Funding Partners
Coast Capital Venture Connection’s programs are provided at no charge to participants. In order to continue this valuable service and program delivery, we are reliant on the forward-thinking, entrepreneurial spirit and generosity of our corporate, foundation, private and government partners:
Program Sponsor
Coast Capital Venture Connection’s programs are delivered in partnership with Coast Capital, through a 5-year, $1,000,000 partnership, bringing Coast's total investment in SFU entrepreneurs to $1.875 million since 2008.
Coast Capital is Canada’s largest credit union by membership and B.C.’s first credit union to become a federal credit union. Owned by its 572,000 members, Coast Capital offers banking and investment services digitally and through its 52 branches in the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Okanagan, and Vancouver Island regions of British Columbia. An Imagine Canada Caring Company and a Certified B Corporation in recognition of its social performance, Coast Capital invests 10 per cent of its bottom line in youth-focused community organizations, programs, partnerships and events.
In Partnership with:
Some of Venture Connection's services to support early stage ventures are delivered through the SFU Innovates Life Sciences Stream (LSS) Program, funded by Genome BC. Through the LSS, Genome BC has invested over $500,000 in SFU entrepreneurs since 2017.
Genome British Columbia is a catalyst for the life sciences cluster on Canada’s West Coast, and manages a cumulative portfolio of over $660M in 211 research projects and science and technology platforms. Working with governments, academia and industry across sectors such as forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, agri-food, energy and mining, environment, and human health, the goal of the organization is to generate social and economic benefits for British Columbia and Canada. Genome BC is supported by the Province of British Columbia, the Government of Canada through Genome Canada and Western Economic Diversification Canada and more than 300 international public and private co-funding partners.
For more than 30 years, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) has been working to diversify the western economy while improving the quality of life of western Canadians. We aim to be a leader in building a strong, competitive West by focusing on business development, innovation and community development.
Venture Connection is a key program within the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship. The Chang Institute is the interdisciplinary home and academic hub for entrepreneurship and innovation at Simon Fraser University within the Beedie School of Business and in partnership with all SFU Faculties. Here, a diverse network of people and ideas converge to create an environment that fosters entrepreneurial thinking and action. The Institute brings together SFU students, faculty, researchers and community leaders and welcomes entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere to engage and collaborate at the local and global levels.
Community Partners
Campus Partners
As part of the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, we support interdisciplinary entrepreneurship education and work with all 8 faculties at SFU, as well as departments and units throughout the universities. Key program partners within these units include:
