For the Makers, Coders, Inventors and Creators who want to create
prototypes or learn something new
SimCoLab is a community-operated workspace where people
with common interests, often in computers, technology, science,
digital art or electronic art, can meet, socialize and/or
collaborate.
We exist to develop a community of people interested in making
awesome things and promoting the entire cycle.
SimCoLab works to:
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Build and maintain spaces suitable for technical and
social collaboration.
Collaborate on all forms of technology, culture and craft
in new and interesting ways.
Apply the results of its work to specific cultural,
charitable and scientific causes.
Freely share its research and discoveries, using what is
learned to teach others.
Recruit and develop talented members dedicated to
these purposes.
Teach one another through collaborative projects and/or
workshops for children, youth, adults and seniors
The Centre for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI) is the
focal point for research, development and innovation at
Georgian College.
CARI connects industry and community partners with faculty and
student researchers to help clear business and/or technology
hurdles and better understand their target markets.
This is done through product design, prototyping, market
research, analysis, testing and developing e-business solutions.
Ladies Learning Code offers women (and men) hands-on, projectbased learning experiences that are designed to give beginners
the skills and confidence they need to become digital creators.
Their workshops and educational events are open to adults of all
ages. Workshops cover everything from introductory HTML
& CSS, to WordPress, Python, Ruby, web design and more.
They are especially popular and successful because of the 4:1
ratio of students to volunteer instructors at every workshop,
which is only possible because of overwhelming support from the
technology and startup communities in the cities where we
operate.
Are you a food entrepreneur? White Hat Kitchen is available for
one-time, short-term, temporary or long-term use. It is well
suited for teaching cooking classes, preparing products for retail
sale, use as a test kitchen or creating meals for catered events or
for delivery to customers. If you are a chef looking to host a
chef’s table or a pop-up restaurant this may be the place for you.
The Barrie Public Library newest edition is a Tinker Lab for the
Barrie community. Learn about Lego Robotics, Coding, 3D
Printing and technology at your local library!
For those looking for Help to Start a Business
You have explored being an entrepreneur and have decided to
start your business. Now what do you do? What are your next
steps? The Small Business Centre can help you in developing
your business idea by assisting you with:
- Business Plan Development
- Advice and assistance on insurance, regulations,
licensing
- HST & Taxes
- Market Research
- Marketing
- Financial and cash flow development
- Referrals to professionals and business organization
The SBC also offers Summer Company and Starter Company
programs.
The Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre is the “how” in
“How do I start a business.” The Henry Bernick
Entrepreneurship Centre is housed on the Barrie campus of
Georgian College and provides support to all 7 campus
communities. The Centre is a one-stop for established and
aspiring entrepreneurs providing students, faculty, and
community based entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial training,
networking support, funding support and mentorship to help
establish and grow innovative businesses across the central
Ontario region.
The Barrie Public Library offers a wide variety of business
resources to help grow and strengthen your business. Our goal
is to enhance community growth and promote local business
success.
The library offers the following business resources:
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Drop-in quiet study and collaborative spaces
Printing and photocopying and free WiFi
A meeting room available to the public for promotional
events, business meetings, workshops or seminars.
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Programs that can help enhance your skills and
business knowledge
- Digital resources, many of which are available remotely
- Librarians available to speak to your group on a variety
of information and library topics
Community Information Database (link is external) - a database
that includes more than 3000 organizations and groups, to keep
you in touch with the community. To find out more about any
of these resources, or to speak to someone about how we can
help you, come into the library, or contact us as at (705) 7281010 or [email protected]
ventureLAB is the non-profit Regional Innovation Centre that
supports York Region, Simcoe County and Muskoka District.
ventureLAB helps entrepreneurs bring their innovations to
market, by offering a unique combination of mentoring,
partnering, and connecting tailored to the unique needs of each
business. For those starting a business, ventureLAB offers the
“Begin” and “Educate” components of a BUILD program, to
help with the critical steps to develop and recognize a viable
business concept, develop a go to marketing strategy and
At BERN, you will experience a safe, comfortable learning
environment that inspires respect, trust, and confidence.
Through the 2 week Exploring Your Inner Boss (EYIB) program,
we help you look at self-employment as an option, consider the
skills required, and brainstorm opportunities and to start
developing your map to success and Get Up and Go business
start-up strategy.
The YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka provides youth 15-29 with
strength based, client centred
employment, entrepreneurship and outreach programs. We
also provide businesses and non-profit organizations with
a variety of training, leadership and development programs.
The YMCA offers two entrepreneurship programs for youth:
Summer Company and Like a Boss.
Junior Achievement’s flagship program, the Company Program,
is an 18-week extracurricular offsite after-school program that
provides high school students the opportunity to experience
the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship by creating and
running their own company. Students receive a solid
understanding of business and entrepreneurship, and enhance
their critical thinking and presentation skills, along with several
other significant benefits at no cost — students are provided
with all of the resources that they will require!
Help Grow my Business
Has your business been operating for a while and you are
experiencing growth issues such as declining sales or plateaued
sales? Have you grown fast and are unsure of how to manage
the growth? Do you need help finding funding to grow your
business? Meeting with one of our Small Business Consultants
can assist you in:
- Identifying the issues
- Developing a plan for the next steps
- Management Plan
- Marketing and sales plan
- Revision of business plan and model
- Business model development
- Locate sources of funding for growth
- Hiring strategy
For those looking to grow their business, The Henry Bernick
Entrepreneurship Centre helps entrepreneurs accelerate the
success of their business. The Centre is connected to a network
of successful mentors from different industries and offer the
ability to network with local service providers gaining access to
legal, financial, and human resource support.
If you are starting or growing a local business you have all the
challenges a business owner has in learning to manage your
business, on top of getting your business established in your
community. Grow Vantage local groups combine all the benefits
of learning how to run your business like an expert, with access
to other business owners from your own class, as well as 2 other
groups (who join you in different training classes).
ventureLAB is the non-profit Regional Innovation Centre that
supports York Region, Simcoe County and Muskoka District.
ventureLAB helps entrepreneurs bring their innovations to
market, by offering a unique combination of mentoring,
partnering, and connecting tailored to the unique needs of each
business.
At BERN, you will experience a safe, comfortable learning
environment that inspires respect, trust, and confidence.
Through the 2 week Exploring Your Inner Boss (EYIB) program,
we help you look at self-employment as an option, consider the
skills required, and brainstorm opportunities and to start
developing your map to success and Get Up and Go business
start-up strategy.
The YMCA works with struggling teens to develop skills and
personal action plans for a better life; We provide businesses
and non-profit organizations with a variety of training, leadership
and development programs. The YMCA offers two
entrepreneurship programs for youth: Summer Company and
YMCA High School Entrepreneurship Outreach Program.
Concierge Service is a program offered by the Federal
government to help growing companies navigate through the
programs offered by the federal departments.
The Barrie Chamber of Commerce offers a variety of programs
and events to help businesses network, learn and manage costs
through membership discounts.
Looking for Funding?
Ontario Centres of Excellence Ontario (OCE) drives the
development of Ontario’s economy by helping create new jobs,
products, services, technologies and businesses. OCE offers a
comprehensive suite of programs designed to leverage the full
capacity of Ontario’s research institutions. By helping Ontario’s
technology-based companies commercialize research
discoveries, we are helping create jobs and drive prosperity. Our
program suite covers three key areas: Industry-Academic R&D
Collaboration, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship. Other
key OCE initiatives are the IBM High Performance Computing
Initiative and Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation
(CONII).
The Government of Canada offers a variety of funding grants and
grants.
In addition, the Concierge Service is a program offered by the
Federal government to help growing companies navigate
through the programs offered by the federal departments.
Futurprenuer Canada offers loan financing and mentoring for
those between the ages of 18-39.
Georgian Angel Network (”GAN”) has been established to
connect angel investors in the Barrie, South Georgian Bay,
Orangeville and Muskoka/Huntsville regions with entrepreneurs
needing equity capital to commercialize their innovations
Starter Company and Summer Company are offered by the Small
Business Center.
Starter Company offers grant funding of up to $5000 for
entrepreneurs between 18-29 who are no longer in school or
working full-time.
Summer Company offers grant funding up to $3000 for student
entrepreneurs ages 15-29 who are currently in school.
Georgian Employment Services can offer employers a variety of
services to assist them in growing their labour force, including
access to vital information related to employment and labour
standards.
BDC offers financing loans for businesses at various stages from
early-stage business or a growing company.
Check out these financing options:
 Get start-up financing
 Apply online for a Small Business Loan and get up to
$50k to tackle those pressing projects such as buying
equipment, upgrading your website or launching
marketing campaigns
Looking for Office Spaces, Desks and Meeting Rooms
The Barrie Public Library offers meeting rooms available to the
public for promotional events, business meetings, workshops or
seminars. Both library locations offer drop-in quiet study and
collaborative spaces. The Downtown location has relaxed seating
on the seasonal rooftop garden.
The Creative Space is a co-working space, designed to be a
collaborative hub for the startup community. It is more than just
a shared office. It is a community-driven hangout where
entrepreneurs gather to work, create, and share their ideas. We
are a space to WORK - MEET - LEARN and PLAY.
Contact Suite Works to find out more about their offerings.
Meeting Space: We offer full-service, state-of-the-art meeting
space with video conferencing capabilities.
Office Space: Do you operate a small business, a start-up, or do
you work from home or meet at coffee shops? We have an office
space for you.
Co-Working: Co-working spaces are available for a variety of
different business needs. Ask us how our flexible terms might
help you.
Increase your business’ exposure and build alliances. Come see
what Suite Success has to offer...
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Affordable, private and professional office space in a
'business community' atmosphere.
One-price, all-inclusive packages.
Part and full-day boardroom and event room rentals for
meetings, presentations, seminars and training sessions.
Accommodate groups from 6 to 60.
Looking for opportunities for learning, networking and to meet other
entrepreneurs
Are you are an aspiring or established entrepreneur? Or simply
curious about what it takes to be one? Join us for The
Entrepreneurship Learning Channel a dynamic, interactive
learning experience. Everyone is welcome and it is FREE.
Sessions are also available through live stream.
In supporting the growth and expansion of Barrie's
entrepreneurs and contributing to a vibrant business
environment, Invest Barrie staff work to offer a variety of
programs and workshops to the business community. Past
events include: Mentor Mash, raizit, EIR (Entrepreneurs in
Residence), and Tech Meetups.
The Small Business Center consistently offers free workshops
that aid entrepreneurs in starting or expanding their businesses,
including Starting Your Business Basics, PCensus for Business,
and more.
The Creative Space is a co-working space, designed to be a
collaborative hub for the startup community. It is more than just
a shared office. It is a community-driven hangout where
entrepreneurs gather to work, create, and share their ideas. We
are a space to WORK - MEET - LEARN and PLAY.
TCS also puts on a number of events including TrepMixers, Ignite
and the smoffice competition.
Simcoe County Young Professionals Association (SCYPA) is a
group of young professionals that hold networking events.
Members live in all parts of Simcoe County, from Bradford to
Midland and from Orillia to Collingwood, with a large portion of
our membership residing in Barrie.
Startup Barrie is a grassroots driven movement in Barrie, Ontario
bringing together people passionate about collaboration,
innovation and learning. Our mission is to get people together to
support one another (in both success and failures) as we create
fantastic new companies. We are made up of entrepreneurs,
technologist, designers and intrapreneurs who work for other
organizations. Organizations, mentors and SMEs are also a big
part of the support of this community.
Small Business Connect is a free network of local businesses
working together to help you get what you need for your
business. Hosts informal meetings weekly where you can
network and connect with other businesses, share ideas and
grow.
The Barrie Chamber of Commerce offers several networking and
Lunch and Learn sessions to its members. Participation in events
is key to getting a great return on your investment in the Barrie
Chamber.