News & Notices

Congratulations local entrepreneur Brandon Houston of Switch Video

Posted: August 23, 2016

Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship and Expanding Markets

Local entrepreneur Brandon Houston who operates Switch Video from it's downtown Collingwood office will be travelling abroad to push for change in government to support young entrepreneurs in Canada while also looking to expand Switch's reach into even more global markets.

Brandon will be flying to Shanghai and Beijing to attend the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance Summit as part of a Canadian delegation representing youth entrepreneurship being led by Futurpreneur.  Brandon was one of 35 Canadian entrepreneurs selected by Futurpreneur to represent Canada at the 2016 Summit where hundreds of world's top young entrepreneurs will be meeting to share ideas with the B20 and G20 leaders to catalyze global change.

"I'm honoured to have been chosen as a delegate to represent Canada.  My goal while over there is to share ideas on how to better support youth entrepreneurship in Canada and abroad.  The trip also gives Switch the chance to grow its client base.  We've worked in 15 countries and 10 languages so far.  With the chance to connect with business leaders from the G20 countries, this will open the door to even more business."

In coordination with the G20 YEA, the team at Switch Video is also producing a video that will be used as a communication tool for the Summit and for use by the G20 YEA and delegates.

The work doesn't stop after the Summit either.

"When I return from China I will be part of ongoing policy development and will be taking part in speaking engagements with plans to visit local schools, startups, the Chamber of Commerce, and local governments."

Brandon's experience speaking to other global business leaders will also be used to support entrepreneurs in Collingwood.  Switch Video decided this year to turn some of it's office space into coworking community with a goal to create an innovation hub to help foster local entrepreneurship.  While it hasn't had it's official grand opening yet, it's already home to several entrepreneurs in the tech, creative, and event industries. 

"Collingwood and surrounding area has the potential to develop into a great little hub for creative and tech businesses.  It offers the type of lifestyle that young entrepreneurs want while still being close to the GTA and Waterloo regions.  I would love to help foster that.  At Switch we have this beautiful space, a great boardroom, kitchen, private call rooms, and a dedicated fibre internet connection.  It only made sense to me to put something in place that supported that goal"

For more information on the G20 YEA Summit and the Canadian delegates attending:
http://www.futurepreneur.ca/en/2016/g20-yea-beijing/

The G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance (G20 YEA) is a collective of organizations across the jurisdictions of the G20 that promote youth entrepreneurship as a driver of economic renewal, job creation, innovation, and social change.  Alliance members represent more than 500,000 young entrepreneurs across the G20 governments to focus upon entrepreneurship, innovation and entrepreneurial education to address job creation and youth employment. 

Futurpreneur Canada has been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada's young enterprise for nearly two decades.  They are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39.  Their internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors. 

Switch Video is a Collingwood-based video animation company that produces simple videos that "explain what you do" in an engaging and compelling format.  Switch Video works with companies of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500, and has produced more than 1,000 videos for clients, including Facebook, IBM, HP, Bayer, and American Express, in 15 countries and 10 different languages.

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