Budding young entrepreneurs will be on hand at Nanaimo North Town Centre in April, part of an expanded Kidovate program from University of Victoria business professors. (Image Credit: Kidovate)

By Alex Rawnsley

business start ups

Victoria-based entrepreneur fair expanding to host Nanaimo market day

Feb 28, 2026 | 5:54 AM

NANAIMO — Inspiring the next generation of small business owners and entrepreneurs is the goal of a Victoria-based event’s expansion into the mid-Island.

After six years of success in Victoria, Kidovate, run by a pair of University of Victoria professors, is making contact with central and north Island budding entrepreneurs to host a market day at Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 18, which is open to the public.

Co-founder Brock Smith told NanaimoNewsNOW connecting with youth in grades six to 12 is key as it provides them a massive leg up on their business endeavours post-high school.

“We’ve learned the earlier that happens, the more likely you are to be an entrepreneur, and the more likely you are to be a successful entrepreneur. That was kind of the impetus for figuring out how can we drive more entrepreneurship, into the high school and middle school arena.”

Kidovate has grown from 26 entries in its first year to around 230 stalls set up at Victoria’s Bay Centre in 2025.

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Participants can register for free and receive a graphic novel-style workbook on business startups, and mentorship from students at UVic’s Gustavson School of Business.

They also receive a free table at the market day on April 18th where they can sell their products they’ve made or obtained.

Youth participating keep all the money they make through sales, but are encouraged to make a donation of partial proceeds to a non-profit of their choice.

In past years, some tables have generated well over $1,000 in sales.

A wide array of products are offered in any given year as the event as grown in Victoria. (Image Credit: Kidovate)

The entire process is designed to be a learning experience about crafting or marketing a product then preparing to sell it to a customer base.

“What do I sell? Do I get a partner or two to help me? How do I think about pricing? How do I think about merchandising, those types of issues?,” Brock said. “There is a little bit of a discussion there around who’s the customer and what might those people want from the young entrepreneur.”

Co-founder Claudia Smith said they’ve seen a lot of familiar faces over the years in Victoria, with over half of students in any given year having gone through the program before.

“We know entrepreneurs, they learn, iterate, redo, learn, iterate, do, and we think that the Kidovate experience is giving them an opportunity to do the exact same process an entrepreneur does. They see, they learn, they get feedback from their customers, and they make changes for the following year.”

Products on offer in Nanaimo in April are likely to include clothing, jewelry, seedlings, knitted items, as well as 3D printed toys and more.

“We are never completely prepared for the variety of products that show up on Kidovate market day,” Claudia added. “The students are so absolutely creative, and they bring their own interests and personality to what they bring in for sale.”

Both Brock and Claudia noted the items don’t have to be handmade, and several students in years past have sourced an inventory of a particular product and built their business around selling and marketing those items instead.

Financial support for the program comes from Community Futures Alberni-Clayoquot, who selected Nanaimo as a central location for all Island students north of the Malahat.

More information on Kidovate, including registration details for April’s market day is available through their website.

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