For Immediate Release
Winnipeg-based Mean Eyed Cat Venture Labs has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with the Tech Ranch® Austin to launch its entrepreneur development programs in Canada. This start-up accelerator’s premiere development training will educate local tech entrepreneurs on how to navigate the early growth and development of their ventures. The programs are designed to develop the skill sets of Canadian entrepreneurs in the areas of market fit, financial ability and business presentation. First-time and exploring entrepreneurs from Winnipeg will also be referred to Tech Ranch’s online program. Co-working space at the Tech Ranch® in Austin will also be available to Canadian future business leaders so that they can pursue expansion into the United States or connect with American-based investors.
“We sought Tech Ranch® as a partner because of their focus on developing the entrepreneur and market validation. These are a strong fit with our goals for assisting local entrepreneurs with boot-strapping their businesses by providing them with the developmental tools they need to succeed,” commented Robert Warren, Managing Director of Mean Eyed Cat Venture Labs. “We look forward to working with Tech Ranch® to help Canadian entrepreneurs reach their full potential.”
The inaugural Canadian program will take place in Winnipeg from September 21-25 and will involve 10 companies drawn from the ICT, agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Winnipeg-based Bankless Times will be among the first start-ups participating in the training. Bankless Times is a digital provider of alternative finance coverage that includes peer-to-peer lending, real estate crowdfunding, private consumer credit, and more.
Kevin Koym, CEO and Founder of Tech Ranch® will deliver the initial program and then Robert Warren will assume the training of future cohorts. Tech Ranch® and the Mean Eyed Cat have applied to SXSW 2016 in Austin, Texas so they can share their experiences regarding the agreement and how it can be used as the basis for future linkages between Austin and the world.
“This agreement allows Tech Ranch® to share the experience we have developed in working with over 570 start-ups with Canadian entrepreneurs. It also allows us to link two major cities found along the I-35 corridor and tap into the expertise in each city.”
Media are invited to attend the inaugural Tech Ranch® program on (Monday) September 21, 2015 at (time TBA) at (location TBA).
About Mean Eyed Cat Venture Labs
Launched in 2015 by Robert Warren, MEC Venture Labs evolved from Robert’s observations over more than 20 years of working with start-ups and comments from others in the space that Canadian entrepreneurs often lacked access to successful entrepreneurial role models and needed to take more of a market focus when developing their ventures. Based on this, Robert created a program where entrepreneurs can learn from each other and where learning the essential skills of market validation and business model development are more important than pushing a product into the market.
About Tech Ranch® Austin
Tech Ranch® is a start-up incubator/accelerator in Austin, Texas offering first-time and seasoned entrepreneurs the resources and necessary tools to launch and grow their companies. With a focus on developing the entrepreneur instead of the idea, Tech Ranch® helps foster the growth of the individual who can then go on to do many great things, despite what happens with their venture. By facilitating international connections, Tech Ranch® empowers entrepreneurs to tap into the greater global community, providing opportunities to learn, grow and expand. Tech Ranch® is committed to assisting entrepreneurs across all industries in order to help them realize their potential for personal success and find their ability to have social impact.
For more information, please contact:
Robert Warren Jaime Sutton
Managing Director Director-Marketing & Operations
Mean Eyed Cat Venture Labs Tech Ranch
204-792-4159 512-496-7729
Rob.warren@mecvl.com Jaime@TechRanchaustin.com
