The Genesis Centre is a support network developed to help Newfoundland and Labrador knowledge-based businesses/entrepreneurs create high-growth enterprises. It provides a wide range of resources and services for its clients with a long-term goal of preparing its clients to become ”investor ready“.
Genesis offers access to:
Entrance to the Genesis Centre is a competitive process administered by a selection board of experienced business people.
The Genesis Centre will help its clients gain access to the physical, technical, and scientific resources of Memorial University, is the centre of the research and development in the province with expertise in areas such as: ice- engineering tanks, chemistry labs and computing services to the knowledge of experts. The cost of services is covered by the client, but the Centre can help clients find research financing.
Some examples of university resources which could be useful to a growing technology company:
There are many intangible benefits to be gained from becoming a client of the Genesis Centre:
Clients of the Genesis Centre are paired with world class mentors. Our mentors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with managing advanced technology industries to the table. These mentors volunteer their time, energy, and contacts to the entrepreneurs providing assistance with both personal development and business support that ranges from the strategic to the operational.
The list below contains some of the mentors that have helped Genesis Centre clients in the past.
| Dr. Darryl Fry | Former Chairman & CEO | Cytec Industries | New Jersey, USA |
| Mr. David Gill | General Manager | Terra Nova Shoes | Harbour Grace, NL |
| Mr. Dave Kelly | President | XPORT Software Solutions | Toronto, ON |
| Mr. Hubert Kelly | Vice-President | SHL Systemhouse | Brampton, ON |
| Mr. John Kelly | Partner | Reid Eddison | Ottawa, ON |
| Mr. Karl Kenny | President & CEO | Marport Canada Inc. | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Paul Martin | President & General Manager | DTM Systems Corporation | Vancouver, BC |
| Mr. Robert Percival | Former General Manager | Gyyr Intelligent Controls | Washington, USA |
| Mr. Austin Thorne | President | Bridges AGT Consulting | Ottawa, ON |
| Dr. David Ward | Deputy Director | Nevada cancer Institute | Las Vegas, USA |
| Mr. Stephen Wetmore | Former President & CEO | Aliant Inc. | St. John’s, NL |
Purpose — "Graduates of the GENESIS Centre should have functioning, useful Boards of Directors, since such a Board is an essential element for a company facing rapid growth. Some clients may already have a Board in place when accepted to the Centre, although even then it may not be fully developed. The target model is a Board which would include a number of people, both shareholders and "outside" persons, for a variety of expertise, experience and viewpoints.
An Advisory Board is a step in that direction. It should function very much like a Board of Directors, except that avoiding issues of remuneration and legal liability should allow a quicker start and a chance for the company to "grow into" a full Board by assessing who/what type of Director they need on their Board.
Roles — The Advisory Board would therefore focus on:
The entrepreneur(s) make(s) the decisions and carry out the plan.
Makeup — The Board will usually be made up of the key advisors to the company, for example, the mentor, suitable Board members recruited by the Centre on behalf of the client, with the client's input, and GENESIS Centre staff. These individuals may have a particular expertise, for example, technology or marketing, but whatever their background, they should have a good overall understanding of business.
Regular meetings of this group:
The list below contains some of the advisory board members that have helped Genesis Centre clients in the past.
Advisory Board Members| Dr. Dan Walker | President | Oceanic Consulting Corp. | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Neil Chaulk | President | ICAN Ltd. | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Todd Hiscock | President | Beaufort Solutions | St. John's, NL |
| Mr. Karl Sullivan | Vice-President | Barry Group Inc. | St. John’s, NL |
| Ms. Jackie Walsh | Corporate Lawyer | St. John’s, NL | |
| Dr. Dale Foster | Associate Professor | Memorial University | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Keith Collins | Manager | St. John’s Airport Authority | St. John’s, NL |
| Ms. Deborah Bourden | CEO | Applecore Interactive | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Sam Walters | Former Vice President | RBC | St. John’s, NL |
| Dr. Ray Gosine | Vice President Research | Memorial University | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Rex Simmonds | President | AMP Fisheries | St. John’s, NL |
| Ms. Debbie Reynolds | Biotechnology Business Consultant | St. John’s, NL | |
| Mr. John Lukins | President | Q5 Systems Ltd. | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Tony Whelan | President | ZEDD IT | St. John’s, NL |
| Mr. Randy Dawe | Owner | Randy Dawe Photography | St. John’s, NL |
One of the many functions of the Genesis Centre is to recruit consultants for clients. These consultants help the clients develop their business plans and assist with time-consuming activities such as market research and operational planning.
The Genesis Centre is headquartered in the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation on the Memorial University campus.
The Centre infrastructure below is available to all clients of the Centre.
Clients of the Genesis Centre may rent office space in the Bruneau Centre. There are six small one person offices, four medium 2-3 person offices, eight large 2-3 person offices and one extra-large 3-4 person office. (Availability varies as clients enter or graduate from the Centre).
A full range of modern business equipment is made available to clients including laptops, LCD projectors, fax machines, copiers, printers, digital cameras, scanners, CD-burners, video camera, and binding equipment.
The Genesis Centre has two fully equipped boardrooms that are available to clients without charge. These rooms have a full range of modern audio and video equipment which clients can use to convey a high level of professionalism to associates and investors alike.
The Genesis Centre is also equipped with many other amenities which improve the quality of the overall work environment. Such facilities include:
