Since we started, Autovance has always been based in Lethbridge, Alberta. In September of this year, we moved our company to a new facility: tecconnect.
tecconnect is a commercialization centre in Lethbridge that connects people, businesses, and ideas within the technology sector, and provides a home for burgeoning startups and entrepreneurs like us. So what’s it like to work inside Southern Alberta’s most awesome tech incubator? Let’s find out!
Facts & Figures
Year constructed: 2011
Facility size: 10,000 sq. ft.
Number of clients: 9 current tenants, plus 3 “graduate” companies
Number of plants inside the building: 23
Number of paperclips it would take to surround the building: 3500
Number of startups whose name rhymes with “Autovance”: 1
Located in North Lethbridge, right next door to Lethbridge’s largest Tier-3 datacenter, tecconnect is currently home to nine startups including us: it was founded in 2011 and has been very well-received among Lethbridge’s growing entrepreneur community.
The rooms in the facility are all fitted with modern furniture and vivid colours that make them much more lively than the traditional beige walls of office buildings. As tecconnect clients, we have access to all of the facilities, including a full conference room with projectors, a kitchen, meeting rooms, and even showers (very handy for those of us who bike to work!).
The large conference room even expands into the adjacent lunch area to accommodate large events like the annual “Tec and Mingle” where tecconnect clients and associated service providers can network with each other and with students in Southern Alberta.
Outside of the conference rooms, sharing a single office gives us the opportunity to get to know one another better and bond as a team over our quirks: there’s no better way to discover someone’s true personality than by working right beside them! Being just a shoulder tap away from each other means we’re always on the same page, and gives us the chance to share our accomplishments (and at times, our frustrations) with each other the moment they happen.
Of course, to keep the team happy and productive, we maintain a fully-stocked snack cabinet that can cater to any diet: need an afternoon protein boost? Check out the trail mix. Want to code at the speed of light? Hit up the premium green tea first thing in the morning. Feeling indulgent? We’ve got chocolate pretzels and jujubes that will do the trick!
Being at tecconnect not only has its perks, but it has also helped open up many doors for our business: it’s allowed us to network directly with other industry professionals, and service providers to grow our business.
In the end, tecconnect’s vice president, Renae Barlow said it best: “Autovance is a progressive tech company, and has seen impressive growth since entering our incubator: their team has taken full advantage of the service providers we have connected them with, and I look forward to watching and helping them grow even further in the coming months”. We’re proud to be a part of the blossoming Southern Alberta tech scene, and grateful to be a member of the tecconnect family!
Follow @autovance and @tecconnect on Twitter to keep up with all of our developments!
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