Ideas don’t just take flight on their own, especially here in the Prairies. That’s exactly why Skip the Dishes co-founder, Chris Simair, said he’s establishing his new company, Harvest, right here in Calgary. It is a “venture building studio,” aimed at helping local entrepreneurs and companies find success using a startup “playbook” developed by him and his brother.
“Starting a business is tough. It’s even tougher on the Prairies,” Simair told the Calgary Herald. “Through Skip the Dishes, we developed a playbook for the Prairies. So we thought, rather than ripping it up and throwing it away, wouldn’t it be great to take this playbook and make it reusable?”
Founded in 2012, Winnipeg-based Skip the Dishes has grown to 2,500 employees, making it one of Canadas largest tech firms. In 2016 the company sold for a cool $200 million, and now, Simair wants to give back.
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Harvest’s pilot project will operate from the East Village right here in Calgary. They’ll Offer technical, marketing and corporate services, as well as people and resources within the vast Skip the Dishesnetwork.
Harvest will work with Western companies in various fields that Simair believes has potential. Startups in Simair’s portfolio will be eligible for initial as well as later-stage funding either through their company or outside investors.
As of right now, Calgary is the only pilot project in the works, but he’s hoping to establish permanent offices in Calgary, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.
We guess you better start working on your powerpoint presentation skills, Calgary! It’ll be pretty cool to watch this company grow. We can’t wait to see what will come out of it!
