Business mentorship program offering up to $5,000 is open for applications
By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
The Markham Small Business Centre is offering Markham-based entrepreneurs and small business owners up to $5,000 in grant funding, as well as education and training, through its 2025 Starter Company Plus program.
Applicants must fill out an online form, as well as a preliminary business plan and financial forecast, by August 18.
Successful applicants will go through two phases of the program. Firstly, participants will receive guidance on how to create a two-year financial forecast and an updated business plan, growth plan, or pivot plan. Afterwards, a limited selection of participants will receive $5,000 of grant funding and go through three months of mentorship.
Tiffany Mak, manager at the Markham Small Business Centre, said that she would like to see applicants focused on growing their companies. For example, applicants looking to expand to a new location, launch a new product, or hire more employees could benefit more from the program.
“We always encourage people just to reach out first and we’ll help them through the process and guide them through it because more often than not, if someone is not ready for the program right now, 12 months later, they might be,” she said.
14 businesses completed the Starter Company Plus program in 2024. Several alumni said that they had positive experiences in the program.
Edmund Sematimba, founder and owner of Minibulls, said that the program taught him how to determine his own goals as an entrepreneur, manage resources, and specify his sales strategy to develop his e-commerce space.
Azadeh Zahiri, owner of Fractal Accounting, said that she learned how to build customer and network relations for her business. She added that the number of customers for her business has nearly doubled since she completed the program.
Mak said that she is glad to see past alumni doing well at their businesses. According to her, some alumni have returned as mentors and guest speakers.
“We try to create a community here where we’re providing resources to help these business owners, and then they’re giving back and coming back to us too because they want to help the business community,” she said.
To apply, business owners must run a for-profit business in Markham. They must neither work full-time in another company nor be a student within the next three years. They must not currently receive funding from other programs. They must not have received a past Starter Company Plus grant nor a Small Business Recovery and Digital Resilience Program grant. Their business cannot be based off of commissions or franchises. They must also be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Ontario.
Successful participants from 2024 include Minibulls, Fractal Accounting, CN Floral Studio, Speedy Golf, HealthyToDos, Tails Farewell, VL Law Firm, Lulla Jewellery, Hyperr Energy, Nuria Scientific Inc., Liv Metta, Synchroni, Guo Feng Guan Cultural Arts Center, and vBookkeep Inc.
Starter Company Plus is a program offered by Small Business Centres Ontario to many municipalities throughout the province. The Markham Small Business Centre, located within the Markham Civic Centre, serves as the local hub.
Visit markhambusiness.ca/helping-businesses/small-business-services for more information.
Photo: Markham’s Starter Company Plus program offers businesses guidance, education, and a potential three-month mentorship period to help foster growth.