Venture Kamloops

What Venture Kamloops does

Venture Kamloops is a privately held economic development organization headquartered in Kamloops, British Columbia, founded to deliver business support services to local entrepreneurs, employers, and investors. Funded primarily by the City of Kamloops (~$774,928 of ~$822,827 total 2025 revenue), it operates a portfolio of programs — VK Accelerate (startup acceleration), VK Pivot+ (business adaptation), VK Workforce Development (talent recruitment via IRCC and WorkBC partnerships), VK Venture Advisors (mentorship panels), VK Inside Track (real estate developer orientations), and VK Takeover (social media promotion) — all delivered free of charge to end users.

Its technology backbone is the CityViz Economic Development Data Platform, operated through a partnership with Ruby Industries Inc. (CityViz) at data.venturekamloops.com. CityViz aggregates Statistics Canada, BC Stats, and local data into interactive dashboards, maps, and a Report Studio that generates PDF, Word, and PowerPoint outputs on Kamloops demographics, employment, real estate, and business counts. A free Business Valuation Calculator (asset-based, market-based, DCF methods) supplements the platform as a self-serve succession-planning tool.

The business model is public-good funded: there is no commercial pricing, all services are free, and revenue is captured by City of Kamloops municipal contributions supplemented by minor provincial/federal grants, in-kind donations, and interest. Customers include four named segments — early-stage entrepreneurs, established local businesses, employers seeking workforce solutions, and external investors/developers — with a small (1–10) team led by Executive Director Jim Anderson and Board President Maeghan Summers (2025). Distribution is primarily direct advisory (one-on-one consultations, program delivery) plus the self-serve CityViz portal, with demand generated through community events, BIAs (NSBIA, KCBIA), Chamber of Commerce referrals, and a new website launched in April 2025.

Name

Venture Kamloops

Legal name

Venture Kamloops

Website

https://venturekamloops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Venture Kamloops is a privately held, publicly funded economic development organization for the City of Kamloops, BC, delivering free business advisory programs (VK Accelerate, VK Pivot+, VK Venture Advisors, VK Workforce Development, VK Inside Track, VK Takeover) and the CityViz data platform to local entrepreneurs, SMBs, employers, and developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business support programs
• Entrepreneurship advisory
• Workforce development solutions
• Small business mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamloops

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. City of Kamloops Economic Development Funding: Primary revenue stream from the City of Kamloops for economic development activities. 2023: $696,131; 2024: $759,733; 2025: $774,928.
2. Government Grants: Occasional grants from provincial and federal government programs. $13,000 in 2023, $800 in 2025.
3. In-Kind Donations: Donations in kind support operations. 2023: $42,015; 2024: $43,190; 2025: $44,490.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Venture Kamloops is the designated economic development organization for the City of Kamloops, providing free advisory services, mentorship programs, workforce development support, and economic data tools to entrepreneurs, startups, established businesses, investors, and developers. Its core offerings include flagship programs (VK Accelerate, VK Pivot+, VK Venture Advisors, VK Workforce Development, VK Inside Track, VK Takeover) and the CityViz data platform for localized economic intelligence.

Product overview

Venture Kamloops operates as an economic development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected business support programs and data tools. The core programs include VK Accelerate (business acceleration), VK Pivot+ (business adaptation), VK Workforce Development (talent recruitment), VK Venture Advisors (mentorship), VK Inside Track (real estate market intelligence), and VK Takeover (social media promotion). Supporting infrastructure includes a Business Valuation Calculator tool and the CityViz Data Platform for economic indicators and demographic data analysis, with Report Studio enabling custom report generation. The programs work together to support businesses from startup through expansion phases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VK Accelerate: Program helping creative entrepreneurs with unique products or services who are ready for their first brick and mortar space
• VK Workforce Development
• VK Inside Track
• VK Venture Advisors
• VK Takeover
• VK Pivot+
• CityViz
• VK Reports
• VK Resources

Products and services

• VK Accelerate Flagship program dedicated to finding creative entrepreneurs with unique products or services who are ready for their first brick-and-mortar space, providing hands-on guidance in business development and financial planning for Kamloops founders.
• VK Workforce Development Program designed to help Kamloops businesses recruit talent in a competitive labour market by connecting them with government and non-governmental hiring initiatives, immigration programs, and workforce training resources across all levels of expertise.
• VK Inside Track Real estate market orientation program for developers interested in capitalizing on opportunities in Kamloops' growing city, offering current market data and essential information to guide investment decisions.
• VK Venture Advisors Mentorship program that allows entrepreneurs to pitch their business idea to a panel of local business professionals and industry experts, providing guidance, support, and access to networking opportunities.
• VK Takeover Social media promotion program that aims to increase business exposure by featuring participants on Venture Kamloops' Facebook and Instagram stories.
• VK Pivot+ Program designed to support businesses as they adapt, innovate, and reposition themselves for long-term success, providing strategic guidance for responding to market changes, consumer demands, growth challenges, or succession planning.
• Business Valuation Calculator Interactive online tool that helps entrepreneurs estimate business value using three common valuation methods (asset-based, market-based, and discounted cash flow), providing instant results using industry multipliers and user-supplied financial inputs without requiring email registration.
• CityViz Data Platform Comprehensive economic development data platform providing data visualization tools for demographics, transportation, housing, business landscape, and workforce trends in Kamloops, enabling informed decision-making for businesses, investors, and the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 317 new clients served in 2025; combined economic impact of VK Accelerate and VK Pivot+ graduates was nearly $9,000,000 in 2025, projected to rise to ~$11,000,000 in 2026.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and notable.

• City of KamloopscoreOthersPrimary funder of Venture Kamloops, providing economic development funding ($774,928 in 2025). Venture Kamloops works with City Council and municipal departments (Social and Community Development) on shared priorities including physician recruitment and investment attraction. The organization provides an annual dinner meeting with City Council.
• Thompson Rivers University (TRU)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Riipen Level Up program facilitating experiential learning placements for students with local businesses. Also collaborates on research, presentations (e.g., SHAD program at TRU, July 2025), and physician recruitment addendum with the Social and Community Development Department.
• Kamloops & District Chamber of CommercekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts the annual Workforce Development Conference & Job Fair with the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. Participates in Chamber Social events, town halls on tariffs, Business Excellence Awards, and networking events. Venture Kamloops is a member of the Kamloops Business Council.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture Kamloops supports employers through IRCC's Employer Outreach Partnership, aligned with the Global Skills Strategy, helping bring international talent to Kamloops employers.
• Thompson Region Division of Family PracticenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support physician recruitment and business navigation for doctors. Introduced a Business Support Guide for Doctors in partnership with the Division to help physicians navigate the business realities of establishing a practice.
• IEC-BC (Immigration Education Consultants of BC)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture Kamloops participates in IEC-BC's Employer Feedback Forum, contributing to conversations aimed at improving workforce inclusion and strengthening pathways for integrating skilled immigrant talent in BC.
• North Shore Business Improvement Association (NSBIA)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business association partner. Venture Kamloops participates in NSBIA mixers, grand openings, and events. Desert City Games is an active NSBIA member. NSBIA Grand Opening celebrated in April 2024.
• Community Futures Thompson Country (CFTC)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in economic development. CFTC celebrated 40 years in October 2025. Venture Kamloops participates in CFTC events and presentations.
• Ruby Industries Inc. (CityViz)coreTechnology or IntegrationRuby Industries Inc., doing business as CityViz, provides and operates the CityViz Economic Development Data Platform (data.venturekamloops.com). Ruby Industries publishes the platform's data, terms of use, and privacy policy on behalf of the City of Kamloops.
• Tk'emlúps te SecwépemckeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture Kamloops maintains a delegation relationship with Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Council (kúkpi7 Rosanne Casanne), with regular meetings, joint events (e.g., An Evening with Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir & Mayor Reid Hammer-Jackson), and collaboration on economic development priorities.
• FuturpreneurnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFuturpreneur Canada (offering up to $60,000 in funding, mentorship, and business resources for young entrepreneurs aged 18-39) is listed as a funding resource for startups in the Venture Kamloops resource library. A partner roundtable was held in April 2025.
• WorkBCkeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkBC programs (Sector Labour Market Partnerships, Skills Training for Employment, Employer Training Grant) are referenced in the VK Workforce Development resource library as tools for Kamloops employers to access training and workforce solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Accelerate Okanagan: A regional innovation hub in Kelowna delivering entrepreneurship programming, mentorship, and business support across the Okanagan — directly comparable ecosystem-builder role to Venture Kamloops within adjacent BC geography.
• Small Business BC: A non-profit organization providing free one-on-one business advisory services, educational programs, and resources to BC entrepreneurs and small businesses — highly comparable advisory-led, publicly-supported model to Venture Kamloops.
• Community Futures Thompson Country: A neighboring community development corporation serving the Thompson Country region, providing small business loans, advisory services, and entrepreneurship programming to rural and small-town entrepreneurs — directly comparable mandate and service mix to Venture Kamloops.

Broad incumbents

• Calgary Economic Development: A larger municipal economic development corporation providing business attraction, expansion, and workforce services across the Calgary region — comparable economic-development mandate and publicly-funded model, but at much greater scale and resources.
• Edmonton Global: An economic development organization serving the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, offering investment attraction, talent and workforce programming, and sector development — comparable mandate, broader geographic scope, and similar municipal-funder structure.
• Vancouver Economic Commission: The City of Vancouver's economic development agency focused on business resilience, climate economy, and inclusive growth — analogous municipal-embedded economic development body operating at a metropolitan scale.
• Halifax Partnership: A public-private economic development organization for Halifax, providing business growth, talent attraction, and investment promotion services — closely aligned publicly-funded, multi-program economic development model.

Others

• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): Canada's business development bank providing financing, advisory, and research to Canadian SMBs — adjacent ecosystem player that both partners with and partially overlaps Venture Kamloops' advisory mandate to local entrepreneurs.

Emerging players

• Futurpreneur Canada: A national non-profit providing financing (up to $60,000), mentorship, and resources to young entrepreneurs aged 18–39 — overlapping entrepreneurship mandate and referral partner for Venture Kamloops, but operating at a national rather than municipal scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/venturekamloops
• Instagraminstagram.com/venturekamloops
• Xx.com/venturekamloops
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/venture-kamloops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Venture Kamloops