Because it's buzzwordy we spend a lot of time talking about incubators as the best way to mentor companies. It's true that there are some exceptionally successful tech incubators out there, but the jury is still far from in on whether the model itself is a good one. In fact, successful incubators are substantially in the minority.

Surely there must have been something else before tech incubators, right?

YES! It was BIG successful companies. They hire people young, teach them business process and give structure to their knowledge and skills, and then spit them out (generally wealthier and smarter) when they get frustrated by that structure.

That is the very successful model (HP, Hughes, and others) that built out Silicon Valley, and it's the reason why we have so many people employed in the video game industry in the GVRD.

The Vancouver Economic Development Commission has done an excellent job attracting and retaining several large tech companies to/in the region.

However, because of cost-of-living and real estate in Vancouver attracting large companies to set up shop here may start to become a losing battle against cheaper cities on the coast like Portland and Seattle.

At any rate we need to expand those efforts BC-wide and especially to regions like Kelowna and Victoria. I firmly believe it should be part of BCIC's mandate to achieve this.

here is a crazy idea for you to consider..

Pull together people and knowledge so people can review how they should a platform or use somebodies else

OR in other words practical product development for non product managers (well not yet)

WHAT IS IT?

Do a bunch of regular sessions to help startups choose what they want to build on and why?

THEMES
I want to build a web platform
I want to build a mobile app
What software should I build Front end in?
What software should I build back end in?
What are good SDKs?

What are the good ways to make money on platform?

I want to build it on Facebook
I want to build it on Goggle Apps
I want to buil it on LinkedIN
I want to build a iphone app
I want to build an android app
I build to build a social game

I want to build something for Health
I want to build something for Government

STRUCTURE

I have built it in *** - There could be a couple startups come in and do 10 mins each (Say 2 to 3 ),
Mine is absolutely better than yours - champions/vendors of a particular technology face off another and there could be a debate
New **** I have seen - (related to theme) travelling people e.g. Angels, VCs

STYLE

Stay out of detail programmer speak
Start offline and continue online
Stay in the space that both biz and tech people need to understand

WHY

There are more business people with ideas than people that build ****.
That this would be a good place for business and techs to meet.
That it is hard to find (cheaper) Techs who have built platforms before so sharing of knowledge would help them step up
Not everyone wants to read Quora or overstack
You can ask questions from there
It builds community
It also help those larger companies that what start productising some of their services

HOW

Get a partnership between the Higher Education - BCIT, SFU and UBC
Bring in Trade Associations and member organizations (Bootup, BCIC, BCITA, VEF)
Bring Tech providers
See if VFS would film it
Maybe it could be a next step from the AceTech Programme

Just an idea...