5 Steps to Access Simcoe County's New Business Support (While You Focus on Your Business)
April 8, 2026 · Practical Tip
If you've been running your business and haven't had time to track every new program that comes through the County's economic development channels, you're normal. Most business owners we talk to are too busy running the business to also track what's new in the support ecosystem.
But two things worth knowing about just dropped — and they're both practical, both free, and both already available to you as a Simcoe County business. Here's the quick version:
What Just Changed
In March 2026, the Province of Ontario announced a $17.5M investment across nine Regional Technology Development Sites province-wide. Simcoe County got $3.7M of that, focused on Barrie, Orillia, and the surrounding area. The sites aren't incubators — they're access points to equipment, expertise, and advisory services that most small businesses couldn't afford on their own.
On top of that, Innisfil's Economic Development Office launched a free interactive Entrepreneurial Journey Map in January — a board-game-style tool that walks you from "I have an idea" through launch, growth, and scale, pointing you at the right resources at the right stage. No signup, no sales pitch. Just a map.
Neither of these is hypothetical. They're live. Here's how to actually use them.
The 5-Step Checklist
1. Figure out where you are — use the Journey Map
Go to investinnisfil.ca and search for the Entrepreneurial Journey Map. It asks you what stage you're at — dream, launch, grow, scale, exit — and then points you to the right local resources for that stage. If you've ever felt like "there are supports out there but I don't know where to start," this is the answer. It's free, it's local, and it was built specifically for Simcoe County businesses.
2. Find your first point of contact — County Economic Development
The County of Simcoe Economic Development Office is the front door for most of the new OVIN-funded programming. They won't pitch you something you don't need — their job is to match you to the right resource. A single email or phone call to them is a faster way to get oriented than Googling for an hour. They're at simcoe.ca/edo.
3. Access prototyping and testing — Georgian College CrISP Lab
The Centre of Industrial Simulation and Prototyping (CrISP) at Georgian College in Barrie is part of the new OVIN network. It's not just for tech companies or manufacturers — any business that needs to test a product idea, build a prototype, or run a simulation can access it. If you've been thinking about a physical product but didn't know where to go, this is the place to ask. The Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre there also offers free IP strategy and business model support.
4. Explore advisory and mentorship — Sandbox Centre and OVIN
Sandbox Centre in Barrie offers commercialization readiness support and mentorship for early-stage companies — not just tech, but any business with a product or service it's trying to get to market. Combined with the OVIN advisory network (which includes Honda of Canada Mfg. for supply chain and mobility-adjacent businesses), there's a surprisingly deep bench of free mentorship available right now. The key is: you have to make the first call.
5. Anchor it to a local proof point
If you're a Simcoe County business and you've been putting off looking into this stuff because it "seemed complicated" — you're not alone, and there's a reason it felt that way. As Andrew de Jong, Founder and CEO of Just Simcoe and a DMZ Innisfil graduate, put it: "The entrepreneurial journey can be a very hard landscape to navigate and can feel lonely at times. There are so many great resources out there, but until now, there hasn't been a consolidated place to find them all." That consolidated place now exists. Use it.
What You Can Do This Week
- Bookmark the Journey Map. Ten minutes on investinnisfil.ca this week will give you a better mental map of what's available in Simcoe County than most business owners have. Share it with someone you know who might need it.
- Send one email. County of Simcoe Economic Development, Georgian College's entrepreneurship centre, or Sandbox Centre — pick one, send a short note saying what you're working on and asking if their programs are a fit. You'll know within a few days.
- If you have a product idea — ask about CrISP. Georgian College's prototyping lab is one of the most underutilized assets in the County. A conversation with them costs nothing and might give you a straight answer on whether prototyping makes sense for what you're building.
Bottom Line
The support infrastructure in Simcoe County just got meaningfully better — and most of it is free to access. The hard part isn't finding it; it's knowing it exists. Forward this to a fellow business owner if you think it's useful. And if you'd like someone to walk you through what might apply to your specific situation, that's exactly what the free strategy call is for.
📞 Call or text: +1 705-444-0500
📧 Email: hello@simcoeai.com
#SimcoeCounty #OntarioBusiness #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessSupport #GeorgianCollege #Barrie #LocalBusiness #BusinessGrowth