Cross-border space-sharing agreement boost to entrepreneurs

Article content

Local entrepreneurs looking to work on both sides of the border will now have offices to do that after Tuesday’s announcement of a cross-border partnership between co-working organizations Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator and Bamboo Detroit.

Article content

Beginning immediately members can access the combined 96,000 square feet of office space, mailing address, professional services, networks, programming, mailing addresses, events and company contact lists offered by both organizations.

“It’s really exciting for our region,” said Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator CEO Arthur Barbut.

“It promotes opportunities for young graduates to explore being an entrepreneur on both sides of the border. In doing this, we hope to keep our bright, young talent here.

“I definitely think we’ll see more start-ups and a more robust entrepreneurial ecosystem because of this joint endeavour.”

The Windsor accelerator (downtownaccelerator.com) has a 55,000 square-foot office located at 1501 Howard Avenue while Bamboo Detroit (BambooDetroit.com) is located in downtown Detroit and Royal Oak.

Article content

Monthly membership will cost $200 Canadian or $150 US.

The two organizations will be holding a virtual information session for companies at 1 pm on June 7. To register visit: eventbrite.com/e/cross-border-coworking-info-session-tickets-337398456867.

Barbut said the two organizations have been kindred spirits since their founding about a decade ago. With the economies of both countries opening up following the COVID-19 pandemic and the region’s shared interest in the automobility sector, Barbut said the decision was made to formalize the partnership.

“This is a unique and ideal partnership, as both organizations are truly dedicated to building our ecosystems and supporting entrepreneurs,” said Bamboo co-founder Amanda Lewan.

Article content

“Together, we aim to spur further innovation and collaboration across the border between our growing regions.”

Barbut said the partnership will be attractive to the many companies that are eyeing the Windsor area with the massive local investments in electric vehicles and the battery supply chain.

In having a Windsor presence companies can gain access to a large pool of international talent. Canada also offers many government grant programs not available in the US as well as promoting research and development supports.

“This will be attractive to auto mobility companies, especially start-ups, who want to work on both sides of the border,” Barbut said.

“Windsor and Detroit are going to be at the center of automobility and we can offer them space in both places to work from.”

Article content

He added Bamboo Detroit brings with it an enticing network of contacts and a window into the lucrative US market. The organization is already partnering with Ford Motor Company on mobility projects.

“Bamboo Detroit has great events and a huge network of venture capital and angel investors,” Barbut said.

“It will help our companies expand faster. In many ways, it’s easier to expand to Detroit than Toronto because of geographical distance, culture and having this relationship.”

[email protected]

Twitter.com/winstarwaddell