partnership and funding between the Town of East Gwillimbury, the Town of Georgina, and York University's YSpace, with additional funding from the Rural Economic Development (RED) program from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). As a result of this funding and collaboration, the program is available to businesses at no cost. You can find more details in the full press release. |
| How do I enroll into YSpace Northern York Region? |
| Enrolling in the program starts with an Idea Consultation. During this session, you'll receive one-on-one consultation services connecting you with YSpace's entrepreneurship team. Together, you'll explore how the program and its resources can support the realization of your idea.
Idea Consultations provide:
To schedule your Idea Consultation and embark on your entrepreneurial journey, book a meeting with the entrepreneurship coordinator here. |
| Is there working space available for entrepreneurs? |
| Yes, there is a physical entrepreneurship hub in Georgina (YSpace Georgina) which is open to entrepreneurs from East Gwillimbury and Georgina. YSpace Georgina is located at 1 Market Street, Georgina, ON L0E 1R0. You can find more details about YSpace Georgina on their website.
Study Rooms are available as working space at the East Gwillimbury Public Library. Private study rooms are in the Mount Albert and Holland Landing library branches and are free to use if you are a library card holder. You can find more details about the East Gwillimbury public library and study rooms on their website. |
| How do I become a program mentor or workshop facilitator? |
| YSpace Northern York Region has an ongoing intake process for individuals interested in mentorship or facilitator roles. The specific responsibilities and time commitments can vary depending on the program and the needs of the businesses involved.
If you're interested in becoming involved, please fill out an application form. This will help us understand your background and match you with the appropriate program. Once you've completed the application, a YSpace representative will reach out to schedule an introductory call. |
| Where can I find more information on YSpace? |
| YSpace is York University’s pan-university entrepreneurship and innovation hub supporting startups and entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors and communities. Our programming spans scaling innovative technologies through customer and investor capital to scaling agri-food businesses into mass retail to diversity-focused initiatives like ELLA for women-led businesses and Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) for Black-led businesses. You can find more details about YSpace on their website. |
Meet with EG's Economic Development team to learn how YSpace can help your business.