28 BCBusiness april 2014 paUl JOSEpH
Room to
Grow
P
ainted in block letters on the
wall of the third-fl oor lobby
of 128 West Hastings Street:
Adepto Cacas Factum, or
roughly translated from Latin
to English, Get Shit Done. If you want
to watch a technology startup evolve
from idea to high-growth company,
the 12,000-square-foot loft space
shared by business incubator Launch
Academy and Growlab Ventures Inc.
would be a good place to start.
Launch Academy is the non-profi t
foundation that operates a shared
offi ce space for early-stage technol-
ogy companies, housing 70 startups,
a business accelerator and offi ces
for three boutique venture capital
fi rms. Entrepreneurs can rent desks,
from about $250 a month, and rent
includes access to events, a network
of mentors and perks from sponsors,
such as software from Microsoft and
free website hosting.
Launch Academy was founded
by Ray Walia in 2012. "In essence
we're trying to establish a centre
for entrepreneurship: anyone can
take an idea, launch an idea and
fund it under one roof," says Walia,
now director of Launch Academy.
"We're taking entrepreneurs out of
mom and dad's garage and bringing
them into a shared space with fellow
entrepreneurs who are fi ghting the
same problems, enabling them to
access the same resources."
Launch Academy is ground
zero for Vancouver's
startup community
by Jacob Parry
O F F i C e S P A C e
Sponsors
Inspired by Silicon Valley's Y Combinator and Techstars
NYC, Launch Academy has brought on a bevy of corporate
sponsors, including Microsoft, BDC and Deloitte, all of
which provide connections and perks such as an in-house
games room for entrepreneurs using the space.
Desk Space
Desk space—typically
intended for one- to two-
person teams—goes for $250
a month at Launch Academy.
A desk on the Growlab side is
harder to come by: companies
compete for around 10 three-
month spots a year.
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