Topic: Entrepreneurship
Launchbox
Launchbox is the centre for student entrepreneurs, located on the 4th floor of Patterson Hall at Acadia University. We support students in their entrepreneurial pursuits by providing free programming, networking, access to mentors, and other entrepreneurs, working space and competitions.
Laura Simpson
Lover of music and truth. Listen to the poets. Founder of The Syrup Factory, Make.Do.Camp. and Side Door.
Laura Simpson is a music industry professional, living with her family in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She founded The Syrup Factory, which began hosting house concerts 2011 and offering strategy and services to artists in 2015.
She has been an organizer in the arts scene since she was 14, going to all-ages shows and then eventually taking live music photography and freelance writing about shows and artists. That led her to be a journalist for seven years, working for CBC and Rogers Radio.
Noah Tomkins
Originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Noah Tompkins is a fourth-year Entrepreneurship & Innovation major at Acadia University. His passion for sustainability and social enterprise has lead Noah to working as the Marketing Coordinator for Just Us! Coffee Roasters, becoming a project manager and presenter for Enacts Acadia, and the President of Fair Trade Acadia.
Sara Baxter
A fourth year Accounting major, Sara Baxter from Moncton, New Brunswick, exercises her entrepreneurial skillset through Acadia Entrepreneurship Centre as the Community Entrepreneurship Developer. Her desire to create change and have a positive impact on society has led her to become a Project Co-Manager for Enacts Acadia’s Project Regenerate.
Side Door
Platform matching artists with spaces to create shows anytime, anywhere.
Side Door is a curated digital booking and ticketing platform used to facilitate booking and ticketing micro-performances in homes and other alternative venues in Canada and around the world. As a website and future mobile app, this technology-based company is innovating the traditional touring model for performers, live performances, and fan experiences.
Artists and Hosts sign up for free online through the Side Door website by creating profiles and answering questions about their preferences for performing or presenting a show in a house or alternative space (think bookstores, warehouses, parks, libraries, community centres, etc). The platform automatically matches Artists and Hosts based on their mutual profile preferences. Once matched, they are notified of the match, and prompted to discuss the details of booking a show together. Not only is Side Door a booking tool, but the online platform also has a booking contract and ticketing component that allows the Host to advertise and sell tickets. Fans will be able to visit the website or download the app to view shows in their area and shows they have been invited to, and they can buy tickets instantly online. Once the show is over the Host, Artist, and fans are all asked to provide feedback on the attended show.
Tyler Farmer
For the last year and a half, Tyler has lead Digital Nova Scotia’s projects and skill development programs across Nova Scotia. Through this role, Tyler has had the opportunity to connect with a wide variety of ICT & digital tech companies, professional service providers, community leaders, and government agencies which has enabled him to build an effective grassroots network with a birds-eye perspective of the economic challenges facing the province. Prior to diving into the rewarding work of economic development through Nova Scotia’s IT association, Tyler coordinated inspection, expediting, and project management services for many of Canada’s leading oil and gas companies in Alberta. In his spare time, Tyler is often found running all over Halifax training for the Scotiabank Bluenose Marathon, scouting for the perfect photo opportunity in Cape Breton or passionately keeping up with the growing Canadian independent journalism and startup scenes.