Synergy Lab

📣 SUV Program now accepting applications for January 2025 cohort! 📣 International founders, are you ready to take your entrepreneurial journey to the next level and create a brighter future in Canada? Synergy Lab’s CAPE Program is a white-glove, hands-on experience tailored for international entrepreneurs eager to transition their businesses to Canada. Through CAPE, founders gain the support, insights, and tools they need to thrive in the Canadian market. 🇨🇦 The program is also aligned with Canada’s Startup Visa (SUV) Program, an immigration pathway that opens doors for promising entrepreneurs to establish and grow their companies here. With CAPE and the Startup Visa, Canada’s renowned business ecosystem becomes accessible to you, offering stability, opportunities, and a better life for you and your family. Unlock growth, innovation, and a future in Canada. Apply to CAPE and start your journey today! Get started at synergylab.ca/cape. #entrepreneurship #immigration #StartupVisa #SUV #Canadianbusiness #SynergyLab #CAPEProgram #acceleration #businessincubator Spark Centre

New Year, New Goals! ✨ As we plan to kick off 2025, it’s the perfect time for entrepreneurs to reset, refocus, and take their businesses to new levels. Here are some goals we suggest that you could try for the new year: 📚 Read One Book Every Quarter – The world is changing fast. Commit to staying ahead by learning new strategies, and expanding your industry knowledge through reading. 🔧 Try One New Tech – Efficiency is key. Find one new platform or add-on to help automate, delegate, and simplify your operations so you can focus on scaling. 🧘♂️ Commit to One New Mental Health Practice – Entrepreneurship can be tough. Set boundaries, take breaks, and remember that your well-being is just as important as your business. Try a new practice like meditation, morning walks, sleep hygiene, yoga or a sport. What are your new year’s goals? Share it with your community!

Do you run a company? The Christmas holiday season is next week, if you haven’t made shutdown plans, start now! ✍️ We put together a checklist to help give you peace of mind when you close your computer for the holiday. ✉️ Setup your ‘out of office’ email notice. This means that whoever emails you while you are gone will receive a direct message that you are unavailable and will respond when you are back. Write a friendly, informative note such as, “All of us at X company will be out of office for the holidays from December 23rd until January 5th. We wish you a happy holiday season, and will be back in office January 6th.” 🎄Next week will be a very short week, with only Monday having business as usual before the holiday. Because of this, make a team-wide note to NOT start a new project that requires your attention over a series of consecutive days, as many stakeholders will be unavailable during the holiday week. 🎁 Share a little joy with your stakeholders; clients, team and vendors. A card, small gift or thoughtful email goes a long way with relationship building during the holidays. If you don’t have time to go shop, a quick google search for ‘Virtual Gifts for Clients’ has a ton of creative options. Whether or not you celebrate the season, your holiday will be more merry and bright by considering others and checking these steps off your list.

‘Tis the season! Have you made your holiday shutdown plans? 🎄 Businesses across the country will be closed on Christmas Day (December 25th), which is a statutory holiday in Canada, as well as Boxing Day (December 26th) in the province of Ontario - where we live! That being said, many Canadian companies will extend these shutdown hours in order to give their employees a much deserved year-end holiday. So you know‼️ Synergy Lab and Spark Centre will be closed from December 23rd until January 5th. This means that our team will be out of office during this time, in order to rest and prepare for an amazing new year of business. If you’re a founder, consider giving your team an extended holiday, it will pay off in the long run. 🌟 What are your shutdown plans for the season? Better give your customers a holiday heads up! 

One question we get asked A LOT is how to get into the Startup Visa (SUV) immigration pathway in Canada. 🇨🇦 With recent adjustments made by the Canadian government to the SUV program in 2024, designated entities like us are restricted to a limited amount of spaces for founders…10 to be exact. Because of this, we have curated a special program to best prepare candidates for success. Synergy Lab’s Canadian Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs (CAPE) is a comprehensive 18-month initiative designed for innovative #internationalentrepreneurs interested in transitioning their business to the Canadian market through the #StartupVisa (SUV) immigration pathway.  #CAPE provides hands-on training, seasoned mentorship and market-entry strategy, on top of supporting participants in the immigration process. We are officially open for our January 2025 cohort, get started on your application today: https://lnkd.in/gvcQDR-D ⏰

The Canadian new year - January 1st - is only 48 days away! ⏳ Why are we excited about this? That’s because the newest cohort for the Canadian Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs (CAPE) begins in January. 🇨🇦 Lucky for you, applications just opened on this 18-month initiative. Participants of #CAPE will begin with developing a detailed business plan, covering essential aspects such as strategy, growth, hiring, financial planning, funding and marketing strategy under the careful guidance of our seasoned advisors. Our legal experts will provide consultation, registration, #incorporation services, and essential agreements to ensure your business is set up for success. The #branding team from Creative Spark will then create a custom branding package which includes a professional logo, 5-page website, and a tailored social media package. Dedicated advisory support and quarterly reviews are put in place to provide participants with a complete system for success, and bring #entrepreneurs’ visions to life. Are you serious about growing your business in Canada? Apply now 👉 https://lnkd.in/eHNhpGK5

Is English your second language? 🗣 Mary K. Ritter has helped countless international professionals who speak English as a second language (ESL) thrive in the North American workplace, and joined our podcast to share how to navigate ESL challenges. As an innovative #ESL specialist, Mary holds a resume of #english language expertise including teaching ESL grades K-12, intercultural communication, accent training, public speaking, business communication and industry focused skills training. She founded TASMY Consulting alongside four other New York University language educators, who collectively saw a gap in the market for tailored language learning. Heads up #employers! The knowledge she shares is for you, too. Mary’s expertise helps empower employers to create a seamless transition for #internationaltalent entering their workplace, like those vetted and sourced through our TalentTrack program. Watch the podcast now 👉 https://lnkd.in/g4zW3_KK

Happy Halloween! On a spooky day like today, we can’t help but think about all the things that give entrepreneurs a good scare. What does an #entrepreneur nightmare look like? 😱 Meeting the investor of your dreams, and freezing with a half-baked pitch 😨 Hitting ‘reply all’ on an email you meant to keep private 😭 Getting to the airport, and realizing you left your passport at home 😅 Finishing a grant application, and the deadline was last night There’s no need to lose sleep. Spark Centre and Synergy Lab are here to help emerging startups (both local and international) with our many program offerings and advisory services to ensure that you don’t run into these blunders. Want to learn more? Visit us online at sparkcentre.org and synergylab.ca

TalentTrack is helping fill vacant Canadian jobs - but we aren’t just letting anyone join. This is a common misconception we hear about services like this - and we get it - there is ample #Canadian talent in our home nation looking for work, who should get the first opportunity to work here. 🇨🇦 Here’s the thing - we aren’t servicing the general job search. We are filling the gaps in industries desperate for professionals, like #healthcare, which is overrun with burnout, and in dire need of fresh, experienced workers. By offering a thorough vetting and training program, we can confidently refer seasoned, educated candidates to #TalentTrack clients, who often are employers who have already tried to find workers nationally. We are here to be the next step for the suffering industries when qualified candidates have run dry. If this sounds like something that you or someone in your network needs, learn more about Synergy Lab’s TalentTrack program at: https://lnkd.in/gWa2yxZE.

Have you heard? There’s a new program on the scene. We call it CAPE - this stands for Canadian Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs. ✈️ CAPE is an 18-month initiative, offering workshops, hands-on training, and advisory services covering #entrepreneurship, #technology innovation, #immigration, #settlement, #market-entry, and most importantly, #businessacceleration. Applicants participate in an intensive vetting process focused on refining business pitches, evaluating market opportunities, and providing critical financial and legal insights. Those selected to move forward invest the next year and a half to accelerating their business. This process ensures companies meet the necessary qualification criteria. For the #international audience, this program sets immigrant entrepreneurs up for success with settlement, immigration and market-entry assistance, to give you a firm foundation when you arrive. The CAPE info page is now live on our website at: https://lnkd.in/gvcQDR-D