York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI) is a venture fund, startup accelerator, incubator and entrepreneurial community located within York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. YEDI facilitates collaboration between students, alumni, and academic and business leaders.[1] The organization was founded in 2013 by businessman Dr. Marat Ressin, a native of Russia with close ties to the Jewish community in Canada.[2]
| Industry | Startup accelerator, education |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Marat Ressin |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Number of locations | 4 locations (2019) |
Key people | Marat Ressin, Oleg Amurjuev, Ric Phillips, Maria Konikov |
| Website | yedi |
Overview
editYork Entrepreneurship Development Institute is a sector-agnostic start-up supporting organization that provides mentorship to entrepreneurs and not-for-profit organizations. Upon graduation, the entrepreneurs receive formal certification from The Schulich School of Business (York University) and YEDI.[3] The accelerator programs also assist high potential start-ups with securing funding.[4]
YEDI holds events aimed at creating connections between members from different industry sectors.[5] Start-ups and entrepreneurs use the YEDI spaces during their start-up programs to make prototypes and have a co-working space located within facilities of York University and YEDI's partners.[6]
Awards
editIn 2016, Marat Ressin, president and founder of YEDI, received an award for Excellence in Innovation.[7][8]
In 2017, YEDI was named a Designated Business Incubator for the Canadian government's Start-Up Visa Program.[9][10]
In 2018, YEDI was ranked the No. 1 University-Linked Business Accelerator in the World by UBI Global, a Swedish data and advisory firm.[11][12][13]
In 2019, the company was recognized as the "Best Business Support Organization in Canada" at the CanadianSME Awards.[14]
Partnerships and events
editYEDI is a general partner of Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.[15] In March 2016, YEDI partnered with Israeli Ariel University to share its methodology with students through an intensive two-week business acceleration program that was launched for the first time on August 7, 2016.[16][17] In 2018, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics opened the Joint Department of International Finance and Economics of Small Business Development with YEDI.[18] In 2020, YEDI brought its International Program to Kazakhstan in partnership with Suleyman Demirel University.[19]
References
edit- ^ "York Entrepreneurship Development Institute Accelerator". StartUp HERE Toronto. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "TWO YEARS IN, ONTARIO BUSINESS ACCELERATOR SEEN AS A WORLD LEADER". Canadian Jewish News (CJN). November 27, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "About Us". YEDI: York Entrepreneurship Development Institute.
- ^ "Eligibility criteria". YEDI VC Fund. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "YEDI Opens Not-for-Profit Applications and Holds Social Media Marketing Workshop Event". StartUp HERE Toronto. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "York Entrepreneurship Development Institute launches 80,000 sq ft. Business Acceleration Campus". Cision Canada.
- ^ "Dr. Marat Ressin at pioneersforchange.ca". Archived from the original on August 8, 2016.
- ^ "YEDI president receives Pioneer of Change award". Schulich School of Business York University.
- ^ "YEDI now a designated business incubator for Start-Up Visa Program". Schulich School of Business York University.
- ^ "List of designated organizations – start up visa, Business incubators". Government of Canada's digital presence.
- ^ "Ryerson, U of T, York startup launchpads ranked among top university business incubators, accelerators". CBC/Radio-Canada. February 25, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ "Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving at Canada's postsecondary campuses". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "CANADIAN BUSINESS ACCELERATOR LAUDED AS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD". Canadian Jewish News.
- ^ "Winners 2019 – CanadianSME National Business Awards". Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ "Meet Our Members". Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. pp. search by YEDI keyword.
- ^ "Sharing Innovation: Renowned Canadian accelerator graduates first cohort at Ariel University". The Times of Israel. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "Ariel University's Summer Business School (AUSBS) program". Ariel University.
- ^ "Academic Department of Global Finance and Small Business Development by York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (Canada)". Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
- ^ "YEDI, top ranked university business accelerator from Canada, held intensive business course in Almaty". www.forbes.kz. February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.