Seven Peterborough-area entrepreneurial businesses have each been awarded a $5,000 microgrant to support their small business in the spring intake of the Starter Company Plus program offered by the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre.
Funded by the Government of Ontario and administered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, Starter Company Plus provides aspiring or experienced entrepreneurs in the City and County of Peterborough with five weeks of business training to help them launch a new business or expand an existing one.
Twelve small businesses participated in the fall intake of the program, with the following seven selected to each receive a $5,000 grant based on the overall strength of their business plan and business pitch.
- Jack Henry of OmniWorx Design in Peterborough
- Kate Adams of Kate L. Toms Fit in Peterborough
- Michelle Fenn and Kendra Mancini of Working Human in Peterborough
- Tavlyn Evans and Crystal Walker of Sage Beauty in Peterborough
- Brigh Findlay-Shields of Brisa Social in Millbrook
- Sean Fitzpatrick and Andrew Fitzpatrick of Take Cover Books in Peterborough
- Erin Burrell of EB Aquatics in Otonabee
According to Business Advisory Centre manager Madeleine Hurrell, the spring intake saw the highest number of applications so far for the program.
“We are incredibly proud of this program and the support it provides local small businesses,” Hurrell says in a media release. “The number of applications we received this round surpassed pre-Covid levels and was one of our most competitive intakes.”
Since its launch in 2017, the Starter Company Plus program offered by the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre has assisted over 230 local entrepreneurs and more than 186 small businesses, which have created more than 220 jobs in the local economy.
