Venture13 aims to turn Cobourg into innovation hub

If you’re an entrepreneur, the group behind a state-of-the-art incubator for business and technology is hoping to persuade you to see your inventions or ideas come to life in Cobourg.

On Monday night, officials unveiled the details and design concepts for Venture13 in front of city council.

Wendy Curtis, executive director of the Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation described the ambitious plans and how they aim to support innovation while boosting the economy by creating jobs and fostering entrepreneurship.

“Entrepreneurs are looking for an area to set down roots, an area where they can afford a home, an area where they can raise their families,” said Curtis.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Entrepreneurs are looking for an area to set down roots, an area where they can afford a home, an area where they can raise their families," said Curtis.

This was Venture13’s second time at council. They met last year in March to lay out their intentions to help propel the region forward as a leader in the innovation and technology sector.

This time they gave a more finite timeline for the construction and the retrofit of a building which the town already owns but has sat vacant since 2011.

“What we have here, is the perfect storm,” said Cobourg CAO Stephen Peacock. “We have a vacant building owned by the town that costs us $75,000 a year just to operate empty and we have a coalition of innovative focused organizations seeking a shared operational centre.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "What we have here, is the perfect storm," said Cobourg CAO Stephen Peacock. "We have a vacant building owned by the town that costs us $75,000 a year just to operate empty and we have a coalition of innovative focused organizations seeking a shared operational centre."

The building at 739 D’Arcy St. was at one time the Canadian Forces supply depot and was last used as a call centre.

The 30,000-square foot building will dedicate the main floor to the innovation and technology hub, with rooms for community startups to rent and operate in, while the second floor will be the new home of the Cobourg Police Service’s business unit.

The goal is to fill the void in the area after Port Hope’s business incubator, IDEAHUB shut down last year and town officials say now is the time to get behind a project like this.

“It’s integral to economic diversification that we think about the innovation economy and that we prepare for the jobs of the future,” said Curtis. “And that we work in ways that productively work with the technology sector which only enhances our traditional economy.”

Fleming College is also on board and donated $100,000 towards the project and will offer guidance and provide technical programming assistance for the new hub.

“It’s not just about bricks and mortar but about the environment, you create to nurture creativity, innovation, invention and these are all the extraordinary things that will go on in this unique space,” said Fleming president Tony Tilly. “We see a clear alignment between our innovative programming and the needs of those developing new and growing enterprises throughout the region.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's not just about bricks and mortar but about the environment, you create to nurture creativity, innovation, invention and these are all the extraordinary things that will go on in this unique space," said Fleming president Tony Tilly. "We see a clear alignment between our innovative programming and the needs of those developing new and growing enterprises throughout the region."

Partnerships are a major part of Venture13 and organizers hope to turn Cobourg and Northumberland County into a technology hotbed, while they shared an ambitious goal to create 173 jobs and help 16 new businesses start up in its first two years of operation.

“Through collaboration, communication, and co-location, our partners can bring to the table the most resources and expertise to ensure the success of clients served,” said Peacock

The project has received several significant financial investments and has raised the nearly $1.7 million needed to complete Phase 1 of the construction and retrofit that will see the building officially open in May 2018.

Phase 2 will see a section of the second floor renovated with an $800,000 price tag and will be covered by the Cobourg police service, which will use the space.

Venture13 will feature other amenities like an 80-seat lecture hall, seminar rooms equipped with technology facilitating global connectivity, along with public and private meeting rooms and a café and lounge.