Georgina YSpace Entrepreneurship Hub
The Town of Georgina and East Gwillimbury have partnered with York University’s premier entrepreneurship hub, YSpace, to offer a suite of programs supporting businesses in their home communities. This partnership leverages existing facilities and programs to create an ecosystem that supports coworking and collaboration, fostering new business development as well as personal and professional development for recent and seasoned entrepreneurs. Participants have access to free training, both online and in person, mentorship and co-working space for collaboration.
Since 2021, Georgina’s partnership with East Gwillimbury and York University has provided support to hundreds of new and existing entrepreneurs. Learn about some of their success stories in our blog.
Georgina YSpace eligibility
Programs are open to entrepreneurs 18+ who reside in northern York Region, primarily in East Gwillimbury, Georgina, the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nations and the surrounding area.
“The support I’ve been getting from YSpace is so great that I feel like I’m literally being led by the hand to get to where I need, and it can’t get better than that… I feel very fortunate to be in a community where people feel so strongly about helping each other,” said Jacinta, owner of Jacinta Healing Arts and YSpace participant.
Digital Skills for Business - New free program
The Digital Skills program is a free-of-charge educational workshop series that focuses on building the presence of your business online. This series will cover topics like social media, digital marketing, e-commerce, SEO, content creation with AI and how-to-use tools like Facebook Meta, Google Ads, Computer Basics, Networking, Internet Safety and Google Analytics.
Need help applying your new digital skills for your business? Just drop in. This program includes in-person sessions in both Georgina and East Gwillimbury. In addition to virtual workshops, participants can join in-person sessions and a bonus Ask Me Anything with a marketing expert.
The program is open to entrepreneurs 18+ who reside in northern York Region, primarily in East Gwillimbury, Georgina, the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and the surrounding area. For established business owners or first-time founders, this program is designed to close the digital gap for your business.
Register for Digital Skills for Business sessions!
Office Hours
Office Hours allows entrepreneurs to receive mentorship from experienced business experts to kickstart or enhance their small business ventures. Explore our Office Hours program and reserve a one-on-one time slot with the mentor(s) who align with your entrepreneurial goals. Get ready to take your business journey to the next level with personalized guidance and insights!
Entrepreneurs in Residence
The EIR Program connects local participants within the communities of Georgina and East Gwillimbury with seasoned entrepreneurs who have diverse industry expertise. Our experienced mentors will work closely with you, providing personalized guidance and support to help grow your business and drive its success.
Idea Consultations
Free one-on-one consultation services that connect entrepreneurs with YSpace’s entrepreneurship team to understand how the entrepreneurial ecosystem can help your idea come to life. The program provides free one-on-one consultation with a business professional, a defined roadmap aligned to your unique needs and access to additional support or mentorship.
For more information, contact Stephanie Simpson at stsimpson@georgina.ca or YSpace at yspace@yorku.ca.
To stay in the know, subscribe to our eNewsletter, which showcases Economic Development news, available properties, market opportunities and upcoming workshops or training.