“You can’t overstate the importance of these face-to-face meetings, which have helped us make key connections and enhance our province’s business reputation in one of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets,” the Premier said. “Ontario and Prince Edward Island made history by joining forces on this mission and I thank Premier Kathleen Wynne and her delegation for their partnership and friendship.”

Yesterday and today, Startup Square and TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) – two Indian firms focused on promoting entrepreneurship – signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with LaunchPad PEI to work together to identify opportunities for companies to open their doors in Prince Edward Island and India. In addition, the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) signed a MOU with Uttaranchal University to coordinate engineering and science exchanges for faculty and research.

These build on the partnerships made earlier this week, when MOUs were signed with software company Aark Infosoft – which plans to open its first North American office in Prince Edward Island – and with Canadian Nectar Products to export apples to Indian markets from its Island orchards. The University of Prince Edward Island signed MOUs with Chitkara University and the Pubjab Agricultural University for exchanges of faculty, students, and research and programs.

The Premier met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Chief Ministers and key ministers in the national capital and the states of Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Telangana to discuss cooperation in clean energy, fisheries and aquaculture, and sustainable food and agriculture. Economic Development and Tourism Minister Heath MacDonald also held business meetings in Bangalore.

In addition to UPEI, representatives from Island businesses Aspin Kemp and Associates, Coles Associates, and Portsmouth Atlantic joined the Premier and Minister MacDonald on the mission. They conducted partnering meetings with Indian companies and institutions involved with renewable energy, sustainable development, food products, and post-secondary education.

“This mission proved very successful in helping to advance business development in our water purification systems and military-grade air filters, both with India and with our colleagues from Ontario,” said Allan Dale, chief operating officer with Portsmouth Atlantic. “Led by our Premier, the triad of government, industry and academia showed our friends in India that PEI is agile, adaptable, and open for business.”

Besides helping to explore new business investment, the mission is also focused on confirming recent investments by India in Island business. The province conducts ongoing activities to promote its goods, services, and expertise in India and other emerging markets.

“Our company has benefitted from exporting design services for the past three decades, in part by participating in trade missions like this one,” said Douglas Coles, vice president of Coles Associates. “This mission has provided the most energetic engagement yet from Indian firms eager to partner with us, and it has generated a great deal of excitement back home in PEI.”

Backgrounder

LaunchPad PEI is a non-profit organization started by Innovation PEI that has been providing assistance and support to technology start-ups on Prince Edward Island for more than 10 years. It is built on a foundation of past success and supported by a a private-sector advisory committee. LaunchPad PEI provides support services in a professional working environment for new companies in Prince Edward to survive and grow, making it an excellent choice for newcomers to Canada. Applicants must be willing to live in Prince Edward Island and work in designated facilities managed by LaunchPad PEI for the first year of operation. www.launchpadpei.com.

Canada’s Start-Up Visa program is intended to attract foreign entrepreneurs who wish to establish new, high-growth businesses in Canada. To be eligible, entrepreneurs must be accepted into a program offered by a designated Canadian business incubator or accelerator (such as LaunchPad PEI, above) www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/start-up.

Startup Square partners with organizations for all their business needs. They help early-stage entrepreneurs to focus their energies towards their ideas and bringing them to life. Founded in Bangalore, they are a full service company committed to lasting business relationships believing in integrity, quality, and excellence in client service and support. It provides focused and honest services allowing customers to leverage on our strength to achieve leadership in their business and enable us to be one of the most sought and preferred service companies. StartupSquare also connects people within its peer network for building professional relations.

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. There are currently 11,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 60 chapters across 17 countries. TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs. tie.org.

Uttaranchal University is one of the leading educational hubs of India with top quality institutes in the fields of Law, Engineering, Business Studies, Management and Information Technology. There are more than 5000 students currently enrolled at Uttaranchal University in a wide variety of study programs at the undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral level, along with a number of diploma programs. https://uttaranchaluniversity.ac.in.