Starter Company PLUS Program
Applications for the 2023 intake of Starter Company PLUS in Mississauga are now closed. Please contact us or sign up for our newsletter to learn about other ways IDEA Mississauga supports entrepreneurs.
The Starter Company PLUS program assists people 18 years and over who are interested in starting, expanding or purchasing a business in Mississauga.
The Starter Company PLUS Program is delivered by the Mississauga Business Entrepreneur Centre (MBEC) for the Mississauga area. The Program is funded by the Province of Ontario and is delivered by Small Business Entrepreneur Centres (“SBECs”) similar to MBEC across Ontario. If you are interested in starting, expanding or purchasing a business outside of the city of Mississauga, please refer to the list of Small Business Entrepreneur Centres and Community-Based Provider Locations in Ontario.
To apply to the Starter Company PLUS Program in Mississauga, you must confirm your eligibility to participate in the program and attend a mandatory information session. Attendance at the information session does not guarantee acceptance into the program or the receipt of a program grant.
Services offered by the Mississauga Business Entrepreneur Centre are available in French upon request for programs funded by the Province of Ontario. (Les services Le Centre d’encadrement des entrepreneurs de Mississauga sont disponible en Français sur demande pour les programmes financés par la province de l’Ontario. L’informations sur l’entreprise en démarrage plus est disponible en français ICI)
What does the Starter Company PLUS Program offer?
The program provides:
- Free training and business skills development
- Free mentorship and guidance
- Opportunity to apply for a program grant of up to $5,000 after the completion of mandatory training and mentorship.
GET STARTED & SIGN UP
If you are interested in learning more about Mississauga’s Starter Company PLUS program and how to apply to the program, you must register for ONE of the following mandatory Starter Company PLUS information sessions which will be offered virtually on the following dates below:
Select the options below to register for an information session.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
We have identified and answered the most commonly asked questions about this topic:
To be eligible for the Starter Company PLUS Program in Mississauga, the program applicant must meet ALL of the following eligibility requirements, which includes, but is not limited to:
- Be a resident of Ontario
- Be 18 years of age or older at the time of application
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- Not attending school full time nor returning to school
- Be proposing starting a new business, expanding an existing business or buying a business in Mississauga
- Be prepared to commit a minimum of 35 hours a week to running a full-time business
- Be prepared to attend scheduled mandatory training and mentorship meetings as per program schedule
- Not enrolled in other comparable provincial employment or self-employment related initiatives and programs that include or do not include financial assistance
- Not currently enrolled concurrently in any comparable self-employment or entrepreneurship training/financing initiatives and programs offered by government funded organizations
- Not have received a Starter Company Program or Starter Company Plus Program grant in the past
- If there are two or more partners in the business, the partner who is applying to the program must confirm a minimum of 51% ownership of the business to participate in the program and would be responsible to apply for the program grant
- Provide proof of 25% contribution of the potential program grant (up to $1250). Contributions can be in cash or in-kind contributions as approved by MBEC.
TO BE ELIGIBLE, A BUSINESS OR PROPOSED BUSINESS MUST:
- Be an independent business venture based in Mississauga
- Not be a business that relies on commissioned sales
- Be a legal business in Ontario
- Not be a franchise
- Operate at arm’s length from family business ventures
- Operate full-time as defined in the business plan
- Maintain its own books and records
- Have a Master Business License or Articles of Incorporation, or plan to register the business
- Maintain a separate bank account
- Follow all government rules and regulations and applicable by-laws for the operation of the business
- Demonstrate a viable and sales ready business plan at the time of funding application
Before you can apply to Mississauga’s Starter Company PLUS program, you must attend a mandatory Starter Company PLUS info session.
This information session will provide you with important information about the Starter Company PLUS program in Mississauga including:
- Eligibility requirements
- Program requirements and expectations
- Program training and mentorship, and schedule
- Information about the program grant opportunity
View the “GET STARTED & SIGN-UP” section above to view upcoming dates.
TESTIMONIALS
“I am a huge fan of the program - when I sat down with my mentor and went through the business plan, she showed me how my model was limiting me and wouldn’t be sustainable. The business couldn’t grow because the commissions were just too low. Now, because of their help, we have a model that is fairer for everyone and we can do even more.”
“Pereira attributes some of his success in transitioning from painting contractor to custom finishings specialist to his participation in the Starter Company PLUS Program through the Mississauga Business Entrepreneur Centre (MBEC). “It helped in so many ways,” Pereira remembered. “I’d had a business plan before, but I couldn’t see it as anything beyond numbers on paper, but with the program and the people at MBEC, I could document all of my thoughts and was finally able to evaluate my business. I could see where I was and where I wanted to go.”
“The Starter Company Plus Program is going to change my life - with this grant, I can move to the next level. When I started, I had an idea and just a basic draft of a business plan. After four months of webinars, consultations and mentoring, I pitched the final result.”
PROVIDER
Mississauga Business Entrepreneur Centre (MBEC)
The Mississauga Business Entrepreneur Centre (MBEC) is your central source for small business information, resources and guidance. Whether you are starting or growing a small business, MBEC can help.