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Brampton is a hotspot for major investments, innovations, and talent. Now, the Toronto Pearson’s airport authority is investing a whopping $100,000 in Brampton’s startup community.

Brampton’s startup incubator LAB B functions as a community hub where creative people, freelancers and entrepreneurs come together and innovate. Most recently, it hosted a 54-hour hackathon for young entrepreneurs and innovators called Startup Weekend to showcase their ideas for a chance to win a substantive amount of cash to push their projects forward.

Brampton’s Mayor Linda Jeffrey speaks at Startup Weekend. Photo courtesy of Mayor Jeffrey’s Twitter account.

Some innovative proposals ranged from making the ability to report potholes more efficient, providing legal services for people who receive tickets, and connecting new mothers to services to raise children. A number of major corporations were sponsoring the event, and one of them has decided to put down some long-term money for LAB B.

Hillary Marshall, VP of Stakeholder Relations for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) made the announcement before the final pitches took place at the Maple Leaf Foods headquarters in Mississauga. The airport’s community investment program will be granting LAB B with $100,000 over a two-year sponsorship to scale Zero Gravity, a technological skills development program for youth.

We’re excited to announce a $100,000 investment to @LABBrampton and the Zero Gravity Co-op program. Connecting our neighbours to opportunities for skills development means we can grow and achieve more together. #PearsonConnects pic.twitter.com/G7dC72vmXL — Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) May 6, 2018

“Brampton has become a hub for innovation and technology and LAB B is a perfect example of why,” said Marshall.

“They’re equipping students with career-transferable tech and business skills and through their youth programming. As an airport, we understand the value of investing in skills development for youth, especially when it comes to technology because it touches every aspect of our operations. We’re proud to partner with LAB B again - together, we’re helping connect our neighbours in Brampton with opportunities that provide real, measurable impact.”

Through Toronto Pearson’s previous sponsorship in 2017, students from LAB B’s Zero Gravity Co-op Program were able to use the skill sets they developed to create a tangible and sustainable product. In turn, the students were able to conceptualize and design a “Built in Brampton” campaign to generate awareness about community impact and the importance of youth initiatives.

“The partnership with Toronto Pearson International Airport’s community investment program is a fundamental aspect of our growth,” states Harpreet Singh, Co-Founder of LAB B. “This funding will allow us to successfully grow our Zero Gravity Co-op Program by providing our students with more tools and resources to help further their education.”

Mayor Jeffrey also thanked the GTAA for continuing to invest in innovation.

Thank you to the @TorontoPearson for being a part of this innovation and growth through their continued partnerships with local entrepreneurs like @LABBrampton https://t.co/tkzATeBfQ0 — Linda Jeffrey (@LindaJeffrey) May 6, 2018

See Marshall’s full remarks here:

Lab B gets funding for program from GTAA from Kantastic on Vimeo.

To learn more about LAB B’s Zero Gravity program, click here.

Cover photo courtesy of LAB B on Facebook