The Story Begins
Collab Space founders Emile Salem and Blair Kilrea noticed a gap in the Ottawa-Gatineau community. Below the surface of a quiet government city, many exciting, unique, and groundbreaking ideas were being conceived. Yet, the minds behind these ideas were facing a mountain of challenges to make them a reality. To make matters worse, they were facing these challenges alone. Salem and Kilrea, successful entrepreneurs and small business owners themselves, saw the need for a space where the entrepreneurial spirit could thrive. Collab Space was born—a collaborative space where businesses can learn, grow, and succeed together. A place where mentorship, networking, and practical support could allow the most innovative ideas to become business reality.
From left to right: Emile Salem – Co-Founder & Grand Poobah | Blair Kilrea – Co-Founder & Problem Solver | Mandy Echlin – Head of Social Interaction | Lindsay Casey – Chaos Coordinator | Christina Pliatsika – Space/Time Agent
More Than A Space
Collab Space is a phenomenal place to work, yes. With a number of flexible options, Collab Space is home to entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, remote workers, and more. The space is modern, professional, and high-class. Co-working hubs, private offices, a variety of high-quality meeting rooms, educational spaces, and a large event venue with a dedicated event team provide options for every type of business need.
Abundant onsite amenities—including a restaurant and even a blockchain hub—ensure that everything one could possibly need is no more than a few footsteps away. However, the true innovation of Collab Space lies in its community. We don’t simply provide our members with a place to work; Collab Space offers a wide range of tools and support to help small businesses thrive. In a landscape where many brilliant ideas lose their business legs after only a few short years, Collab Space aims to provide long-term success to the world’s future innovators.
A team of mentors and advisors, themselves leaders in the Canadian business community, provide hands-on coaching, consulting, and ongoing education. Finally, in an environment where all walks of business are welcomed, our members themselves create a vast support network. Collab Space has delivered the solution to Ottawa’s entrepreneurial needs: a one-of-a-kind business community that nurtures success.
Future Innovations
Collab Space continues every day to explore new ways to provide support for both existing and promising new businesses. We continue to enrich our education program, provide new sources of mentorship and guidance, and provide new amenities and services at our two current locations in the Ottawa area, in Nepean and Kanata. Collab Space plans to expand to more locations in the Ottawa area, and eventually scale to multiple locations across North America, fostering the entrepreneurial spirit in every place we go!
