Root Ventures: Pemberton Valley Food & Art Entrepreneur Start-up Program is a fun, inspiring and innovative program that encourages and supports new food or art businesses through building knowledge, capacity and by providing mentorship.
The Root Ventures program seeks to support burgeoning food and art-based ventures (non-profit organizations, businesses, solo entrepreneurs) in the Pemberton Valley (including the Pemberton and Lil’wat Nation communities) with the development of their business idea/concept.
Call for applicants now closed.
Join the Root Ventures Facebook Group to stay connected.
Program Goals
• To inspire and support food and art-based enterprises with the development of their business model
• To address social and/or environmental challenges through new social ventures
• To strengthen community-driven economic development in the Pemberton Valley
The Root Ventures program includes the following elements over a four month period:
Learning – Four cohort-based learning sessions based on development of a Business Model Canvas. Each session includes homework and sharing learning among the other participants.
Participants will learn:
- Purpose and value proposition
- Customer segments, relationships, channels
- Key partners, activities, resources
- Cost and revenue structures
Mentorship – One-on-one support developing business concepts with local expertise (1.5 hours every 2 weeks, over 2 months)
Videos – Develop a short video to share and promote your business
Angel-Den – Session to practise delivering a pitch to business/marketing experts (to be confirmed)
Showcase Event – A fun, celebratory event where participants have an opportunity to showcase their businesses.
Feedback from our SVC participants
“I really feel like the whole program transformed my big idea and helped lay the foundation for the next step of my social venture. It was not only the incredible coaching, but the incredible networking done though the whole process.” [201
“I thought the program was very well done. I really feel like the whole process transformed my big idea and helped lay the foundation for the next step of my social venture.”
“The lessons learned apply not just to the venture we developed under the SVC but are already being integrated into evaluating future concepts.”
For more information please contact Cheeying Ho at 604-388-8421
Root Ventures is generously supported by Community Futures Howe Sound and Squamish Savings, as well as our in-kind sponsor the Squamish Lillooet Regional District. The program is part of the Centre’s LEAN (Local Economy Action Network) initiative, which aims to create a stronger shared-value based local economy through collaboration and collective action.
