Venture Accelerator Partners

09/04/2026

Final reminder! Innovation Factory's Sales Bootcamp with VA Partners' very own Mark Elliott starts this coming Tuesday at 10:00 AM ET on Zoom!

With over 40 people already registered, it's shaping up to be a great group. Single sessions are available, but joining the entire 4-week series is recommended for maximum impact.

🗓️ Tuesdays | 10 AM – 12 PM on Zoom

Sept 8: Sales Planning
Sept 15: Sales Process
Sept 22: Sales Systems & Tools
Sept 29: Managing Your Sales

Note: This bootcamp is open to Innovation Factory and Regional Innovation Centre clients.

👉 Grab your spot today!

In this sales planning session, we will focus on high-level goals like revenue and the activity targets that lead to revenue.

09/02/2026

Deciding between a full-time sales rep and fractional support?

Mark Elliott breaks it down to three core variables in his latest video.

Read more about how these factors shape your hiring strategy here: https://vapartners.ca/fractional-sales-vs-full-time-sales/

08/31/2026

Question for our B2B sales and marketing network:

We recently noticed Goodfirms driving a chunk of referral traffic to our website via GA4, despite us having an unoptimized profile with zero reviews!

Now we're curious:

Are you actively collecting reviews on GoodFirms? Have you seen a real ROI or qualified leads from it, or is it just another directory on the list?

https://www.goodfirms.co/company/va-partners

08/28/2026

Can VA Partners help companies outside of Canada expand into North America?

Find out more here: https://vapartners.ca/international-sales-marketing/

08/26/2026

We’re heading to the LiONS LAIR Pitch Competition and Gala!

Nicolas, Steve, and Mark will be representing the Venture Accelerator Partners team as we celebrate the incredible innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth happening across our regional startup ecosystem.

We can’t wait to watch this year’s top finalists pitch live on stage, connect with fellow founders, and celebrate the ecosystem driven by Innovation Factory.

Do you have your tickets yet? Get all the details about the event here:

Get tickets to the 2025 LiONS LAIR gala to watch 10 entrepreneurs pitch their solutions to over 350 industry leaders from across the region.

08/24/2026

Earlier this summer, our team headed out on Lake Ontario with King Slayer Sportfishing for a day of fishing, and it turns out sales and fishing have a lot more in common than you might think!

From targeting the right ICP to having the right equipment and messaging, Mark breaks down 8 key sales takeaways inspired by our afternoon on the water.

Read the full blog post to see why sales is like fishing (and how to get more fish in the boat):

Earlier this summer the VA Partners team went fishing on Lake Ontario. Here are a few of the ways that B2B sales is just like fishing.

08/21/2026

Over 20 people have already secured their spot,will you be joining us this September?

If you missed the first announcement, there is still time to register for the upcoming 4-part Sales Bootcamp led by VA Partners’ co-founder and Innovation Factory Expert Advisor, Mark Elliott.

Whether you're pre-revenue or preparing to scale, this hands-on series covers the core foundation of a repeatable sales engine:

- Sales Planning: Revenue goals and buyer personas
- Cadence & Messaging: Outreach strategies that convert
- Tools & Systems: CRM selection and tech stack optimization
- Team & Pipeline Management: Best practices for scaling

Free for Innovation Factory clients.

Don't wait, secure your seat today:

Are you ready to take your sales game to the next level? This 4- session series of workshops was designed exclusively by Venture Accelerator Partners Inc. for…

08/19/2026

Heading into busy fall event season? Don't let your event ROI go to waste.

With after-summer conferences and trade shows lining up over the next couple of months, going to B2B events is a major investment. But here’s the reality: B2B sales cycles typically take 6 to 18+ months. If you don't have a plan before, during, and after each show, you’re leaving revenue on the table.

We're resharing this insightful piece by Steve Gruber, where he breaks down 5 practical steps to maximize your event attendance and build a stronger sales funnel:

Pre-Event Outreach: Book meetings before you arrive with targeted emails and calls.
Real-Time Lead Tracking: Capture attendee details and notes on the spot (we’ve even used real-time WhatsApp groups for this!).
Active Booth Engagement: Don’t be passive—invite passersby in and ask engaging questions.
Consistent Follow-Ups: Commit to 5–8 follow-up touches over a few months.
Post-Event Marketing: Send a recap or thank-you campaign to keep warm leads engaged.

Read Steve’s full breakdown here:

Tips for maximizing your event attendance to drive a better ROI, from pre-event outreach to building a stronger B2B sales funnel.

08/17/2026

When sales activity stalls during busy delivery cycles, pipeline risk sneaks up fast.

In a recent blog post, VA Partners Co-Founder Steve shares practical insights on why maintaining a full sales funnel isn't just about driving growth—it’s one of the most effective risk mitigation strategies for your business.

From avoiding revenue concentration to maintaining a structured outbound cadence, he breaks down actionable ways to keep your B2B pipeline predictable and evolving:

- Dedicate consistent weekly time to proactive prospecting
- Keep prospect data fresh (contact info decays 25–30% annually)
- Align compensation to reward new opportunity creation
- Build structured, multi-channel outreach cadences

Read Steve’s full post and refresh your sales strategy here:

Learn how to build a consistent B2B sales funnel and mitigate revenue risk. Practical tips on sales cadences and proactive prospecting.

08/14/2026

Hiring full-time sales reps isn’t always the fastest or most cost-effective path to growth, especially if you're testing new markets, scaling lean, or short on ramp-up time.

We put together a direct side-by-side breakdown comparing Full-Time Sales Reps vs. Fractional Sales Agents across cost, management overhead, onboarding speed, and scalability.

Check out the snapshot matrix below, then read the full comparison guide to see which model aligns with your current stage: https://vapartners.ca/fractional-sales-vs-full-time-sales/