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Mayor Tory launches mentoring platform for Toronto entrepreneurs
A new mentoring platform for Toronto entrepreneurs and small businesses was launched today (June 27) by Mayor John Tory and Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the City's Economic Development Committee.
The StartUp HERE Toronto Café, http://www.startupheretoronto.com/coffeechat – a partnership with acclaimed Toronto startup Ten Thousand Coffees, which currently has more than 60,000 users for its unique mentorship program in the Greater Toronto Area – will provide access to mentorship, advice and support to entrepreneurs building their businesses in the GTA by encouraging in person and virtual networking.
"I want Toronto's business community to have access to the tools and support they need to thrive and grow in the modern economy," said Mayor Tory. "Mentorship has played an important role in my life, and I'm pleased that this program will help open doors for a new generation of entrepreneurs."
The City of Toronto launched http://www.startupheretoronto.com in February to support the growing startup community along the broader Toronto-Waterloo innovation corridor. Built and managed in partnership with Toronto startups, incubators, accelerators, funders and educational institutions, the site partners with more than 35 organizations. To support this work, the City has also launched Digital Mainstreet, which helps local businesses adopt new technologies, and now the StartUp HERE Toronto Café.
“Coffee chats are the best way for young professionals, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and students to get started – whether you have an idea, are interested in innovation, or looking to hire, you can go to TenThousandCoffees.com and meet with others," said Dave Wilkin, founder of Ten Thousand Coffees. "Getting coffee with someone interesting is now just a few clicks away, it’s free and available to anyone interested in entrepreneurship and innovation in the City of Toronto.”
The StartUp HERE Toronto Café and StartUp HERE Toronto are part of "From Concept to Commercialization: A Startup Eco-system Strategy for the City of Toronto" which was endorsed by City Council in May 2015.
"Mentoring is a valuable tool to improve the chances of success for new entrepreneurs," said Councillor Thompson. "The lift provided to our business economy by successful new entrepreneurs also benefits the corporations and businesses whose leaders volunteer their time and share their knowledge as mentors."
TenThousandCoffees.com is the world’s largest peer-to-peer mentoring platform empowering communities and individuals from around the world to build meaningful relationships through conversations over coffee – in-person or online. Its proprietary platform helps organizations and entrepreneurship centers match their members together in closed communities to share ideas, collaborate on projects and achieve their goals. Coffee chats make building relationships and networking fun, accessible and easy for all types of teams and organizations.
(Source: City of Toronto)
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