Sprouter's demise a blow to startup community

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Sprouter reaches the end of the road

Twitter was buzzing this morning with the unfortunate news that Sprouter.com will close its doors on Aug. 2.

"We're devastated to have to shut down the service but unfortunately, due to capital constraints, we've simply run out of options," staff posted on a blog on Tuesday. "It has been an incredible journey and we're heartbroken not to be able to continue on."

It's a significant loss to the startup community, having provided expert advice and networking opportunities for owners and their companies in a critical stage of development. Founder Sarah Prevette was a hugely visible presence on the speaker circuit and on the media scene, which made the announcement that much more shocking.

What will happen to the site going forward is unknown, but Sprouter is "exploring options" for its content. Let's hope it finds a good home.

There was a lot of heartfelt reaction to the news. Here's a sample of a few comments from the blog post:

• "It is such a shame. I've gain(ed) so much knowledge from Sprouter, and as I'm developing my music startup, I was hoping to dive even further into Sprouter's repository of knowledge in the months ahead."
• "Very sad to see this happen, your team is amazing and I'll miss the service as I've gotten lots of value out of the professional's answers. RIP Sprouter, I'll miss you and so will startups across the world!"
• "I'd like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of your being a female-led company. Except for marketing, the startup world is heavily male-dominated, and for me Sprouter was a very welcome change."

MaRS shoots for the moon

Toronto's MaRS Discovery District on Tuesday announced that its Phase 2 construction is back on, and it is expected to be completed in September, 2013. The organization is one of fourteen research-and-innovation centres across Ontario designed to help technology and social entrepreneurs commercialize their ideas. The new 20-storey centre, described in a press release as "a substantial expansion of the facility," will increase the capacity of MaRS in its role as an innovation engine, and its goal to help create jobs in the new economy.The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research will move into the new facility upon completion, as will Public Health Ontario, which is involved in public health research and policy. The current MaRS centre is at full occupancy.

Entrepreneurese 101

Stephanie Kaplan, CEO of U.S.-based Her Campus, has written an intriguing item for Huffington Post on "the secret language of entrepreneurs," which she refers to as Entreprenerese 101. "With just some quick vocab tweaks, you can go from entrepreneur-wannabe to the next Silicon Valley big shot - or at least sound like it," she says, before going on to list about 40 phrases and their true meaning, including "it's a really crowded space," "we'll consider this for coverage," "our web team is slammed right now," and my personal favourite: "We're interested in acquiring you," defined as "we want to take advantage of you and screw you over."

EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Free trade with Columbia starts soon

A free trade agreement between Canada and Columbia that was passed in June, 2010, takes effect on Aug. 15, 2011. So what does this mean for Canadian businesses, Small Business BC asks? For starters, it says, it will provide "greater market access for Canadian exporters of products such as wheat, pulses, barley, paper products, and heavy equipment. In addition, the agreement will provide greater stability and protection for Canadian businesses involved in oil and gas, mining, manufacturing, and financial services." Read more here.

Calling all Alberta small-business owners

Alberta Venture, in partnership with ATB Financial, will in October be reporting on issues facing entrepreneurs in its annual Small Business Report. It is asking the province's owners to share concerns, hopes and challenges in an online survey that will help shape editorial content. The organization will also conduct follow-up interviews with some of the respondents for additional comment. The survey is open to owners of companies with annual revenues between $30,000 and $5 million a year, and they have until midnight on Aug. 13 to participate.

EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS

Lessons from the Tour de France

Australian cyclist Cadel Evans finally won the Tour de France, after two second-place finishes and 10 years of trying to win the grand tour. Columnist John Warrilow says the 34-year-old is far from the most stylish cyclist - some of the French media claim he lacks "panache" - but his story has captured the imagination of even the most casual cycling fans. With that in mind, he came up with a list of hidden business lessons to be uncovered from the win.

FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES

Lessons from Douglas Coupland

Sculptor, painter, screenwriter, designer of a Roots clothing line - the industrious Douglas Coupland is all of them, to a high standard. For two decades, he's managed to extend his offerings in many directions without diluting the Coupland brand. How does Mr. Coupland do it, we asked back in November, 2010? And what can businesses learn from this accomplishment?

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