Collaborations are a powerful tool for all small business owners, regardless of industry you are in or the type of business you operate. The need in society to think and work together on issues of critical concern has increased, shifting the emphasis from individual efforts to group work, from independence to community.
Nowhere is this more profound than in business and education. In fact, universities have recognized the importance of small businesses and are investing heavily to develop entrepreneurial programs that connect business with academia. In fact, in 2016/2017 York University’s Innovation York, LaunchYU spent $1,029,005 to produce 32 workshops, supported 9 startups in the IBM Innovation Space, 34 startup companies in the LaunchYU program and 1750 individuals in the broader LaunchYU community.
To ensure that entrepreneurial programs like LaunchYU remain a viable resource to link universities to the broader business community additional investments must be made to encourage and support business and education collaborations. This investment should come not just from academia—but also the business community.