After completing extensive renovations in the Daily Planet Building on King Street in downtown Chatham, SOAR Innovation celebrated the Grand Opening of the region’s premier business incubator and accelerator on Thursday.
At the outset, the facility offers co-working space of 28 desks and four private offices, as well as business mentorship, investment programs, and potential for commercial collaborations with corporations in a vibrant start-up community.
SOAR Innovation is a registered not-for-profit organization, with a vision of helping entrepreneurs start transforming their innovative ideas into real practical business, accelerate the growth to a global scale, and replicate the success in new ways for organic and inorganic growth.
Started by Ekagrata Group, an international principal investment and holding company, SOAR Innovation has an international network through this affiliation in more than 30 countries, with direct investments and operating investments across the globe.
“SOAR Innovation acts as a catalyst between innovative entrepreneurs, the market opportunity, and the start-up ecosystem,” stated Prashant Pathak, Founder of SOAR Innovation, in a media release.
“It is our hope that through our organization, we can help grow Chatham-Kent’s economy by launching untraditional sectors for this region and stimulating the economy with new, sustainable, and skilled employment opportunities.”
“Chatham-Kent is home to extremely talented and innovative people, and having access to a business incubator, accelerator, and even a potential hyper-accelerator is going to be invaluable for taking innovations from prototype to a global market,” stated Stuart McFadden, Director of Economic Development, in a press release.
“Economic Development and SOAR Innovations make great partners because together we will help launch businesses to new heights.”
The possibilities for the type of industries involved with SOAR Innovation include food, agriculture, energy, water and waste-water, tourism, technology, software development, analytics, art & design, marketing, and education.
“We are officially open and ready to start connecting with people who have innovative ideas or businesses,” said Gaurav Gupta, Director of Finance and Venture Services, SOAR Innovation.
“There has been a lot of buzz and excitement from the community prior to our opening. Entrepreneurs from all walks will find SOAR Innovation inspiring and intriguing. We want to turn this excitement into real practical businesses.”
Future plans for SOAR Innovation include networking events for entrepreneurs, practical presentations based on member’s needs, and Demo Days; a Chatham-Kent pitch competition that will award funding towards innovative ideas and businesses.
Interested entrepreneurs are encouraged to contact SOAR directly to start the application process. For more information about SOAR Innovation, including details about their location and programs, visit them online at www.soarinnovation.com or email them at info@soarinnovation.com.
