We understand first-hand that the entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart. The challenges feel endless and it seems like you always need to outwork your competition. And because of that, success feels so much more rewarding.
LocAlley is partnering with small business owners like you to support resilience and growth in Toronto’s communities.
Our Story
LocAlley has been housed in the Social Ventures Zone incubator at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), formerly Ryerson University, as of Summer 2020. We receive strong support through the TMU Zone Learning startup ecosystem, connecting us with an abundance of people, resources and networks that are critical to startup success.
Our business development is grounded in the 100 Steps 2 Startup program, where the program is more than 50% complete to date. Our advisor in this program, Ryan Wilock, has been critical to this development. For example, he arranged to have Michelle speak at the Faculty of Entrepreneurship & Strategy Department meeting in the Ted Rogers School of Management at TMU in February 2022. This engagement opened doors and introductions to key members of the Department, including Dr. Sean Wise who founded the 100 Steps 2 Startup program!
This development is supported by the dedication and commitment of the LocAlley staff team. The Assistant to Michelle, Leena Saleh, was her music student for 10 years, currently offering music tutoring support to the Fedorowich Music Studio. Leena began her academic journey at the University of Toronto in Fall 2021. The Marketing Coordinator Lindsay Campbell is a recent graduate of TMU’s Bachelor of Commerce program. Lindsay first met Michelle in Winter 2021 through Michelle’s Project Administrator role in the Advanced Market Planning Capstone course, and they have been working together ever since. Andrew Fedorowich is Michelle’s younger brother, helping to carry on the tradition of family business of more than 100 years here in Canada. He applies his Automotive Engineering background most prominently to the development of our Community Board, as well as the team lead on Legal, HR, and Finances. The common denominator we all share is a background in competitive sports, sharing personal experience of what it means to win and lose together as a team.
Our Founder Michelle is a member of the community that LocAlley is currently serving, as a successful small business owner for 20+ years (as co-founder of the Fedorowich Music Studio). She brings a wide range of personal and professional community building experiences, through her work in education and Social Work for multiple decades (both domestically and internationally). It is through this on-going work and track record in community mobilization and development that we believe LocAlley is uniquely positioned to be successful.
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Mission and Vision
LocAlley strives to develop a web-based platform to enable small business owners within Toronto to advance their businesses by providing financial and marketing support during the COVID-19 global pandemic and beyond its recovery.
LocAlley plans to bridge connections between business owners, including those in low-income communities, across Canada to further their opportunities and grow their businesses.
LocAlley 