A diverse cast of Empowered Startups’ stakeholders participated in a valuable networking and knowledge exchange at a recent info session on cross-border trade and investment hosted by MAPLE Business Council, an organization dedicated to growing economic ties between Canada and the USA. Domestic and international connections were formed, expertise was dispensed, and valuable insight was gained by all who attended the SelectUSA Spring Reception. Among those partaking in the event were Empowered Startups’ Co-founder, Paul Girodo; President, Chris Lennon; Canada Incubator Manager, Matthew Pattinson; and an array of founders at various stages of their incubation with Empowered’s Canada Start-up Visa Program including Kin Man Tung, Rahuldev Vyas, Kamil Vahi, Mike Cardenas and Annie Carpio
“We’re constantly looking for and finding ways to expose the founders in our Canada Start-up Visa Program to new opportunities, and the SelectUSA event proved to be of great value,” remarked Pattinson, who often facilities such opportunities for Empowered’s founders. “With so many experienced professionals from both sides of the border sharing their insight, our founders got a much better picture of what expanding their businesses to the USA could look like. Equally, if not more, important were the new connections that our entrepreneurs made. Expanding their networks is vital as they grow their businesses into new markets, and these new relationships could prove impactful on several fronts.”
Founders Benefit Greatly
With experts from various sectors on hand to convey an accurate picture of both the opportunities and logistics of what expansion into the United States entails, entrepreneurs had direct access to individuals that might otherwise be difficult to access. Founders took full advantage of the resources available and gained both a greater understanding of how their unique businesses could expand to the US and the invaluable contacts who might aid in the process.
Mike Cardenas, CEO, QuickPath“As a startup serving the healthcare sector, Canada is a good starting point for refining our platform. But there is a big market to the south, and the event provided crucial insights and networks to navigate and leverage the U.S. market’s vast landscape, enabling us to envision a path for broadening our impact on patient care across borders.”
Kin Man Tung, CEO, Wellspring Data“It is great to have access to events like this. Canada’s vibrant tech ecosystem is the perfect launchpad for our startup, and we know there are significant expansion opportunities in the U.S. The event opened doors for us to explore what that would look like.”
American Interest in Empowered Startups
While the gathering was mainly intended for those Canadian companies curious about expanding their operations to the United States, Empowered Startups’ EB-2 NIW Startup R&D Program was of keen interest during the networking portion of the event. When the fast-track immigration pathway to the USA for accomplished businesspeople came up in conversation, many of the American representatives in attendance were eager to learn more about bringing the program to top-tier research institutions in their respective states.
“Events like this showcase the far-reaching impacts of the novel programs Empowered Startups operates,” explained Lennon. “Our role here is two-fold: We’ve brought some of the founders in our Canada SUV Program to introduce them to the networks that will help them expand into the US; and we are also discussing our own US growth with several state representatives who are interested in the direct foreign investment we are attracting and directing to world-class research institutions across the United States.”
