OCE and Venture for Canada create fellowship stream for STEM students

TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario Centres of Excellence and Venture for Canada are harnessing the energy and skill of Ontario's talented post-secondary graduates to power the province's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The two organizations are teaming up to give more of Ontario's motivated recent graduates looking to start and run their own company the kind of experience they need to succeed through the creation of an OCE – Venture for Canada fellowship stream focused on providing opportunities for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) recent graduates to work at top Ontario startups.

"OCE has great experience working with students, researchers and entrepreneurs in the STEM disciplines that will bring a new dynamic focus to Venture for Canada's program," says Dr. Tom Corr, OCE's President and CEO. "Talent is at the core of every successful company and together we will be able to find those recent graduates who are both able to help an existing company and learn what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur."

Fellows accepted into the Venture for Canada program spend two years working at one of Ontario's top growing startups. Fellows are currently working at such notable companies as Vidyard, eSight, and Nymi. Fellows receive competitive compensation from their employers in addition to five weeks of training at Queen's University and ongoing mentorship and support for the duration of the Fellowship. They gain the experience, training, and network to successfully launch their own firms.

"Venture for Canada is excited to partner with OCE to provide more recent graduates from STEM backgrounds the training, network and work experience necessary for launching their own firms," says Scott Stirrett, Executive Director and Founder of Venture for Canada. "The partnership with OCE provides more innovative Ontario startups with the vital talent needed for scaling their firms."

Current Venture for Canada Fellows include alumni of The Next 36, a Top 20 Under 20 recipient, and a former Apple engineer. For the most recent cohort, more than 800 applications were received with 37 Fellows being selected. Fellows have previously chosen to be part of the program over such offers such as attending Columbia Law School or working in investment banking.  

Young entrepreneurial Canadians can submit their application online now.

The first deadline is September 25, 2015.

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. (www.oce-ontario.org)

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, domestic and foreign investors, and government ministries. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices, innovation, entrepreneurship and research, OCE invests in such areas as advanced health, information and communications technology, digital media, advanced materials and manufacturing, agri-food, aerospace, transportation, energy, and the environment including water and mining. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), which helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs and industry rapidly grow their company and create jobs. Learn more at www.onebusiness.ca

About Venture for Canada (www.ventureforcanada.ca)

Venture for Canada is a not-for-profit that recruits top recent graduates to work at Canadian startups in need of talent, with the mission of fostering entrepreneurship.  Their mission is to provide opportunities for the best and brightest to create dynamic companies for themselves and others and to assist great companies through providing sharp young minds to help them grow.

SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.

Media contact: Stuart Green, Manager, Media Relations, Ontario Centres of Excellence, 416-861-1092 x 1022, [email protected]