Okanagan Centre for Innovation opens in Kelowna

Matt Gomez, the founder of Kelowna-based start up Soil Mate, is one of the first tenants of the Okanagan Centre for Innovation in downtown Kelowna.

The Soil Mate website and app connects consumers with local farms.

“It’s effectively a tool that lets you connect with people that grow, raise and produce your food and drink within 100 miles in North America,” he told Global Okanagan News in 2016.

Now, Gomez will have access to an array of resources in the new, six-storey 105,000 square foot building.

“This particular space is just kind of a unique offering,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This particular space is just kind of a unique offering," he said.

Federal, provincial and civic politicians flanked by members of the local tech community gathered Friday to mark the grand opening of the $35 million innovation hub located at Doyle Avenue and Ellis Street.

It is the first of its kind in the Okanagan.

READ MORE: Ground broken on a high tech centre in Kelowna

Local entrepreneur, Lane Merrifield, is the brain child of the project and one of the majority owners.

“One of the most difficult things about being an entrepreneur is the loneliness. One of our goals with this is to bring together a community around entrepreneurs that will hopefully help them be more successful,” Merrifield said.

The provincial government purchased the second floor for $6 million.

It will be managed by non-profit Accelerate Okanagan which provides space and resources to local start-ups.

“We hire experienced entrepreneurs to come in and help other entrepreneurs grow their companies,” said program strategist Andrew Greer.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We hire experienced entrepreneurs to come in and help other entrepreneurs grow their companies," said program strategist Andrew Greer.

The organization helps small businesses like Bananatag which provides email tracking for large companies.

READ MORE: Homegrown Kelowna startup puts buying local on the national stage

“When government comes to town you get to meet with them, you get to talk to people, everyone who wants to be in tech ends up coming to this hub,” said Corey Wagner, co-founder of Bananatag.

The 5th floor is home to The Profile, a co-working business club for budding entrepreneurs who can purchase memberships to work in a shared space.

“You can’t work in a collaborative space at home. It doesn’t work in the café anymore,” said founder Kevin Penstock.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You can't work in a collaborative space at home. It doesn't work in the café anymore," said founder Kevin Penstock.

The innovation hub will encourage the growth of an already thriving technology sector in the valley.

There are approximately 633 tech firms in the Okanagan, employing 7,600 people, and contributing $1.3 billion to the local economy, according to the 2015 Okanagan Impact Study.