Toronto, Canada's largest city and one of North America's economic and cultural centers, is considered a hotspot for start-ups, technology, and innovation. The city is home to numerous up-and-coming companies and offers a dynamic environment for entrepreneurship and related research, where Verena Mattes—a doctoral candidate at the HNU Institute for Entrepreneurship—was able to advance her research in a targeted manner and expand her network accordingly.
Among other things, she spoke with representatives from Seneca Polytechnic, McMaster University, and York University about future opportunities for cooperation, joint programs, and exchange formats in the field of entrepreneurship. She also conducted interviews with players in the regional start-up ecosystem for her doctoral project on entrepreneurial ecosystems. A key part of her research stay was HELIX, Seneca Polytechnic's innovation and entrepreneurship hub, which supports founders in developing and implementing their business ideas. Here, the start-up event “End of Semester Pitch” gave her deeper insights into Canadian start-up culture. In addition, she collaborated with other partner organizations and players in the start-up ecosystem in Toronto.
“Toronto was the first North American entrepreneurial ecosystem I had the opportunity to experience as part of my research,” reports Verena Mattes. “Compared to the ecosystems I have studied in Europe so far, I was particularly impressed by the size and dynamism of the scene here. The diversity of players, programs, and networks creates a unique environment for innovation and collaboration.” The HNU researcher particularly values the exchange with founders, mentors, and other researchers, which has revealed a wide range of starting points for future collaborations.
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Verena Mattes
