Expa Labs, the program connected to the global network of entrepreneurs, is coming to Canada.

Expa is a San Francisco-based fund started by Garret Camp, co-founder of Uber and StumbleUpon. Other partners include Naveen Selvadurai (co-founder of Foursquare), Hooman Radfar (founder of AddThis), Vitor Lourenco (Twitter, co-founder of Envoy), Roberto Sabria (Google, LinkedIn), and Milun Tesovic (founder of Metrolyrics).

Expa Labs started in the US last year, with participants in the program choosing between office space in San Francisco or New York. In addition to office space for the 6-month duration of the program, successful applicants received either $250,000 or $500,000 US in capital, and mentorship from the partners mentioned as well as the rest of the Expa staff.

For 2017 the program is retaining the same structure, but with the addition of a Vancouver office. Camp and Tesovic hail from Calgary and Vancouver respectively, and the expansion is a return to both partners’ roots.

“This year we’re opening it up to Canada as well, where preferably they would be in Vancouver for the period of the 6 months. But we’re also looking at remote options provided we find the right teams,” Tesovic told MTLinTECH.

“We are a global network of entrepreneurs. We try to empower either individuals to create new companies and we do our best to support them. Expa Labs is where we partner up with outside entrepreneurs. We give them capital, we give them office space in San Francisco, New York, and Vancouver for six months, and then we give them hands-on support.”

In addition to access to speaker series, collaboration with Expa Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and weekly strategy sessions with the Expa Labs team, upon completion of the program participants are introduced to potential investors and contacts in the Expa network.

“At the end [of the program] we introduce them to the VCs and other individuals who we feel might be a great fit for the company,” said Tesovic.

I’ve always been very impressed by the calibre of entrepreneurs I’m seeing coming out of Montreal. Because as Expa Labs grows, so will the program offering. I think that’s why it’s so great that Expa Labs is now Canada-wide.

Applications are open now through March 31st. They will be reviewed in April and final interviews will take place at the Expa labs offices between May 8-9th. Both novice and veteran entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply.

“Right now we’re still open to all industries and all applicants. Our primary focus is really trying to find the right team. Just making sure they are coachable, they are eager, that they really want to be an entrepreneur. It doesn’t matter if they’re a first time entrepreneur or a repeat entrepreneur. All of us at Expa got our roots being first time entrepreneurs at one time, and all of us wish that we had the kind of system we’ve created today back then.”

While the new office is located in Vancouver, that shouldn’t deter potential applicants in Montreal. The expansion is intended to encourage nationwide participation.

Click here to apply to the program before March 31st.