Tech Entrepreneurs Compete at Hi5

Tech Entrepreneurs Compete at Hi5

by | Nov 7, 2021 | Coworking News

ACE Coworking is excited to partner with HALTECH to support local tech innovators through the 5th Annual Hi5 pitch competition. Learn more here… 

ABOUT HALTECH

Halton’s Regional Innovation Centre, HALTECH, formed a close alliance with us at ACE Coworking ever since we first opened our doors in 2018. We’ve partnered with them to present several educational workshops and seminars at our own space. In addition, our members – especially those who work in tech – have benefitted from the many resources and events provided by Haltech at their Burlington-based HQ. It has been a great symbiotic friendship!

Never heard of HALTECH? If you live in Halton and work in technology, you must check them out!

Haltech’s staff and team of experienced advisors work hard to help advance local tech-based innovators in businesses of every size – from start-ups to global corporations. They offer free business advisory services, learning workshops on entrepreneurship and commercialization, assistance in forging strategic connections, and supports for corporate innovation programs.

Hi5’s PITCH COMPETITION

For the past five years, Haltech has hosted the Hi5 Pitch Competition – this year ACE is proud to partner with them to bring this exciting event to life! Hi5 features five of Haltech’s most promising clients: each is given five minutes to pitch for a winning prize of $5,000. In addition the winner will receive $1200-worth of access to ACE Coworking’s meeting space.

The competition is a valuable opportunity for local tech start-ups to generate awareness about their projects, while building the vital skills needed to present in front of an audience and investors.

HOW TO REGISTER

The pitch event takes place on Thursday, November 25 from 3–5pm, and will be held in a virtual format. More information and registration here. Plan to arrive early for open networking and a chance to meet the Hi5 contestants.

ICYMI: 10TH ANNIVERSARY

In July, Haltech celebrated their tenth anniversary! We were delighted to be part of the event which commemorated a decade of the organization’s commitment to local innovators. If you’d like to learn more about Haltech, this anniversary video gives an overview of how they’ve influenced and supported industry leaders across the local ecosystem. 

 

 

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Why We’re Excited About the Future, and the Future of Work

Why We’re Excited About the Future, and the Future of Work

by | Oct 13, 2020 | Coworking News

by Mark Fornasiero

Welcome to post #1 of our ACE Coworking blog! We’re excited to be sharing insights for your business and personal growth here. We are going to discuss a wide array of topics. Although we’re not sure exactly where this will take us, we look forward to giving a platform to our community so that they can share their knowledge, skills and insights. Let’s go!

Image by Sam Fornasiero

Why We’re Excited About the Future, and the Future of Work

We know there’s been a lot of hardship experienced out there since the onset of the pandemic. That pain is real. We acknowledge it, and we were not immune to it either. BUT, there is so much to be excited about for the future of business growth, especially in our industry. We are all in the midst of embracing new ways to work, figuring out how to fit it into our unique lives and situations. The future will almost certainly involve more coworking, collaboration, and community. The trends were heading this way before COVID showed up anyway; the virus just hit the accelerator pedal. And in a big way!

Coworking is on pace to grow another 15% in 2020 (lower than the 25% of the previous few years) and will continue to make its way into the suburbs and cities outside major metropolitan centres. Today there are two million people working in coworking spaces globally. That’s a tiny fraction of the working population. With the trend pointing to that number growing to more than 5 million by 2024, you can see why we’re so excited about the future.

More than three quarters of coworking operators are looking to add space and expand this year. That is pretty amazing. The average coworking space is very similar to ACE: about 7,000 square feet and 85 members. That means lots of room for independent owner-operated coworking spaces that focus on building a community and sense of belonging.

In the post-COVID world, coworking consumers will be looking for more private offices and flexibility in membership terms. We anticipate more investment and innovation in this sector from space owners and operators.

This is great news if you are a coworking space owner/operator. But, what if you’re not? No matter what field you’re in, remember this: huge shifts like the one we are experiencing always create as much opportunity as they do mayhem. The trick is to slow down, turn off the noise machine, and make balanced assessment of your situation. You may have to tweak your business or do a major overhaul. Doing nothing is probably not an option. But there are definitely opportunities out there for you to grow and change your business or career.

You know, COVID might be the perfect excuse you need to make that big change you’ve always thought about. Now there’s something to get excited about!

Mark Fornasiero is the co-founder of ACE Coworking and an independent consultant specializing in growth-and-exit strategies for privately-held enterprises. Mark also provides professional consulting to entrepreneurs looking to launch and operate their own independent coworking spaces.