Northern Innovation Network
Accelerating innovation and technology throughout northern and central British Columbia.
Northern Innovation Network (formerly Hubspace) helps startups and scaling businesses in Northern BC succeed through 1-on-1 coaching, mentorship, cohort-based training, and strategic networking. We connect entrepreneurs with industry partners, investors, and funding opportunities while providing guidance on navigating grants and private investment.
As one of 10 not-for-profit accelerators in British Columbia’s provincial network, Hubspace, operated by the Innovation Central Society, strengthens the region’s innovation ecosystem by fostering business growth, supporting technological advancement, and driving sustainable economic development.
Support for Entrepreneurs.Â
With the generous help of our funders, we work with innovators, technicians and founders to take on the challenges of starting or expanding a business. Often innovators are technical specialists in their field but they lack the business skills to advance their idea into a successful venture. Hubspace is an innovator’s starting point to filling in the business side of their innovation!
Venture Accelerator Program
Using a proven methodology, we help entrepreneurs in Northern B.C. to launch, grow, and explore new opportunities.
Build Your Own Future
Government-funded business startup program for technicians & trades people affected by BC mill closures and curtailments
AccelerateIP
Providing access to education, support, and strategy development for protecting, implementing and leveraging your intellectual property.
Plastics Action Fund
Supporting plastic waste reduction projects in BC to promote a circular economy through recycling, remanufacturing, reuse, and repair initiatives.
Accelerating Innovation Across The North
Our Values.
Our vision is to be the catalyst for a thriving community of innovators in the North and we relentless pursue this by being:
Community-focused
We know that highlighting and celebrating the success of innovators builds a dynamic community.
EntrepreneurialÂ
We capitalize on opportunities and focus on solutions. When we face setbacks, we learn and grow.
Tenacious
Excellence is a way of life for us, and we push towards the future at a relentless pace.
Innovative
We are change-makers, we strive for creativity as we move towards a transformative tomorrow.
Our results.Â
Our mission is to drive economic growth and build the innovation ecosystem in northern British Columbia by providing essential supports to entrepreneurs and businesses. We take this goal very seriously and our results speak for themselves. We have facilitated:
Investment Placed
Jobs created
Revenue Generated
The Power of the Venture Accelerator Program.
Don’t let the accent fool you, Simon Angus has been living here in the North for more than a decade. He’s a mechanical engineer by trade, and before setting on the wild adventure of entrepreneurship, worked at the Tidewater refinery in Prince George. His company, Open Waters Solar, is now at the forefront of manufacturing solar panels.
Hubspace, through the Venture Accelerator Program, is proud to have been one of the organizations that worked alongside Simon during the early stages of his business when he was focused on building a carbon-fiber, solar powered yacht. His story is a classic one in the entrepreneurial world, after the disappointment of realizing that traditional panels could not provide adequate power for the yacht, he pivoted into the real opportunity! He went on to develop a solar panel that surpasses anything on the market in strength, weight, and durability. This innovation has resulted in a substantial backlog of orders from the marine sector and holds promise for offering eco-friendly energy solutions to the transportation industry.
Supporting Open Water Solar has been a team effort right from the beginning, along with Hubspace, Simon had support from Community Futures Fraser Fort George, Northern Development Initiative Trust, The National Research Councils Industrial Research Assistance Program and Sustainable Development Technology Canada. His success is not only the story of a dedicated entrepreneur, but the power of collaboration between all these amazing Organizations that support innovation across the north!
Our Supporters.
We wouldn’t be where we are today without the generous support of our funders.
