Driving innovation: How Accelerate Okanagan is transforming the Okanagan tech community

Accelerate Okanagan provides support and mentorship to entrepreneurs across British Columbia, helping start-ups and growth-stage companies throughout the region take their businesses to the next level.

In partnership with PacifiCan since 2017, Accelerate Okanagan has overseen multiple initiatives made possible through investments from PacifiCan. These initiatives have provided guidance to a growing community of entrepreneurs, helping to build the Okanagan into the fastest growing tech hub in the country (Accelerate Okanagan).

These initiatives include:

The Kelowna Innovation Centre

The Kelowna Innovation Centre opened its doors in 2017 after receiving an investment of $3.4 million from PacifiCan to provide a collaborative space for technology companies of all sizes.

Influenced by the campuses of Google, Apple and Pixar, the Innovation Centre was built to help advance the growth of companies that innovate and create, with the larger goal of advancing the Okanagan as a destination for tech entrepreneurs.

Since its establishment, the Kelowna Innovation Centre has assisted almost 2,000 small and medium employers and created over 400 jobs.

Earlier this year, we sat down with PelaCase COO Jeff Keen to get his perspective on how the Centre has transformed downtown Kelowna and the local start-up community:

RevUP and Starup Basics

Providing support to early-stage entrepreneurs since 2015, the Startup Basics and RevUP programs deliver targeted guidance and training from a team of Executives-in-Residence to help businesses build on an established foundation of success.

To date, the programs have helped participating employers attract over $13 million in private sector investment, and enhance sales of their products and services by over $24 million.

As a result of support from PacifiCan, both programs were expanded beyond the Okanagan with a focus on clean tech companies and Indigenous entrepreneurs. Since that investment, the programs have reached over 61 companies and entrepreneurs in the Okanagan and partnering regions, including Kamloops, the Kootenays, Prince George and Nanaimo.

The Vernon Innovation and Entrepreneur Workspace

With funding provided by PacifiCan, The VIEW was established in 2020 to support the growing community of entrepreneurs in the North Okanagan.

Since its opening, The VIEW has helped connect 287 small and medium enterprises in a collaborative space – over a third of which are women-led, youth-led or Indigenous owned.

To find out more about Accelerate Okanagan and its initiatives, visit the links below:

• Accelerate Okanagan
• Kelowna Innovation Centre
• Startup Basics