N.S. firms set up shop in Silicon Valley
By BRETT BUNDALE Business Reporter
Wed, Oct 5 – 4:53 AM
Two Nova Scotia technology firms now share a zip code with venture capital heavy hitters such as
Google, Apple and Facebook.
Green Power Labs Inc. and SheepDogInc.ca have set up satellite offices in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley with the help of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
The firms are given access to free office space, a golden Rolodex of contacts and strategic coaching to help them become successful on the world stage.
“This positions us as a company with feet under a desk in California,” said Marlene Moore, vice-president of marketing and public relations for Green Power Labs, part of the Environmental Business Cluster program.
The Dartmouth-based firm specializes in solar resource mapping, monitoring and forecasting — services in high-demand in sunny California, where 33 per cent of electricity is set to come from renewable sources such as solar power by 2020.
Nearly a quarter of Green Power Labs’ business is already based in the state, but Moore said having an employee in San Jose opens up doors to new customers, investors and ideas.
“People like to meet face to face,” she said, adding that sharing a strip of coveted real estate with firms such as IBM, eBay and Cisco can be inspiring for entrepreneurs looking for new ideas and opportunities.
Mark Long, an application developer with Halifax-based SheepDog, is now based in San Francisco through the Canadian Technology Accelerator program.
While video conferencing and phone calls can be useful, Long said “it’s still important to meet people and shake their hand.”
“Silicon Valley is incredibly connected when it comes to technology, but it doesn’t replace meeting face to face. When you’re here, you run into key industry players at events and product launches and it opens a lot of doors for you.”
When he is not hobnobbing with the elite of the technology world, Long is working overtime at his California office.
“It’s a huge shared work spaced with about 15 other startups. I’m surrounded all day with about 30 other like-minded people in their 20s and 30s all working on the leading edge of technology. You can tell from the atmosphere people get things done and it inspires you to work harder and take your company to the next level.”
J. Curry, manager of technology investments with ACOA, said inspiring Nova Scotia firms to reach to the next level is exactly why the regional economic development agency is investing in local startups.
“There is no substitute for being there in person. These people work incredibly long and quirky hours and it’s good to be surrounded by people working just as hard in the same field. The real value in this program is about the networking and mentorship.”
The cost of setting up one company in Silicon Valley for about four months is roughly $2,500, Curry said. The overall cost of the project was $120,000, of which ACOA paid $20,000, he said.
