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PROJECT ZERO

INCUBATOR

2021 COHORT

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Meet our 2021 incubator cohort! These entrepreneurs are all eager to dive in and develop their businesses. We are excited to see the progress they make over the course of the 8 month program. Business ideas range from furniture restoration to small-scale compost processing to recycled building products!

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BuildGreen products

Damian | Burnaby

A wholesale broker of sustainable, 100% recycled content, building products and is partnering to bring manufacturing to British Columbia in a joint venture with Re-Plast Products and Paverreco.

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BYO

Priscilla & Angelica | Vancouver

A program that fights disposable culture by encouraging cafe customers to bring their reusable cups instead of using single-use cups for to-go drinks.

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C2C threads

Michelle & Fay | Gabriola Island

Circular economy social enterprise that will reduce the amount of used fabric going to the landfill while at the same time preparing fabric for re-use, creating redesigned upcycled clothing, stuffed applications, and other useable products.

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Carbon Wise

Elisabeth | Vancouver

Helping build carbon-negative houses and store BC’s carbon from the atmosphere.

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Compost ed centre

Kayla | Greater Victoria

The Compost Education Centre's Neighborhood Composting Program will create a decentralized place for people's food scraps to be turned into a nutrient-rich, carbon-sequestering soil amendment.

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Cow-op.ca

Derrick & Rachel | Duncan

Wholesale online farmers market connecting restaurant owners, grocery stores and value add food producers with local famers. Encouraging production of local food and local food security systems.

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hotbox

Mahbod & Rebecca | Vancouver

Minimizing waste, supporting refugees and artists, driving repair culture, and creating local employment by restoring and marketing used furniture.

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Juntos

Christina & Keegan | North Vancouver

A platform where community members can more easily connect to distributors and local suppliers of goods while striving to reduce packaging as much as possible by offering bulk portions and zero-waste packaging.

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Justo's craft dips

Justin | Greater Victoria

Provides a sustainable snacking solution, community food support, and creative flavours of your favorite dips through a returnable glass jar program.

qathet Reuse Centre

qathet reuse centre

Jonathon  | qathet Regional District

Create a social enterprise store for redistribution of resources removed from the waste stream

Recycle Haida Gwaii

RECYCLE HAIDA GWAII

Bryce | Haida Gwaii

Mini full circle plastic recycling centre that takes plastic waste and turns it into new goods.

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Sandown centre

Jen | North Saanich

The Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture is a beautiful 83 acres of field, forest & wetland on the Saanich peninsula that serves as a hub to help foster the next generation of farmers, host teaching & research, offer community food growing, enhance biodiversity, and give lots of opportunities to fall in love with local food!

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Sharewares

Cody | Vancouver

Ending the world's single-use waste crisis with an advanced washing platform for reusable packaging that will be the new utility for progressive global cities.

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Safi Sana

Julian | Greater Victoria

A health food brand in Victoria, BC blending nutrient-dense, organic plants, algae (and soon fungi) into easy ways to brighten your day.

2021 Incubator Supporters

The 2021 cohort represents our first year offering our incubator beyond the borders of Vancouver Island! Thanks to the continuous support from our Strategic Partner, Vancity, we were able to expand the geographic region of the incubator. Adding on to our expansion efforts was the amazing team at the Vancouver Economic Commission. With their support we were able to accept more ventures into our program, making this our largest cohort to date! 

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Vancity is a values-based financial cooperative serving the needs of its more than 525,000 member-owners and their communities in the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw territories.

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The Vancouver Economic Commission is building a  prosperous, inclusive and resilient economy for Vancouver, its businesses and its residents by supporting local companies, attracting high-impact investment and promoting international trade.

Guest experts

The Incubator programs features a variety of guest experts who lead sessions in their area of expertise, answer participant questions, and offer coaching calls. These guest experts bring a lot of value to the program and we are so grateful for their on-going support. Check out 2021's guest experts below!

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DR. Michelle Clement

Camosun College | Marketing Professor

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Michelle Clément’s research interest and experience lies within sustainability, marketing and consumer behaviour. She has sat on numerous committees within the community and the post-secondary environment. 

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miles waghray

Sitka Law | Associate

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Miles enjoys assisting his clients with their personal and professional legal needs. Miles operating a mixed practice of law with a focus on corporate & commercial law. In his spare time, Miles enjoys all forms of outdoor activities, travelling to various countries, and playing music.

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SHannon tseng

Alexander Holburn | Associate

Alexander Holburn

Shannon maintains a broad business law practice with a focus on corporate and commercial law. She is experienced in various industries and assisting these clients in the structuring, operation, growth, and eventual sale of their businesses. Shannon also has experience in advising charities and not-for-profit organizations.

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ravipal Bains

McMillan LLP | Associate, Capital Markets & Securities

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Ravipal (Ravi) Bains is a trusted advisor in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and corporate finance. Ravi acts for issuers and private equity funds in a variety of sectors, including mining, forestry, and technology. Ravi is a member of the Canada Climate Law Initiative’s group of experts on climate governance and has a keen interest in the current trends in environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).

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Stan Jung, MBA, CPA

Camosun College | Finance Professor

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Stan’s academic interests include corporate finance and strategic planning. His career has included experience in private industry, international development aid, as well as consulting to a range of clients in the resource, non-profit, education and small business sectors. He has a personal interest in social businesses, specifically to support individuals with different (intellectual) abilities. 

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Amanda Wilson

Spark Strategic Group | Communications Specialist

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Amanda is a marketing and communications specialist whose varied career encompasses journalism, public relations, commercial production and arts marketing among others. She is currently co-owner of Spark Strategic Group. She helped launch the Island Good ‘buy local’ brand marketing initiative, and she is currently supporting eco-start up The Nulla Project in their work reducing single use coffee cups.

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Ian culbertson

Stocksy United | Director of People & Talent

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Ian joined Stocksy after a decade in the nonprofit sector where he learned that he liked people, processes, and pie charts. Ian is an engaged and energetic professional with extensive experience in strategic planning, full-cycle recruitment, talent management, employee engagement, and organizational evaluation. 

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Carla Sorrell

Douglas Magazine | Editor

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Carla has over 15 years of editorial and communications experience. She is currently the Editor of Douglas Magazine, the latest chapter in her diverse career spanning fashion, business, education, and the creative industries. Her background in fine arts and journalism and a passion for storytelling are reflected in her dynamic and innovative body of work.

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Adel guitouni

University of Victoria | Associate Professor

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Dr. Adel Guitouni is an award-winning associate professor of management sciences, operations research and decision support systems at the Gustavson School of Business. Through his research Adel's goal is to help improve the decision-making process at the individual and corporate level. Through his entrepreneurship and leadership project work, he hopes to empower youth and leaders by giving them the tools to change their world.

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