IDEA-Lab will work with up-and-coming innovation leaders within selected BC-based small and medium sized companies and run them through a talent incubator created within their organization. Through a practical framework, IDEA-Lab will work hand-in-hand with these companies looking to inject a continuous supply of fresh ideas and strategies that will evolve their businesses and grow revenue faster. To spark creativity, the chosen individuals will be diverse, curious, adaptable, collaborative, and growth minded. Led by Evolve Strategies Corp., in partnership with DigiBC and the YWCA Metro Vancouver, the IDEA-Lab program will:

• Help more small and medium sized companies with their innovation and diversity strategies
• Identify and recruit innovation champions in the tech sector, focusing first on mid-level leaders who by nature are curious, creative, collaborative and open-minded
• Focus on building diversity through inclusion of underrepresented groups, including Indigenous peoples, racialized Canadians and members of the LGBTQ community
• Deliver experiential, social and self-directed learning modules for innovation champions
• Support leaders in transforming procedures, products and corporate culture to drive growth beyond the pandemic

The IDEA-Lab consortium will initially produce a report that aggregates feedback from 50 or more companies to pinpoint innovation challenges to inform the longer-term focus of IDEA-Lab. The team will also develop an interactive learning component with course descriptions, lesson plans and assessment materials to enable the program to carry on with new cohorts in other industries.