The following companies/organizations are Investors of the Cape Breton Partnership and offer services specific to business development.

Cape Breton Capital Group

The purpose of the Cape Breton Capital Group (CBCG) is to bring together a group of experienced Cape Breton entrepreneurs and investors to seek out investment opportunities that will help established businesses maintain local ownership and seed new companies based on Cape Breton Island.

READ MORE

Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design

Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design (the Centre), a non-profit charitable organization, is an integral and leading force in the educational, promotional and economic development of the craft sector on Cape Breton Island with a membership of over 300 individuals and organizations throughout Cape Breton Island, the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw people of Unama’ki. The mandate of Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design is to promote excellence in the field of craft and design through education and training, exhibitions and special events. We are committed to developing programs that preserve, elevate, expand, and enhance the creation of craft.

READ MORE

Stephanie Dupuis

Craft Business Development Coordinator

322 Charlotte Street Sydney, Nova Scotia

902-539-7491

Visit website

Cape Breton Partnership – Business Services

The Cape Breton Partnership provides support, counselling and guidance to businesses at every stage.

READ MORE

Shannon MacNeil

(902) 562-0122

Visit website

CBDC – Coastal Business

Established in 1985, Coastal Business CBDC’s principal goals continue to be the provision of quality financial and advisory assistance to new and expanding business within our community.  To achieve these goals Coastal Business provides access to capital for qualifying small and medium size enterprises.  In addition it provides advisory assistance, training and general counseling to better ensure the success of the assisted businesses. Financial assistance is available in the form of loans, loan guarantees and equity financing to existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. Business counselling, help & advice is available to small businesses. We help businesses to succeed and therefore we give high priority to the advisory role of our mandate. Entrepreneurship development and training to individuals and small business owners/managers is available in many of our offices. Technical assistance usually takes the form of guidance and coaching, and sometimes advocating on behalf of our clients to other lending establishments or regulatory agencies.

READ MORE

Patricia MacNeil

Executive Director

292 Charlotte Street Suite 100 Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 1C7

(902) 539-4332

Visit website

Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development (CEED)

CEED offers entrepreneurs of all ages and stages a wide variety of hands-on learning opportunities. In Cape Breton, programs are delivered both in-person at Navigate Startup House and virtually via Adobe Connect. CEED’s experiential programming is designed to ensure the participant leaves with relevant skills that can be immediately employed in the launch or growth of a business. The following programs are available:

Building Financial Models
Value Proposition Design
Business Model Canvas
Pricing Your Product or Service

READ MORE

Kim Desveaux

Navigate 37 Nepean Street, Sydney

(902)-217-2092

Visit website

Navigate

Navigate, located in the New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, aims to foster and keep burgeoning companies in Cape Breton by providing space, support, and resources. Navigate provides: Subsidized office space for early-stage companies Common workspace available to all members The ability to tap into a worldwide network of experts in the fields of business and technology Event programming provided for tenants, members, and the community includes lunch and learns, workshops, hackathons, and start-up weekends

READ MORE

Megan MacAulay

Project Director

37 Nepean Street, Suite 105, Sydney, NS, B1P 6A7

902-565-1102

Visit website

NSCC – Your Entrepreneurial Self Program

NSCC Entrepreneurship provides entrepreneurial skill awareness and development opportunities for students, faculty and staff. Programs and services include:

Free Entrepreneurial Resources including workshops, presentations, activities, lesson plans, templates, toolkits
Business Counselling –One-on-one business counselling for students, staff and faculty who are interested in starting a business or want to take their existing businesses to the next level. Guidance offered for business plan development, marketing, HR, government regulations and financing.
Curriculum Consulting – One-on-one curriculum consulting and support to integrate entrepreneurship into the classroom (integrating tools such as the business model canvas, business plans, software and activities)
College Wide Activities – entrepreneurial activities for students, staff and faculty including challenges, contests and competitions and professional development opportunities
Community Connections – Entrepreneurial Service Providers and Community Resources – we work with other entrepreneurial service providers and connect students/staff to relevant resources and supports, workshops and training events, available in our communities

READ MORE

Sheri Williams

902-491-8869

Visit website

Strait Area Chamber of Commerce

SACOC provides unique opportunities for businesses to promote and develop through advertising, seminars, trade shows, networking and events. It also provides access to member discounts on business expenses such as group insurance, point of sale systems, advertising, etc., in addition to 15-20 training courses each year to help businesses be more efficient and grow. SACOC annually hosts a “Small Business Road Show” that engages SMEs and service providers in rural communities across rural Cape Breton. The objective is to build awareness of the many services provided to SMEs and new entrepreneurs. SACOC periodically hosts women leadership events that provide networking and skill development opportunities for women in business and leadership.

READ MORE

Tanya Felix

902-625-1588

Visit website

Global Affairs Canada – Business Women in International Trade

The Business Women in International Trade (BWIT) program of the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) helps open doors and opportunities for Canadian women-owned businesses to successfully expand into global markets. BWIT works with Canadian businesses that are at least 51% owned, as well as managed and controlled by one or more women. It can connect you with export advice and support by introducing you to trade commissioners in more than 160 cities worldwide and offers: Women-focused trade missions Funding and financing Exporting advice and support International contacts and opportunities

READ MORE
Visit website

Global Affairs Canada – Canadian Technology Accelerators

A Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) can give your company a head start in a foreign market. CTAs are located in major tech hubs and support firms in a wide range of technology sectors. Each CTA focuses on helping businesses take advantage of what the local market has to offer. These services vary among CTAs, but generally include:

Mentorship and advice from industry leaders in the foreign market
Office space in technology centres shared with other entrepreneurs and innovators
Access to potential investors
Connections and networking in the technology business community

READ MORE

Alexandre Lanteigne

Trade Commissioner

Visit website

Invest Nova Scotia – Scale-up Hub Cambridge

Scale-up Hub Cambridge is designed to help Atlantic Canada-based ICT companies build an international presence and grow their export sales capacity in the New England market. The Program offers eligible Atlantic Canada ICT companies access to the following resources for a full year: Professional-guided entry into the New England marketplace Collaborative working space in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the world’s top innovation hubs Dedicated services of an in-market business development professional to help drive sales generation and market development activities Up to eight companies will be accepted into the Scale-up Hub Cambridge Program. Successful applicants must be technology-focused, high-growth companies that are presently selling outside of Atlantic Canada and will be required to pay a non-refundable participation fee of $10,000.00 CAD plus HST.

READ MORE

Lisa Dobson

902-456-0106

Visit website

Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate Streams

Invest Nova Scotia is thrilled to announce five Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate streams, each offering cash and expertise to Nova Scotia start-ups hitting milestones on the path to investment-readiness.

READ MORE

Kaitlin Webb

Visit website

Invest Nova Scotia TecSocial

TecSocial is a monthly meeting for those with an interest in technology and entrepreneurship. The topics feature a variety of entrepreneurs and subject matter experts. TecSocial brings together entrepreneurs from across Cape Breton, Invest Nova Scotia clients, business professionals, industry representatives and students. These events are free and open to the public. Appetizers provided are compliments of Invest Nova Scotia.

READ MORE

Bob Pelley

902-564-2951 (ext 1)

902-577-2689

Visit website

Island Sandbox

The Island Sandbox is a member of the Nova Scotia Sandbox community. We provide space for various student groups from Cape Breton University and NSCC Marconi Campus to experiment with new entrepreneurial ideas and access business mentors and other support. We deliver unique hands-on programing and workshops to assist in professional and personal development. The Island Sandbox borrows from a time when we first learned to use grains of sand to create a world of possibilities fed solely by our imagination. In that sandbox from our childhood, we learned to collaborate with our peers and to learn through play. At the Island Sandbox, we bring students together with our communities’ entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and academia to create an environment where imagination and innovation can flourish. It is a place to experiment and to see the world through the eyes of an entrepreneur. The Island Sandbox is a collaboration between Cape Breton University and the Nova Scotia Community College to serve as a collision space for ideas and innovation. Our primary focus is to help students explore problems/opportunities through Design Thinking.

READ MORE

Todd Graham

902-565-9004

Visit website

Lobster Council of Canada

The Lobster Council of Canada was established in 2009 to bring together Canadian lobster industry stakeholders including harvesters, live shippers, processors, First Nations, and governments to work on projects of mutual benefit. The mandate of the Lobster Council of Canada is to enhance the value of the Canadian lobster sector in a sustainable fashion by addressing the issues of importance to the industry. The organization aims to:

Focus discussion and action around identified industry challenges
Set goals and targets that will strengthen the sector’s competitive position and enhance Canada’s overall capacity to meet the changing demands of markets
Provide direction on market access issues including sustainability certification, food safety and traceability requirements
Coordinate sustained marketing initiatives regionally, nationally and internationally that promote the Canadian lobster industry
Lead industry/government relations and create a shared understanding of key challenges and opportunities facing the sector
Communicate internally to industry to create improved awareness of the key issues, challenges and opportunities facing the industry and to build trust and confidence
Communicate externally to customers by highlighting the positive attributes of lobster to further build the Canadian “brand” through promotional and educational campaigns
Facilitate efforts to improve returns to the industry through innovation and the identification and implementation of changes that will improve the overall value-chain

READ MORE

Geoff Irvine

902-497-9128

Visit website

MEA – Trade Missions

The Maritimes Energy Association regularly partners with organizations to organize a variety of trade missions throughout the year. The goal of these missions is to introduce Atlantic Canadian companies to new markets and to identify and establish export opportunities. A trade mission offers: Greater public profile at home and abroad Unparalleled networking opportunities with that region’s business community Business-to-business meetings with potential partners An opportunity to initiate, develop or complete deals

READ MORE

Ray Ritcey

902-426-3182

Visit website

MEA – Activities/Training/Resources

The Maritimes Energy Association supports the maximization of Atlantic Canadian participation in the supply of both goods and services to meet the needs of the energy industry. Its purpose is to identify, promote and support the development of opportunities for member companies. It accomplishes this through its member activities and services, industry advocacy and policy research. This includes: Member activities Breakfasts Lunch and Learns Annual Energy Conference Daily Energy Bulletin

READ MORE

Ray Ritcey

902-426-3182

Visit website

Mentoring

Gain valuable business advice, learn from the experience of a seasoned professional, enhance your business network and gain confidence from having someone in your corner.

READ MORE