ONSIDE’s 2022-2026 Impact Report

Launched in 2019, ONSIDE has brought Nova Scotians together to catalyze inclusive innovation-driven entrepreneurship and create prosperity for our province and region. Our last report, which you can find here, highlights what progress ONSIDE made up to 2021. Since then, ONSIDE has only continued to grow.

Shortly after the last report was released, we wrapped up our work with MIT REAP - Focus Nova Scotia (culminating in the deployment of an IDE Community Acceleration Fund to support rural acceleration projects. That experience taught us how important innovation-driven entrepreneurship is in supporting a thriving economy.

From 2022-2026, ONSIDE has held onto its core values of accelerating growth through innovation based entrepreneurship. We have continued to put forward new initiatives and have expanded our reach across Canada.

Following this work, we expanded our commitment to inclusive innovation, and through our research with the Inclusive Innovation Monitor, we identified  significant gaps facing women entrepreneurs, such as receiving less funding and taking smaller risks. Moreover, women typically underestimate themselves and are left out of the spaces where change happens. These observations led to the launch of the Start Now Incubator project. Now in its 4th year, this work has blossomed into a project that is continuing to change the lives of diverse, intersectional women and non-binary entrepreneurs throughout Canada. Participants have gained confidence, formed new connections, and increased sales as a result of our programming. We are thrilled to be able to say more than 2,500 women nation-wide have partaken in our programming.

We invite you to download our Impact Report to learn more about what 2022-2026 has looked like for ONSIDE.