Turning dreams into reality for entrepreneurs

We all benefit when businesses thrive, writes Arlene Dickinson.

Last February, I made the decision to leave Dragons’ Den. After eight amazing seasons on the award- winning CBC series, I felt a desire to try something different. As I said at the time, I have some big dreams — dreams I wanted, and needed, to chase.

Being an entrepreneur is more than an identity, it’s a guiding instinct, and that instinct has led me back to my hometown of Calgary. My goal was to build both a fund and a space for Canada’s most driven and promising entrepreneurs; the fund to help provide much needed growth capital; the space to be a gathering place for entrepreneurs to collaborate and grow their businesses.

I wanted to build the type of community that I wish had existed when I was starting out — a space dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed.

A business accelerator is not a new concept; there are several successful accelerators across Canada, but District Ventures is no ordinary accelerator. While the majority focus on building tech and energy companies, District Ventures will concentrate on one specific sector — consumer packaged goods. This makes us the first accelerator of its kind in Canada.

Why consumer packaged goods? It’s simple: the demand for these products never lags. We wake, we eat, we drink and we sleep. The cycle continues. This continuous demand speaks to the real potential for new and burgeoning businesses to play a strong role in Canada’s home and export markets.

A consumer packaged goods- focused accelerator is also a natural marriage with Canada’s thriving agricultural and health sectors, and with the critical need to add value to our raw products at home before we export them globally. I believe that no raw good should leave this country without some value being added to it by Canadians.

I’m proud to say that Calgary is Canada’s energy capital. I’m grateful for the tremendous impact the energy sector has had on our province and our country. For years, I’ve worked closely with the oil and gas industry to change prevailing ( and often- incorrect) perceptions about this sector, and educate Canadians on the positive impact it has.

But Alberta is more than oil and gas. Few recognize that Calgary has the highest concentration of small businesses among Canada’s major cities.

Fewer still understand that Albertans are, by nature, among the hardest working, driven and entrepreneurial Canadians in the country.

District Ventures — a non- profit accelerator — offers a community for Canadian entrepreneurs. We connect innovative growth- stage companies in the food and beverage and health and wellness sectors with strategic investors, sponsors and commercialization support.

Our members receive unparalleled support through our partnerships with some of the largest and most influential companies in Canada. Already, ATB, Bennett Jones and the federal government’s Industrial Research Assistance Program have committed to providing toplevel professional support to our members. And, we have an extremely impressive roster of seasoned entrepreneurs who are lending their expertise, advice and support to our members.

It’s because of District Venture’s unique approach, and its unique suite of supports, that we’ve already attracted entrepreneurs from Toronto to Vancouver to be part of our first cohort.

Throughout my 28 years at the helm of Venture Communications, I’ve worked closely with entrepreneurs from across the country. I’ve helped them take their products to market, and in some cases, invested in their ideas. I’ve witnessed the ingenuity of entrepreneurs firsthand, and I can say with authority that Canada is a nation of entrepreneurs.

When we invest in and nurture that unique, exciting identity, the rewards can be immense. That’s why I started District Ventures: to create a national centre of excellence where Canada’s best entrepreneurs can come, be part of community of driven peers, and export their ideas across the globe.

There’s an entrepreneurial movement happening in Canada, and as a nation, we must recognize the role small- and medium- size business plays in our economy. We must stand up in support of homegrown innovation, and get behind the efforts of Canadian businesses expanding into global markets.

Let’s build something great together.