YSpace

YSpace YSpace is York University's entrepreneurship and innovation hub supporting , agri-food, women and black-led businesses in Canada and beyond.

YSpace is the first physical presence of York University in the Markham region as it prepares for the 2021 campus launch. As York Region’s innovation hub, we are here to better serve our community through educational workshops, collaborative events, and supporting local entrepreneurs. The space is designed to be multi-functional, a collaborative space with free curated programs that provides creative, digital or entrepreneurial skills for community members of the region and beyond.

One week left.Applications for Business Plan Bootcamp close Thursday, October 1.If you've been meaning to get to it, thi...
09/24/2026

One week left.

Applications for Business Plan Bootcamp close Thursday, October 1.

If you've been meaning to get to it, this is the week. The program starts October 13 and runs eight weeks, and the application takes about 15 minutes.

What you get: expert-led workshops you work through at your own pace, eight free hours with a mentor matched to your goal, a check-in with me every second week, and a cohort of local founders going through it at the same time.

What it costs: nothing.

You set one goal in week one. You finish it by week eight. That's the whole idea.

yspace.apps01.yorku.ca/forms/view.php?…

Town of Georgina Town of East Gwillimbury Georgina Economic Development & Tourism

09/24/2026

We asked this year’s Tech Accelerator founders one question: “Who do you think is taking home first prize on Demo Day?”

Their answers? Not exactly what you’d expect. 👀

Find out who was right on October 1st — live pitches, up to $30K on the line, and a full night of networking after.

Did we mention? YOU also get a vote – join us and pick your favorite founder for the People’s Choice Award.

Only few seats left. RSVP before it’s too late.

📅 October 1, 6-9PM
📍 Toronto – location drops upon RSVP
🔗 Link in bio
Thank you to City of Toronto for making this possible.

09/23/2026

More marketing is not always the answer.

Knowing who you are trying to reach is.

ELLA Express powered by Desjardins Group is coming.

A three-month, self-paced online program for women founders who want to make their marketing more intentional.

We’re hosting two info sessions on October 5th for ELLA Express! Join us to learn more, founders can choose to attend at 12 PM or 6 PM EDT.

🔗 Register now link in bio

09/18/2026

Feeling stuck on your idea? Stuck on what‘s next? Stuck wondering if it’s even worth pursuing?  

That feeling doesn‘t go away by thinking about it more. It goes away by getting in a room with people actually doing it.  

On October 1st, watch this year’s Tech Accelerator cohort pitch live for up to $30K — then stay for a night of networking with founders, investors, and builders who‘ve been exactly where you are.  

Come get unstuck. RSVP using the link in bio.  

📅 October 1, 6-9PM  
📍 Toronto – location drops upon RSVP  
🔗 Link in bio  

Thank you to City of Toronto for making this possible.  

Four people who finished what they started.Every Business Plan Bootcamp participant sets one goal in week one and finish...
09/16/2026

Four people who finished what they started.

Every Business Plan Bootcamp participant sets one goal in week one and finishes it by week eight. Here is what that looked like.

1. April Goode-Khan, WareShare (wareshare.ca), Georgina
A marketplace matching businesses with unused warehouse space to founders who need it. First transaction inside year one, profitable now.
“YSpace gave me the ecosystem to learn how to go about starting a business.”

2. Maureen McDermott, Officiant and Photography, Georgina
More than 20 weddings in her first season, and Business Excellence recognition from the Georgina Chamber. “You may arrive thinking you need a business plan, but you will leave with much more.”

3. Doyin Abitoye, Peoplesmith, East Gwillimbury Coaching, workshops and keynotes for immigrant women professionals, plus a community now past 100 members. “My blend of corporate HR leadership, coaching and being an immigrant wasn't just a background, it was my greatest competitive advantage.”

4. Steven Yu, AHA Solutions, East Gwillimbury Local automation projects grown into work across Canada and Hong Kong. “Turning complex AI capabilities into clear business outcomes that non-technical clients can actually understand.”

Yours is next. Applications close Thursday, October 1. Apply now: yspace.apps01.yorku.ca/forms/view.php?…

09/15/2026

Nothing tells our story better than the founders who lived it. Hear directly from founders who brought their ideas to life through our Venture Catalyst program.

Their journey shows what’s possible when vision meets the right support and community.

Thank you for sharing your experience: Osataima Igbinoba, founder of Plexa Health, Sarah Ajekwe, founder of SheltHerApp, Debbie Deer, founder of Orion Digital Innovations and Tolu Faseghaand Ernest Gaisie, founders of WandaReel

Thank you to our partners Black Entrepreneurship Alliance and City of Toronto for making this possible. 📅 Applications for Fall 2026 are now open until September 25.

🔗 Apply now — link in bio

09/14/2026

Have you gone outside? No. Have you remembered to eat? Also no. But did you work on the business? Obviously. 😭 Life as a founder.

Looking for a reason to get out of the office this September? We have two opportunities to work alongside other local en...
09/11/2026

Looking for a reason to get out of the office this September? We have two opportunities to work alongside other local entrepreneurs.

Guided Canva Coworking Session
Have something you need to create but haven't had the time to finish? Bring your laptop and work on your project at your own pace. You can work on social media graphics, a flyer, a presentation, a logo or whatever you have on your list. The YSpace team will be there if you need a hand.
📅 Tuesday, September 22
⏰ 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (drop in any time!)
📍 EGPL at the HALP, 160 Jim Mortson Drive, East Gwillimbury
🔗 Register: eventbrite.ca/e/1996052171778?aff=oddtdtcreator

Peer-to-Peer with TechConnex 💬
Join us for a morning with other local business owners and entrepreneurs. It's a chance to meet people in the community, talk about what's happening in your business and hear what's working for others.
📅 Thursday, September 24
⏰ 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
📍 YSpace Georgina, 1 Market Street, Sutton
🔗 Register: eventbrite.ca/e/peer-to-peer-with-techconnex-at-yspace-georgina-tickets…?aff=oddtdtcreator

💸 Both sessions are at no cost to your business. We hope to see you there.

Town of Georgina Georgina Economic Development & Tourism Town of East Gwillimbury

Here's what the eight weeks actually cover.Week 1, Business Model Innovation. How your business makes money, and where t...
09/10/2026

Here's what the eight weeks actually cover.

Week 1, Business Model Innovation. How your business makes money, and where the value really sits.

Week 2, Market Research and Competitive Analysis. The landscape you're operating in, properly mapped.

Week 3, Customer Persona and Value Proposition. Who you're for, and why they'd pick you.

Week 4, Crafting a Business Plan. Everything so far, in a form other people can read.

Week 5, Financial Modeling and Pricing. Your numbers, and what you should be charging.

Week 6, Digital Marketing and Brand Presence.

Week 7, Legal Foundations and Funding Readiness.

Week 8, Sales and Operations in Sync, plus your next 90 days.

Every workshop runs under 90 minutes and you watch them when it suits you. Most people put in five to 10 hours a week.

You also get eight free hours with a mentor matched to your goal, a one-on-one with me every second week, and two in person sessions with the rest of your cohort.

Free. Applications close Thursday, October 1.

yspace.apps01.yorku.ca/forms/view.php?…

Town of Georgina Town of East Gwillimbury Georgina Economic Development & Tourism Bradford West Gwillimbury

Eight hours with a mentor, free, and you decide what they're for. Everyone who gets into Business Plan Bootcamp is matc...
09/04/2026

Eight hours with a mentor, free, and you decide what they're for.

Everyone who gets into Business Plan Bootcamp is matched with a local mentor. Not randomly, and not by whoever happens to be free that week. You tell us your goal in the application, and we go find the person whose background actually fits it. Some people spend the hours building a plan section by section. Others bring one problem they've been circling for months and finally solve it properly.

Here's who's in the room this year.

Sales and revenue:

Vincent Tsang, who co-founded Infocheck and sold it to a NASDAQ-listed company.
Rob Kinch, three decades of sales leadership including teams at IBM and Microsoft.
Agnes Lan, Michael Izzi and Vyona Ma from Change Connect.

Brand and marketing:

Hollie Hoadley of Creative Solutions, who went from Fortune 500 national marketing manager to running her own agency.
Elena Fordham of Beveridge Marketing, 20 years of brand and communications work.
Stella Grinfeld of Stella Graphix.

Systems, operations and AI:

Gabrielle Browne and Jeremy Bocknek of Dynamic Unicorns, building the automation behind their advisory work.

Product and scaling:

David Spadafora of Bert's Foods, who took Oh My Okra from an idea in 2019 to shelves across Canada and the US.

Applications close Thursday, October 1. Register now: https://yspace.apps01.yorku.ca/forms/view.php?id=240215

Town of Georgina Georgina Economic Development & Tourism Town of East Gwillimbury

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169 Enterprise Boulevard, Unit 301
Markham, ON
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