York Entrepreneurship Development Institute

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]

York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI)
IndustryStartup accelerator, education
Founded2013; 11 years ago (2013)
FounderMarat Ressin
Headquarters,
Canada
Number of locations
4 locations (2019)
Key people
Marat Ressin, Oleg Amurjuev, Ric Phillips, Maria Konikov
Websiteyedi.ca

Overview

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York 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

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In 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

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YEDI 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

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  1. ^ "York Entrepreneurship Development Institute Accelerator". StartUp HERE Toronto. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  2. ^ "TWO YEARS IN, ONTARIO BUSINESS ACCELERATOR SEEN AS A WORLD LEADER". Canadian Jewish News (CJN). November 27, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "About Us". YEDI: York Entrepreneurship Development Institute.
  4. ^ "Eligibility criteria". YEDI VC Fund. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "YEDI Opens Not-for-Profit Applications and Holds Social Media Marketing Workshop Event". StartUp HERE Toronto. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  6. ^ "York Entrepreneurship Development Institute launches 80,000 sq ft. Business Acceleration Campus". Cision Canada.
  7. ^ "Dr. Marat Ressin at pioneersforchange.ca". Archived from the original on August 8, 2016.
  8. ^ "YEDI president receives Pioneer of Change award". Schulich School of Business York University.
  9. ^ "YEDI now a designated business incubator for Start-Up Visa Program". Schulich School of Business York University.
  10. ^ "List of designated organizations – start up visa, Business incubators". Government of Canada's digital presence.
  11. ^ "Ryerson, U of T, York startup launchpads ranked among top university business incubators, accelerators". CBC/Radio-Canada. February 25, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  12. ^ "Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving at Canada's postsecondary campuses". The Globe and Mail.
  13. ^ "CANADIAN BUSINESS ACCELERATOR LAUDED AS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD". Canadian Jewish News.
  14. ^ "Winners 2019 – CanadianSME National Business Awards". Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Meet Our Members". Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. pp. search by YEDI keyword.
  16. ^ "Sharing Innovation: Renowned Canadian accelerator graduates first cohort at Ariel University". The Times of Israel. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Ariel University's Summer Business School (AUSBS) program". Ariel University.
  18. ^ "Academic Department of Global Finance and Small Business Development by York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (Canada)". Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
  19. ^ "YEDI, top ranked university business accelerator from Canada, held intensive business course in Almaty". www.forbes.kz. February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
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