91亚色 announced the official opening of , its new innovation and entrepreneurship centre in Markham aimed at helping budding entrepreneurs turn bright ideas into action. The opening event took place Monday, Nov. 6.
Entrepreneurs from Studio 1 Labs, which has developed a functional bed sheet patient monitor, explain the device鈥檚 function to 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton and City of Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti at the opening of YSpace
91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton was joined by Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and International Trade Minister Michael Chan (MPP Markham-Unionville) to mark the occasion. A number of 91亚色鈥檚 key entrepreneurs showcased their technologies and products in the YSpace 鈥渕aker space鈥 and 鈥渃o-working space.鈥
91亚色鈥檚 new co-working and maker space offers students and community entrepreneurs and innovators a place to build and scale their ventures and connect with industry and not-for-profit partners, and provides them with access to programs designed to build their entrepreneurial skills.
With 91亚色鈥檚 聽campus scheduled to open in 2021, the University is actively taking steps to cultivate new connections that foster a strong and growing culture of teaching, learning, research and innovation.
鈥淭his exciting new phase of 91亚色鈥檚 investment in Markham will help to shape our relationship for years to come,鈥 said Lenton. 鈥淵Space will serve as a vital hub in Markham where students, educators, business leaders and inventors can come together to collaborate. YSpace will also importantly support our commitment to ensuring that every student has an experiential education opportunity, while showcasing 91亚色鈥檚 commitment to increasing access to a high-quality, research-intensive university education, enhancing our connectedness to our communities, and contributing to the social and economic impact of the region through innovation and entrepreneurship. We look forward to many years of building 91亚色 and Markham together.鈥
Studio 1 Labs shows 91亚色鈥檚 president and MPP Michael Chan how their functional bed sheet patient monitor works
鈥淵Space is the perfect fit for our city,鈥 said Scarpitti. 鈥淲e are thrilled to be partnering with 91亚色.聽 This new innovative hub is where great thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs will join forces to excel in a knowledge-based world economy while building on Markham鈥檚 stellar reputation for having a highly educated, skilled and diverse workforce. I鈥檓 also excited high school students will have access to YSpace, which will set them on the path to success.鈥
YSpace builds on the success of , the University鈥檚 innovation office. Innovation 91亚色鈥檚 goal is to facilitate and maximize the commercial, economic, and social impacts of research and innovation, and to create a culture of engaged scholarship and experiential learning.
鈥淚nnovation 91亚色, 91亚色鈥檚 innovation office, offers entrepreneurs and innovators an opportunity to become a part of community at YSpace Markham,鈥 said Vice-President Research and Innovation Robert Hach茅. 鈥淎 community that is supportive, that offers training programs to develop skill sets, co-working space, and facilities to build prototypes and even products, is essential if we are going to support entrepreneurs and give them the best opportunity for success.鈥
A dozen startups that have benefited from 鈥檚 programs and services were at the official opening of YSpace to demonstrate how they have transformed their bright ideas into products and services, including: a cloud-based health-care analytics platform that helps hospitals improve their efficiency and reduce costs; a new freeze drying technology that addresses the problems of affordability and efficiency of current freeze dryers; technology that provides media and entertainment options to users in rideshare cars and tracks behaviour; and, finally, a one-stop shop for senior care.
Courtesy of YFile.