About Us

The Entrepreneurship Centre is an initiative of OCRI, dedicated to helping Ottawa entrepreneurs make informed decisions about starting and growing their businesses. The Centre aims to promote Ottawa's economy, through the development of products and services that encourage entrepreneurship and support business growth. 

The Centre has a staff of dedicated business professionals, who provide advice and counsel to entrepreneurs on a variety of levels. As well, the Centre provides links to other business organizations, seminars and entrepreneurial events, online training and many other tools and resources to assist the budding entrepreneur.

A new program of the Entrepreneurship Centre, iProfit, has been designed to assist growth stage businesses reach goals and objectives through the help of selected mentors from the business community. The Centre works with each business individually in crafting a personalized mentoring program. Once business applicants are screened and accepted, a mentor  is provided to work through selected issues. A unique feature of iProfit is the online portal where mentor- business and Entrepreneurship Centre business advisor- can work and collaborate in a secure, efficient envirornment- thus saving time and creating an effective tool in moving along issues and solving critical, time sensitive concerns.

The Centre is supported by 2 main funding partners: the City of Ottawa; the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade; as well as 7 major sponsors: RBC Royal Bank;  Logan Katz LLP; Low Murchison LLP; Mediaplus Advertising; Ottawa Business Journal and Rogers Communications.

Did you know?

• The Entrepreneurship Centre responds to 12,815 enquiries from approximately 3,286 entrepreneurs each year.

• A 2009 Entrepreneurship Centre survey identified 1,413 clients that successfully started new business activities in 2008. These entrepreneurs provided more than 2,996 new jobs, over $166 million in new business investment and over $247 million in reported sales.

• Business Partners provide more than 700 hours of service annually, which is donated to the Centre. Representatives from more than 107 local professional legal and accounting firms, and from other firms with specialized knowledge to share, provide pro bono advice to clients of the Centre.

To find out more about the Centre's clients and the impact they have had on the business community, see our annual  Trends document.

Contact us at:
110 Laurier Ave. W. (City Hall)
Ground Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J1
TEL.: (613) 560-6081
FAX: (613) 560-2102

E-MAIL:

For administrative questions please click here to send us your adminsitrative enquiry. You will receive an email response within 2 business days.

Hours of Operation:

MONDAY to FRIDAY 8:30am - 4:30pm

Please Note: Consultations with Business Advisors are by appointment. Walk-in resources and general help are available during our regular business hours. For additional satellite locations, please visit our Contact Us page:

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