News Release

SAINT JOHN (GNB) – A new entrepreneurship centre in uptown Saint John, Vennture Garage, officially opened today thanks to investments by the provincial and federal governments.

“Our government’s investment will assist in the creation of an acceleration and commercialization centre with services to assist new businesses,” said Government Services Minister Ed Doherty. “By encouraging and promoting innovation-based entrepreneurship and supporting the success of start-ups that create jobs, we can spur economic growth and move New Brunswick forward.”

Doherty attended the event on behalf of Health Minister Victor Boudreau, who is also minister responsible for Regional Development Corporation.

The garage-style entrepreneurship centre offers a dedicated space where new entrepreneurs can develop ideas and opportunities more rapidly and effectively. This will be the province’s second Vennture Garage, and is being opened in collaboration with the VennCentre in Moncton. The federal government, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) Business Development Program, is investing $97,561 and the provincial government is contributing $30,000.

The federal government also announced an investment of $86,644 to support the development of the Catalyst Innovation Pilot Project. The project aims to increase the adoption of creative practices among New Brunswick companies and improve their productivity and competitiveness. This is also being funded through ACOA’s Business Development Program.

“Our government is pleased to support projects like these that help local entrepreneurs succeed and businesses prosper,” said Saint John MP Rodney Weston. “Funding announced today helped Enterprise Saint John create a centre to foster greater entrepreneurship, as well as undertake a project to help build business capacity and increase company competitiveness.”

Weston attended the announcement for Rob Moore, minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

“Innovation, research and related entrepreneurship are important drivers of a city’s prosperity, which is why it is one of the key objectives of True Growth 2.0,” said Steve Carson, chief executive officer of Enterprise Saint John. “The Vennture Garage and Catalyst programs will support innovators and entrepreneurs in solving problems that will lead to new products, and services that can then be exported from our region. These projects help companies at the stages where they might not traditionally have support. The federal and provincial governments have stepped up to the plate and are really helping to prove that job creation, through innovation, is their top priority.”