exterior, Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre

Report details centre’s support for entrepreneurs

A challenging year required a nimble response, says Wen Teoh, director of the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre (EPICentre).

In the organization’s annual report, she lays out its contributions to helping the local economy thrive under difficult circumstances.

“Entrepreneurs need our support more than ever,” Teoh writes. “Many existing businesses were forced to adapt and pivot last year. At the same time, we have also seen an increasing demand from first-time entrepreneurs.”

EPICentre received more than 270 applications for its accelerator programs.

Vita Fiore, co-founder of The Working Class, says participating in the EPIC Social Enterprise program proved more valuable than she had anticipated.

“Going in, we were simply chasing the money to launch our business,” which will sell catered meals to migrant agricultural workers. “Coming out of this program, we gained so much more. Although we were in a good place to launch, we were able to critique and polish our business and ensure we did it with great success.”

The centre engaged almost 3,00 people in more than 140 virtual events over the course of the year. Read more about its successes in the annual report.