[kwlug-disc] Communitech, I hear its a great place but it seems creepy. Thoughts?

[Chris Craig]

I meet lots of Communitech employees and members (current and former)
at various regular events in the region - HackerNest, IoT WR, TechWR,
Communitech P2P groups, etc. Going to those events and asking people
if they have any experience with Communitech or other Business/Trade
Associations like chambers of commerce, incubators, and so on would
probably be the best bet.

There are some groups specifically geared to startups, even:
https://www.meetup.com/StartupTech-Unleashed-KW/
https://www.meetup.com/BizTech-Workshops/
https://www.startuplaurier.com/
https://www.startupwaterloo.ca/

I'm sure lots of attendees at those groups' events are familiar with
Communitech.

http://watcamp.com/#calendar

On 28 April 2017 at 17:39, Marius Kintel <marius at kintel.net> wrote:
> Communitech is a government-sponsored Regional Innovation Centre
> (http://iion.ca/regional-innovation-centres/). You can apply for a
> membership for your startup which will give you access to their resources
> for 2 years. That process is very non-intrusive and comes with virtually no
> strings attached (you don't need a registered company etc.). They offer some
> free mentorship, but you have to drive that process as there is no program
> to follow. As.a member you can also come in and work in their lounge area as
> you please. There is some office space for rent as well.
> All their user group meetings etc. are (I think) independent of the
> membership.
>
> If you want to pursue market validation on a more intensive basis, I'd
> recommend Velocity (if you're a student) or the Momentum Program at the
> Accelerator Centre (f you're doing this full-time and can pay ~500/month for
> office space and want a programming which includes significant mentorship
> and a path towards public funding). As an Accelerator Centre client you're
> automatically signed up to Communitech, as they're both government-funded
> centres.
>
> I've done both (but without successfully validating a market).
>
>  -Marius
>
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