Exploriem

Exploriem is an incorporated, registered not-for-profit organization based in Ottawa, Canada, aimed at supporting professional entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and artpreneurs. According to their charter, "the Organization's aim is to mentor, teach, perform research, conduct events, provide early-stage funding and office/incubator space to assist in the furtherance of entrepreneurship in Ontario and around the globe".

History

Exploriem was founded in 2001, and incorporated in 2004, by Professor Bruce M. Firestone, Todd Jamieson and Professor John Callahan of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. For the first eight years of its existence, Exploriem focused on teaching, mentoring, hosting a speaker series and other events including the Annual Bootstrap Awards^[1] held each year to recognize enterprises that have successfully launched without Venture Capital—that is, they relied on various forms of self-capitalization. In 2009, Exploriem established a permanent location for a business incubator, located in Ottawa, providing free office space, early-stage funding and mentoring to new enterprises—both for-profit and not-for-profit start-up organizations.

Mature enterprises also provide services to incubator clients. Partners include: accounting professionals, telecommunications providers, marketing and communications, insurance, human resources, foreign exchange, law and mediation services, mortgage brokers, real estate services, and others. Student entrepreneurs apply for acceptance to Exploriem's incubator in an adjudicated process. The organization partners with outside organizations such as Invest Ottawa,^[2] Lead to Win,^[3] Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Algonquin College, University of Ottawa, Carleton University and others to leverage its programs.

Former students have established enterprises such as Project Wonderful^[4] and Dinosaur Comics^[5] by Ryan North, Grade A Techs^[6] by Matthew Lafrance and Allan Ghosn, Real Decoy^[7] by Geoff Waddington, and Richard Isaac, Northern Army^[8] by Ryan Anderson, Empire Deck and Fence^[9] by Siavosh Noruziaan, and Maple Leaf Design and Construction^[10] by Federico Carmosino and Brian Saumure.

Exploriem provides courses in business modeling, self market capitalization, guerrilla and social marketing, sponsorship, and others through its Institute Of Entrepreneurs (IOE) division.^[11] Annual events include Artifex, Professional Artist Gala^[12] Bootstrap Awards,^[13] Adawe Tradeshow,^[14] and Kalos. Exploriem also provides a monthly internet radio show for entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and artpreneurs,^[15] as well as a monthly newsletter.

Exploriem provides tools intended to assist entrepreneurs, including an online "Entrepreneurialist Culture Quotient Test"^[16] and a business model generator.^[17]

Directors

• Dr. Bruce M. Firestone, Executive Director, is the founder of the Ottawa Senators ice hockey team, Scotiabank Place, and the Ottawa Senators Foundation.^[18] Firestone is the Entrepreneurship ambassador at Ottawa'sUniversity of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management,^[19] is a columnist for Ottawa Business Journal and EQJournal.org, and is a broker with Century 21-Exploriem realty. Firestone is also a civil engineer with M.Eng-Sci and PhD in Urban economics.
• Todd Jamieson has a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in marketing, is founder and president of EnvisionOnline.ca,^[20] founding member of Ottawa Web Marketing Club, writer, speaker and involved in philanthropic work across Canada.^[21]

Bootstrap Awards

The Bootstrap Awards is an event organized by Exploriem.org.^[1] The awards' focus is on self-capitalized companies and early-stage companies that rely on building real cash flow.^[22]

See also

• List of business incubators

References

External links

• Exploriem
• Invest Ottawa
• Telfer School of Management
• Ottawa Chamber of Commerce