LEAP JUNCTION
WHAT IS LEAP JUNCTION?
Leap Junction is Fanshawe College’s entrepreneurship center. We provide one-on-one consultations, opportunities for networking, events, and workshops for any student or alumni interested in exploring entrepreneurship. For students or alumni who wish to start their own business, Leap Junction can be a workspace and entrepreneurial hub. Additionally, we provide a summer incubator program that focuses on business-growth and in-depth education to promote the success of registered clients.
What we do:
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support startups with one-on-one business analysis and mentorship
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create and host entrepreneurial-focused workshops, pitch competitions, retail opportunities, and events geared towards networking and skill development
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provide co-working space and meeting rooms for all of our clients
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act as a link for students and youth to access investors, industry, and other stakeholders in the city
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Integrate entrepreneurial activities into the local community and work with a vibrant ecosystem that supports local entrepreneurs
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LeapIN summer incubator which provides seed funding, mentorship, programming, and co-working space for a selected cohort
OUR TEAM
KELSEY CURRIE
Manager | Co-operative Education and Entrepreneurial Services
Currently on leave returning January 2023
Kelsey Currie is a lover of learning and fostering community. Throughout her career, she has worked in youth programming, recreation, health care, social services, education, and research and has found aspects of them all that she loves. Kelsey acts as our Entrepreneurial Curator, bringing together entrepreneurs to help each other and ensuring there are adequate resources available to support students and staff to focus on entrepreneurship; she handles the administration of Leap Junction, please feel free to contact her with any management issues. Her favourite thing about working with entrepreneurs is their amazing attitudes “Entrepreneurs don’t come to you with just problems or complaints, they come to you with the solutions, and that is refreshing!” Kelsey holds two Bachelors degrees, one in Molecular Biology and Genetics and the second in Adult Education, a post-grad certificate in Community and Social Services Management, and a Masters of Adult Education and Community Development. Kelsey is a Board Member of the Better Business Bureau of Southwester Ontario and an active volunteer with CEWIL Canada. Outside of Leap Junction, Kelsey loves to travel, hike, cook, and she loves to spend time with her family and dog!
DAVE OUELLETTE
Business Advisor
A jack of all trades but perhaps master of some. David is our entrepreneurial coach at Leap Junction. David grew up on the shores of Lake St. Clair in Windsor, Ontario but has lived, travelled and worked all over Canada. He has a love for the outdoors, a thirst for adventure and a passion for the water and for board sports. He got the entrepreneurial bug young, and started his first company in 2006. Now he is now co-owner of Ontario’s first Cable Wakeboarding facility, Boarder Pass, which started in 2010 an in 8 years has grown to 3 locations and established a successful events and non-profit arm. He is a graduate from both the University of Windsor and Fanshawe College, participated in our LeapIN summer incubator program, has a background in Kinesiology, coaching and athlete development, sports business management, and marketing. But where his passion truly lies is in helping others with personal development through coaching and skill building, both as athletes, fellow coaches and as entrepreneurs.
NICK HLYMBICKY
Business Advisor
"Priding himself on his personal work-life balance, Nick is the newest addition to the Leap Junction team as our second entrepreneurial coach. His background comes from his time spent working in the non-profit sector assisting persons with disabilities finding employment and taking their first steps into entrepreneurship, woodworking/construction, and mental health. Nick holds two degrees from the University of Windsor, a BA[H] in Psychology and Criminology and a MA in Sociology, so you could say he’s very socially oriented! When he’s not hard at work Nick enjoys staying active by playing pickup hockey, biking, hiking and constantly listening to music. Nick’s favourite part about working with new entrepreneurs is seeing how many want to incorporate a “social good” into their venture even if it is a for-profit business. Nick is ready and eager to assist Fanshawe College students and alumni take those first steps into the world of the entrepreneur!"