What IGNITE does

Ignite is a Fredericton, New Brunswick-based regional economic development agency founded in 1998 that supports entrepreneurs, existing business owners, job seekers, and newcomers to Canada across the Capital Region (RSC 11, 13 entities) and Western New Brunswick (RSC 12, 7 entities). The organization delivers a portfolio of free programs covering the full business lifecycle, including Business Basics (information sessions), Marketing Basics and Sales Essentials (workshops and 5-week sales cohorts), Planning for Growth (business plan support), Business Immigrant Essentials, the award-winning Economic Empowerment Program for immigrant women, the Connector Program for internationally educated professionals, and the MERGE Program linking startups with municipal innovation opportunities. Ignite also operates the Impact Loan Program for seed-capital access and serves as the institutional anchor for the Planet Hatch incubator and co-working space and the Capital Region Integration Network.

Ignite does not develop or sell technology products; its "platform" is a programmatic service stack delivered through direct coaching, workshops, events (including the annual Ignite Summit and quarterly job fairs), and digital channels such as its website, newsletter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Eventbrite, and the "Locked on Local" podcast. The technology stack per the input is non-proprietary (no API, no SDK, no proprietary models).

The business model is grant-funded, not transactional. All services to entrepreneurs, newcomers, and SMBs are provided at no charge, and operating capacity is sustained primarily through government appropriations — chiefly the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), which has committed over CAD $1 million to the Impact Loan Program (2024), CAD $294,250 to the MERGE Program (2025), and CAD $383,241 in a 2026 grant. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, reaching customers through in-region programming, ecosystem partnerships (IBM SkillsBuild/McKenna Institute, Planet Hatch, CRIN), and the federal Startup Visa Program. CEO Sarah Corey Hollohan leads a management team that includes Director of Workforce Development Nausheen Ali and Manager of Workforce Integration & Retention Doyin Somorin, supported by a broader staff of 1,001–5,000 per firmographic data.

Name

IGNITE

Legal name

Ignite

Website

https://myignite.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ignite is a Fredericton-based regional economic development agency, founded in 1998, that delivers free business coaching, workforce development, and newcomer integration programs to entrepreneurs, SMBs, and immigrants across New Brunswick's Capital Region and Western New Brunswick.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Regional economic development
• Business coaching services
• Workforce development programs
• Newcomer integration support
• Entrepreneur support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericton

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Ignite is a regional economic development agency funded through municipal government and federal/provincial economic development programs. The organization provides free services to entrepreneurs, job seekers, and businesses in the Capital Region of New Brunswick.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IGNITE is a regional economic development agency offering free programs and services to entrepreneurs, business owners, job seekers, and newcomers in the Capital Region and Western New Brunswick. Its portfolio includes startup information sessions, marketing and sales workshops, growth planning programs, newcomer business and integration programs, professional networking, and seed capital loans, supported by an incubator/co-working space operated through Planet Hatch.

Product overview

Ignite is an economic development agency for the Capital and Western New Brunswick regions, not a traditional technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of business support programs and services organized around workforce development, entrepreneurial support, and newcomer integration. Key programs include Business Basics (startup information sessions), Marketing Basics (marketing foundation workshops), Sales Essentials (5-week sales training cohort), Planning for Growth (business plan development), and the Business Immigrant Essentials program. Additional services include the award-winning Economic Empowerment Program for immigrant women, the Ignite Connector Program for professional networking, the MERGE Program for municipal innovation, and the Impact Loan Program for seed capital funding. Ignite also supports Planet Hatch, an incubator and co-working space partner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Planet Hatch: Incubator, co-working space and entrepreneurial hub located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, operated with support from Ignite.
• Capital Region Integration Network (CRIN)
• Economic Empowerment Program
• Business Immigrant Essentials (BIE)
• Connector Program
• MERGE Program

Products and services

• Business Basics Hour-long information session for individuals interested in starting a business, covering business ideas, validation, planning, registration, funding options, and ecosystem resources. Offered twice monthly virtually.
• Marketing Basics Two-hour workshop for individuals and small business owners with limited marketing training to build practical marketing foundations, covering goal-setting, target audience identification, and marketing channels.
• Sales Essentials: Leads to Loyalty Five-week cohort-style program at Planet Hatch providing advanced sales strategies and marketing tools, including brand strategy, sales pipeline stages, automation, pipeline filling, sales process, customer retention, and analytics.
• Planning for Growth Two-hour workshop designed to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in crafting and refining business plans to pursue funding opportunities for growth and expansion.
• Business Immigrant Essentials (BIE) Program designed to give newcomers confidence in navigating starting a business in Canada, providing business skills to launch, grow, and accelerate time to market while building networks with shared experiences.
• Economic Empowerment Program (EEP) Award-winning 8-week program for immigrant women offered twice yearly (in-person Spring cohort and virtual Fall cohort), providing soft skills, communication, personal development, mental health, financial literacy, branding, networking, and career preparation.
• Ignite Connector Program Intentional networking initiative for internationally educated professionals and recent graduates that matches them with industry leaders to expand professional networks and create ties to the local community.
• Planet Hatch (Incubator, Co-working Space & Entrepreneurial Hub) Incubator, co-working space, and entrepreneurial hub located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, providing physical space, networking opportunities, and resources for entrepreneurs and start-ups in all sectors to start, connect, and thrive.
• MERGE Program Program connecting startups with municipal innovation opportunities, launched with $294,250 in ACOA funding. Part of the Planet Hatch ecosystem.
• Impact Loan Program (ILP) Loan program providing seed capital funding to entrepreneurs and small business owners to start or expand local businesses in Atlantic Canada. Supported by over $1 million in ACOA funding.

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Planet HatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanet Hatch is Ignite's incubator, co-working space and entrepreneurial hub located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. With support from Ignite, Planet Hatch provides physical space, networking opportunities, and resources for entrepreneurs and start-ups in all sectors to start, connect, and thrive. Celebrated 10 years of innovation in 2024.
• Capital Region Integration Network (CRIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacilitated through Ignite, the Capital Region Integration Network engages stakeholders and community partners to increase awareness, strengthen capacity, and foster collaboration to better meet the needs of newcomers.
• IBM SkillsBuild / The McKenna InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn collaboration with IBM and Ignite, The McKenna Institute offers a free educational platform for developing skills in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. IBM SkillsBuild allows professionals to improve and perfect their skills through online courses to remain competitive in a constantly evolving workforce.
• Government of Canada (Startup Visa Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIgnite, through Planet Hatch, connects immigrant entrepreneurs with the Startup Visa Program which provides support for bringing innovative businesses to Canada.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Futurpreneur Canada: National non-profit supporting young entrepreneurs (ages 18-39) with financing, mentorship, and resources. Comparable mission around entrepreneur development and similar public-funding-based revenue model.
• Halifax Partnership: Regional economic development organization serving the Halifax region. Directly comparable to Ignite as a municipally-supported agency driving business growth, talent attraction, and newcomer integration in an Atlantic Canadian city.
• Propel ICT: Atlantic Canada startup accelerator supporting early-stage tech companies with mentorship and capital-readiness programming. Operates in the same regional ecosystem and serves a similar founder segment as Ignite.
• Community Futures Network of Canada: National network of 267 Community Futures offices delivering business counseling, loans, and rural economic development services. Highly comparable business model and target segment (rural and small-town entrepreneurs) to Ignite.
• Startup Canada: National non-profit supporting Canadian entrepreneurs through programming, resources, and policy advocacy. Comparable mission to Ignite's entrepreneur support mandate, though operating at national rather than regional scope.
• Volta: Halifax-based innovation hub offering co-working, programming, and ecosystem connections for startups. Comparable co-working/incubator model to Ignite's Planet Hatch sub-brand.
• CBDC (Community Business Development Corporation): Network of CBDCs across New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada providing loans and advisory services to small businesses. Closely comparable mission and program structure to Ignite's Impact Loan Program.

Broad incumbents

• BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada): Canada's federal business development bank offering financing, advisory, and growth services to SMBs. Broader mandate and larger scale than Ignite, but overlapping on small business support and capital access.

Regional players

• Saint John Region — Opportunities New Brunswick: Provincial economic development agency supporting business growth and immigration attraction in New Brunswick. Comparable mandate but province-wide and competing with Ignite for the same provincial and federal funding pool.
• Greater Moncton LEADS: Regional economic development agency serving Greater Moncton, New Brunswick. Operates a similar model of business retention, attraction, and workforce development but in a neighbouring region rather than competing with Ignite directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MyIgniteNB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/my-ignite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 IGNITE