A former Estevan resident has found a niche by providing mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs in the technology sector.
Andrew Wahba, who works for Innovation Saskatchewan, returned to the Energy City on Thursday afternoon to discuss technology businesses and business incubation to people who attended an event at the 麻豆视频east College鈥檚 Estevan campus.
Wahba was joined by Jordan McFarlane from the Conexus business cultivator, and Shea Martin, who has a start-up company named Brew Ninja based out of Regina that handles software work for microbreweries.
Their appearance in Estevan was through an initiative named the Conexus Road Show.
Wahba pointed out that his work with Innovation Saskatchewan is to support projects such as start-up tech companies and different pathways to get into owning a business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a natural relationship with the cultivator where they鈥檙e working with a lot of start-up tech companies and helping them grow and scale their businesses,鈥� said Wahba.
The road show is something the Conexus Credit Union started earlier this year. They have also been to Moose Jaw, Melfort and Humboldt. The incubator just officially launched in Regina in February.
鈥淭his whole work is quite new to Saskatchewan, but there are lots of start-up tech companies that are emerging and doing really well. They鈥檝e been very successful,鈥� said Wahba. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to be part of it at the beginning, and it鈥檚 a lot of fun.鈥�
They were in Estevan to let people know about what is happening in the province鈥檚 tech sector, and to see if anybody is interested in exploring start-up opportunities in the technology sector.
Other topics covered included the start-up scene in Regina, and the venture capital fund that will be launched by Innovation Saskatchewan, while Wahba discussed the work that Innovation Saskatchewan is doing to support start-up technology and innovation. Martin talked about the life of a start-up and how his business has grown.
And they discussed the importance of mentorship programs for aspiring entrepreneurs.
It was about a one-hour presentation. They answered questions from the audience once their speeches were finished.
Wahba said he always enjoys coming back to Estevan. The tech scene has changed a lot since he was in the city 25 years ago. He was reminded of that when talking to local entrepreneurs while in Estevan last week.
But he believes his time here played a big role in his life and his career, even though the technology sector is one that goes through rapid changes.
鈥淚 remember when I first had e-mail, and I think I was in university,鈥� said Wahba. 鈥淭hings have really emerged. I think though, this entrepreneurial spirit, and trying to find solutions to problems, and not just technological, that鈥檚 a real rural Saskatchewan type of idea, and entrepreneurship in Estevan is a big deal, and always has been. In the oilfield, there鈥檚 lots of entrepreneurs here.鈥�
