Venture for Canada Founder to serve as Senior Advisor, helping drive growth and capacity
TORONTO, ON – Shorefast, a Canadian registered charity pioneering place-based economic development, today announced that Scott Stirrett would be bringing his experience to the Shorefast Institute in a Senior Advisor capacity.
As Canada looks to new approaches to strengthen its economy, the Shorefast Institute, which launched in December, is working at the ground level to advancing place-based models of economic development, towards a more durable and prosperous future.
Stirrett brings a decade of experience building a national movement for economic opportunity. He founded Venture for Canada in 2013 and created programs that have supported over 10,000 young professionals in launching businesses and careers, while raising more than $80 million to expand entrepreneurial opportunities across the country.
Beginning February 4th, Stirrett will work with the team, lending his expertise and advising on establishing the Institute as a national leader in community economic development. He will contribute to driving the Institute’s agenda across government, business and community sectors, with key areas of responsibilities including:
- Building the Institute’s financial capacity through fundraising and strategic partnerships
- Scaling the Institute’s impact by advancing policy and advocacy initiatives
- Developing community finance mechanisms to support local start-ups and businesses
“Scott brings a wealth of relevant experience working with diverse stakeholders at every level. And the work of the Shorefast Institute is about building a working framework across governments, markets and communities of all sizes.” said Zita Cobb, Founder and CEO of Shorefast. “His proven track record in establishing collaborative processes and structures makes him exceptionally well-suited to advance our mission.”
“The Shorefast Institute’s vision to harness local community assets and bring regenerative prosperity to more Canadians is exactly the kind of innovative approach our country needs right now,” said Stirrett. “I’m excited to contribute to this important work.”
Prior to founding Venture for Canada, Stirrett worked at Goldman Sachs in New York City. A graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, he has been recognized as a TELUS LGBTQ Innovator of the Year, a Young Impact Leader by Future of Good, a Globe and Mail Changemaker, an Action Canada Fellow and an Ashoka Fellow. Growing up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, shaped his understanding of community and opportunity.
Learn more at institute.shorefast.org
Watch the video: shorefast.org/work/the-shorefast-institute/
About Shorefast
Shorefast is a Canadian registered charity forging new pathways at the intersection of economic development, business, art and philanthropy. Its initiatives include the Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Arts, the Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies and programs focused on food systems, environment, culture and heritage. Through its work on Fogo Island, NL and beyond, Shorefast builds, learns and shares economic development practices that activate the intrinsic assets of communities toward a vision of prosperous economies that serve people, nature and culture in more places.
Visit shorefast.org
Media contact:
Sorya Gaulin
Chief Marketing Officer, Shorefast
press@shorefast.org
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