Budding entrepreneurs now have a new reason to be excited, as the Kamloops Innovation Centre moved from its old North Shore location to new offices at Thompson Rivers University late last month.
“Our community of students, faculty, staff and alumni will benefit even more greatly with Kamloops Innovation being located on the Kamloops campus,” said Mike Henry, dean of the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics, in a released statement.
Kamloops Innovation’s new location, on the fourth floor of the TRU Clock Tower, is a short walking distance from the existing TRU Generator, an on-campus “accelerator” program jointly operated by TRU and Kamloops Innovation, where students, faculty, staff and alumni of TRU are provided with mentorship, education and entrepreneurial support.
“Being centrally located on TRU’s Kamloops campus is a great fit for Kamloops Innovation since over 80 per cent of the people we work with are connected to TRU,” said Kamloops Innovation Centre Executive Director Michael Andrews, noting how the “close proximity” between the two organizations will “[…] increase the opportunities for new partnerships in innovation and entrepreneurship.”
“Since day one — about 6 years ago — The TRU Generator programs have been run by staff from the Kamloops Innovation Centre along with the help from TRU co-op students,” Andrews said in a statement to The Omega. “In the Generator space, we run regular weekly entrepreneurial-focused workshops, bring in guest speakers, provide space for student clubs to meet, and even host ‘Startup Coffee’ in the Common Grounds space at CAC.”
According to Andrews, KIC’s move to its new home has been a long time coming. It was necessitated by increased year-over-year visits by student-led businesses, a trend that continues today.
“A couple years back, we began holding regular weekly office hours for students looking for business advice and mentorship. Even with doubling our office hours on campus last year, the demand is still increasing,” said Andrews.
“The move to campus not only allows us to be more accessible to students, but it is also a very central location for anyone in Kamloops wanting to take part in our programs, which typically take place in the evening when parking is not an issue. So, when the opportunity for space in the Clock Tower came up a few months ago, we didn’t hesitate.”For more information on the services available from the Kamloops Innovation Center or the TRU Generator program, visit the Kamloops Innovation or TRU Generator websites.