XcelerateNOW: How Immigration Fosters Innovation
XcelerateNOW is a program dedicated to connecting Newcomers, Refugees, Immigrant entrepreneurs and, startups to existing resources, events, activities, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities.
As part of XcelerateNOW, the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre offers the Start Now Series, a group of workshops and networking events focused on guiding our community members throughout their entrepreneurial journey.
What can you expect at our free program launch fiesta?
Keynote Speaker Zahra Al-Harazi – Award-Winning Entrepreneur and Purpose-Driven leadership expert. Zahra will be talking about her inspiring story and How Immigration Fosters Innovation.
A survivor of two civil wars, Zahra immigrated to Canada with her three children in 1996. She had no higher education or connections and very little understanding of the business world, but her entrepreneurial spirit quickly led her to start her first company Foundry Communications, an internationally recognized Canadian creative powerhouse.
Learn how she channeled frustration into courage, the mistakes she’s glad she made, the milestones that propelled her, and how a clear and powerful voice can help anyone get what they want most in life. She will also share how to leverage the full power of design across business to become a “design-driven” company. She provides a simple yet powerful framework to help spark creative endeavors and drive transformational growth, on both a personal and organizational level.
Hear from Peruvian business owner, Ricardo Irivarren from Miski Organics as he shares his entrepreneurial journey in Canada. How he started his business and moved to Barrie Ontario, where he build new connections, and scaled his business in the Simcoe County Region and beyond.
• Networking opportunities that will help you build connections in our community
• Delicious food, cultural performance and free swag
This launch event is hosted during Xcelerate Summit, for more information about this event check their website.
This project is funded and done in partnership with the County of Simcoe, and with the support of The Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre, Invest Barrie, Town of Innisfil, South Georgian Bay Small Business Enterprise Centre and the Small Business Centre for Barrie, Simcoe County and Orillia.