MaRS Centre in Toronto runs a free entrepreneurship program from Sept to April called "Entrepreneurship 101" designed to teach those in the local scientific community the ins and outs of getting started with a business. Over the course of the program they cover topics ranging from how to write a business plan to protecting your intellectual property and get various prominent speakers to share their experiences as well. Classes are held 5:30pm to 6:30pm on Wednesdays, at the MaRS Centre (located in downtown Toronto).
If you are in town, this is a great opportunity to learn. It is also completely free to attend - all you gotta do is sign up and show up and by the end of it, you'd be fairly well acquainted with the tools and knowledge you need to start your own hi-tech business, which is what the government and the folks behind MaRS Center want at the end of the day. MaRS is also making available full recordings of each of its classes online, which Techvibes would be posting on a weekly basis so you can still learn from the program if distance is an issue.
As part of the lead-up to the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (YSEC) conference, held in partnership with the social innovation practice at MaRS, speakers were invited to write about mentorship for the Globe and Mail. The result? Mentorship: the good, the bad, the "just-different".