Kashke bademjan from Iran, puff puffs from Nigeria and lentil balls from India were just a few of the homemade dishes that filled the buffet table at Communitech during the PORCH Potluck on Thursday night.
The community event brought over 85 immigrant entrepreneurs together in Kitchener over food, shared experiences and the journey of building a business and a new life in Canada.
“This is what we’re all about,” said Neil Weitzman, who co-founded PORCH with Hunter Weitzman. “Meeting people, having fun and helping people through this crazy, confusing, challenging world. We all have ups and downs all the time, every one of us.”
Now in its second year, PORCH offers virtual meetups, in-person gatherings and an always-on online chat where newcomers can ask for advice, share successes, or just get a tip on the best local groceries.
“We’ve learned the biggest barrier to success isn’t the perfect pitch. It’s whether founders feel like they can live well. People need to take care of themselves before they can take care of their business,” said Weitzman. “Doing what Communitech and PORCH do can make a huge difference. I don’t care who you are, you can’t do it alone.”
That message resonates for Mahdi (Nick) Sabamehr, who moved to Kitchener from Iran in late 2023. His startup, MA EdTech Solutions, is building ParentZ.io, a microlearning platform to help parents understand and support their children’s emotional and mental health needs as they grow.
“I moved to Canada for this startup,” he said. “I find it very difficult to connect with society and other people as an entrepreneur, especially if you’re a newcomer. My journey so far at Communitech has been very positive. I’ve had the opportunity to meet other founders and I’ve learned a lot from them. I’m starting to develop my own network here.”
Purvish Soni, originally from India, came to Canada in 2021 after 14 years in the U.S. His move to Waterloo enabled him and his wife, who’s now running her own dental practice, to build the life and businesses they’d long dreamed of.
“I just quit my job four weeks ago to go full-time on our startup, Sensible Vascular, and the first thing we did was join the Startup Bootcamp at Communitech,” said Soni. “It helped us boost our confidence. The community, advisors and mentors have given so much support because they know how hard a journey this is.”
Soni and his co-founder, Kevin Macwan, are developing a stroke recovery solution aimed at improving outcomes for patients.
“We come from a health-care product background,” he said. “This is about helping people recover faster and better.”
For Tom Olajide, who moved to Kitchener from Nigeria in 2023, the community has helped him go from building alone to building together. His company, MissionSync, is creating a team alignment tool that helps organizations keep goals and productivity on track and avoid working in silos.
“Imagine a plane takes off from Toronto for New York but is maybe five degrees off course,” Olajide said. “It won’t land at JFK, it’ll end up in the Arctic. That’s what happens when teams drift apart.”
Olajide started working on MissionSync in early 2024 and found a community of fellow entrepreneurs in Waterloo Region.
“I feel like it’s accelerated my journey,” said Olajide. “It’s helped us validate the idea. It’s provided access to support a fantastic network of entrepreneurs, coaches and mentors.”
Several of the entrepreneurs who joined the PORCH Potluck will also be pitching at the Startup Bootcamp Founder’s Showcase at Communitech on June 18.
The event, sponsored by the City of Kitchener, got everyone in a circle to introduce themselves and share a few words about their businesses. Later, a round of social bingo encouraged everyone to meet someone new, and a few lucky winners walked away with raffle prizes.
Allison Mitchell, Program Manager, Fierce Founders at Communitech, told the crowd that the team is proud to host the potluck at the Communitech Hub and partner with PORCH to support entrepreneurs.
“Whether you’re launching your first idea, scaling up, or raising funding, we’ve been supporting entrepreneurs since 1997,” said Allison Mitchell of Communitech. “But it’s events like this, where people connect and share meals, that remind us what community really looks like.”
