Latest News
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Anie Rouleau (BCom ‘92) is the Founder and CEO of The Unscented Company, a sustainable woman-owned BCorp-certified business. This year, we are recognizing Rouleau’s leadership and successful journey in sustainable entrepreneurship with a Trudeau Medal.
First awarded in 1989 to recognize leading alumni, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given to an alumnus or alumna at the Telfer School of Management. The award was established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, the former director of the University of Ottawa's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965. It recognizes leadership, initiative and contributions made by an alumna or alumnus to the business world, the community and their alma mater — the definition of our longstanding relationship with Anie Rouleau.
Rouleau has set an exceptional example of what both a strong leader in sustainable entrepreneurship and an extraordinary Canadian leader at the helm of a woman-owned business can achieve — an inspiration to fellow BCom students and graduates.
Influenced by Family Values
From a very young age, entrepreneurship was an important pillar of Rouleau’s life. “One day you will have your own business,” said Anie Rouleau’s father when she was just eight years old, sitting at the dinner table.
Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, Rouleau was taught early on to have confidence: “Back then, women did not have the same access to resources and my father was aware of this. He built my character to confront that.”
In 1992, she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the Telfer School of Management and joined her family business, Hydrocom International. She went on to hold prestigious roles at Maclean Power Systems and Société de Gestion du Commensal until 2011.
At 42 years old, Anie Rouleau founded Baleco / The Unscented Company, following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of her parents. The moment in which she decided to make the leap is a reflection on her decades in the business world: “Entrepreneurship is something that’s always been on my mind growing up and in my years at Telfer. It’s at Telfer, that I had entrepreneurship courses for the first time and case competitions like Jeux de Commerce.”
Her family values first built the blueprint of her business journey to come, Rouleau shares: “My mother and father were entrepreneurs, and I saw that you could be successful in your own business and provide. For me, as a woman, when I had young children, I could see my life being better to balance as an entrepreneur.”
Taking a Risk in Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Rouleau says that entrepreneurship is a build-up — at some point, something makes you jump. To choose that path, an entrepreneur needs to be comfortable with and accept failure. She instructs us to accept ‘no’ for an answer and to not take it personally. And, perhaps most importantly, an entrepreneur needs to be able to take a risk, a financial risk.
It is safe to say the risk paid off. In 2021, The Unscented Company was named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail, reporting a 526% 3-year increase in revenue growth and $5-10M in revenue. In 2019, on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, Canadian Tire announced they would bring The Unscented Company’s sustainable products into their 500 stores across the nation. “Ten years ago, I bet on the right horse,” comments Rouleau.
The Importance of Upbringing, Education and Values
Rouleau’s contributions to the business world and professional success did not come out of thin air. For her, the formal education she received during her Bachelor of Commerce at Telfer helped in establishing her successful business. Rouleau confidently says, “It’s not even a doubt in my mind. I personally love Telfer, the accessibility to the teachers and the directors. I still see the Dean to this day and there is a sense of belonging. For me, it was a smaller university on the French side. Today as an entrepreneur, I’m very grateful to have gone through a program like that, which had classes in marketing and HR too. I was lucky I did something I studied, and it definitely helped me prepare for my career.” Rouleau’s familial entrepreneurship values and education at Telfer are two factors that contribute to The Unscented Company’s exponential success — the third is that Rouleau leads with uncompromising values that set the tone for everything. “Today, an entrepreneur needs a set of values that are about people and the planet. If a company in 5 years is not socially or environmentally responsible, transparent and inclusive, they will be old-fashioned,” says Rouleau. “Good entrepreneurs and good businesses will prevail.”
It’s this unrelenting commitment to sustainability that sets Anie Rouleau and her company apart. Believing wholeheartedly that entrepreneurs and employees have to play a role in sustainable entrepreneurship, Rouleau certified her company as a BCorp, a highly sought-after designation highlighting the social and environmental impact of a business, thus cementing these values into the business’ foundation.
Challenges are Opportunities
In an uncertain economic market, businesses have an opportunity to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to their values through sustainable entrepreneurship. With inflation and rising prices, it can be easy to choose the path of least resistance. Not for Rouleau: “When the market is shifting, it doesn’t mean you stop; you rebalance. This is who we are, we are involved in our community. Values are tested in tough times and it’s not even an option to compromise them. You just do the right thing. We support each other on the market and make it to the other side together.”
Well-Deserved Recognition
Rouleau’s familial entrepreneurship values and education at Telfer are two factors that contribute to The Unscented Company’s exponential success — the third is that Rouleau leads with uncompromising values that set the tone for everything. “Today, an entrepreneur needs a set of values that are about people and the planet. If a company in 5 years is not socially or environmentally responsible, transparent and inclusive, they will be old-fashioned,” says Rouleau. “Good entrepreneurs and good businesses will prevail.”
“I’ve made it and it’s like Oscar’s Night, I can’t believe it,” she smiles.
Learn more about Anie Rouleau’s unrelenting commitment to ecological design in our video called The Unscented Company’s Impact: Anie Rouleau’s Sustainable Empire.
- Category: Latest News
Throughout 2022 and 2023, the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI) at the Telfer School of Management and the Family Business Network (FBN) are partnering to deliver the NxG Legacy Forums — a series of eight panel discussions addressing the key questions for next generation members of business families. Topic questions for the forums have been selected from a new book, Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask, by Telfer professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau.
In career planning, it is important to know where you ultimately want to go, and the steps for how to get there – in essence, figuring out how to set yourself up for success. For next generation members who want to join the family business, however, this path is not always so clear. Every family business is different and has their own rules and processes – although sometimes these haven’t been well defined. This can lead to the question: “How can next-generation members prepare themselves in the long run before joining the family business as a manager?”
This topic was the basis for discussion at the third of eight events in the NxG Legacy Forum series. The event was moderated by Telfer’s Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau, with panellists Alexandra Heraeus of Heraeus Holding and Vincent Chian of Fairview International School, both members of enterprising families.
Starting at a Young Age
For Alexandra Heraeus, preparing to become an active member of the shareholder family started at a young age. She found herself lucky that her father involved the children in the business in different ways. “Additionally to the opportunity of doing internships, he talked about the business (at home) …and would occasionally take me for business trips to see operations in China and India,” Heraeus explained, adding that it gave her a great view especially on the values of the company.
Another key way Heraeus prepared for building her knowledge around the family business was simply through showing up. For Heraeus, this meant attending anything the shareholders had scheduled, including events and shareholder meetings. She recalled an interesting event from her past, when she was 12-years old and was disappointed to miss a friend’s party because of a shareholder meeting. But over the years, she has found it valuable to nurture a mindset of these meetings not being something to think about going to, but instead to just go. “Being there and showing the commitment,” she said, adding, “it’s the base for everything.”
An important way Vincent Chian and his siblings have prepared themselves to be leaders in the family business has been through first learning to follow. “One thing my father always said was to be a good leader, you need to be a good follower first,” he explained. One of the ways this wisdom has imparted on him and his siblings was through the family business rule that everyone joining the business starts at the bottom. For Chian, this meant starting out as a biology teacher, despite the significant psychiatry training he already had. “We all started out being teachers, no short cuts,” he said. “Everyone needs to spend a few years on the ground.”
Other family processes that helped Chian prepare for joining the family business include a policy that all members have to complete an MBA and participate in the Family Business Network (FBN). Listening was also an important element in preparation, with Chian sitting in on all leadership meetings to observe and listen. “You don’t understand how important these sessions are until 7 or 8 years later,” he added.
Learning one step at a time
As a large family business, with 200 members as shareholders, Heraeus’ family have many next generation members to potentially involve in the company. Heraeus explained that to nurture the interest and intensify family bonds, the family has developed different events and activities each with their own focus. For example, for members aged 14-25, there is a yearly event schedule for younger members which helps them better understand the inner workings of the company and what it means to be a shareholder. This involves having sessions on explaining the basics of the company in more detail, going through the technicalities of a shareholder meeting, and helping develop useful and relevant skills, such as public speaking.
In Chian’s family, the learning process for new entries to the business involved several different stages, which included being part of a small group who would work on every aspect of the company, building important management competencies. The group of seven would, “get deployed all over and thrown into the deep end on many areas,” he explained, gaining such skills as operations, finance, marketing and sales.
Another stage was being given a project to lead, however as Chian put it, “with a lot of rope.” His father would always be close to advise and give suggestions. “You could mess up,” he said. “This was where you learned about your leadership style. It prepared us to lead well.”
The art of being muddled…and other insights
Other valuable lessons and tips from both panellists were shared, such as, for Chian, having professionalism, mastering a craft, and also developing networking skills. He also added that the Mandarin saying nande hutu – or ‘the art of being muddled’ – has saved him many times. As he explained, although there is no direct English translation, it is an idea rooted in having tact and humility.
Heraeus found that breaking complex shareholder problems into smaller pieces was a great help and maintaining a belief that even the most difficult concepts can be understood through taking time to learn and ask the right questions. “You need to believe in yourself that you will tackle it,” she added.
Upcoming NxG Legacy Forums
The next NxG Legacy Forum will take place in September 2022. In the meantime, catch up with discussions from previous NxG Legacy Forums!
NxG Legacy Forum #1: “How can my siblings and I assess whether we could work constructively in the business one day?” Read more here.
To find out other ways Telfer is helping empower the next generation of business leaders, discover the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and sign up for the Institute's newsletter.
- Category: Latest News
Last month, Telfer’s Entrepreneur Club (TECDE) hosted the 31st annual Toast to Success dinner. This year’s theme focused on celebrating diversity in business, particularly marginalized entrepreneurs. The sold-out event featured a West African drummer, Black and Ukrainian artists, and a keynote address by Wes Hall, Chairman and Founder, Kingsdale Advisors, Founder of the BlackNorth Initiative, and the newest dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den.
As a keynote speaker, Wes Hall presented several key aspects of his career as well as tips for future entrepreneurs in the room. During the event, it was revealed that Hall had recently established the Wes Hall Scholarships: two full, four-year scholarships for black and indigenous Telfer Commerce students who intend to pursue a career in finance.
These unique scholarships aim to remove financial barriers to education by reducing the need for these students to seek employment throughout the school year. Recipients of the Wes Hall Scholarships will also receive mentorship to further promote student success in academics and to provide career direction and advice on extra-curricular life at Telfer, possibly by Mr. Hall himself.
In addition, at Telfer, we’re proud to announce the creation of nine equity and diversity scholarships aimed to truly make a difference in the lives of students from racialized or indigenous communities. Join Wes in promoting equity and diversity at Telfer and contributing to a Better Canada for us all.
Donate now to the Telfer Diversity and Equity Scholarships.
Relive the moments of the event with the article published by the Ottawa Business Journal at: https://bit.ly/3wbANYE.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Throughout 2022 and 2023, the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI) at the Telfer School of Management and the Family Business Network (FBN) are partnering to deliver the NxG Legacy Forums — a series of eight panel discussions addressing the key questions for next generation members of business families. Topic questions for the forums have been selected from a new book, Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask, by Telfer professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau.
The question “How can my siblings and I assess whether we could work constructively in the business one day?” was the theme of the first event in the NxG Legacy Forum series held in late March.
The event was moderated by Telfer’s Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau, with panellists Valentine Barbier-Mueller of Groupe SPG-Rytz and Drew Everett of Bush Brothers & Company. Both Barbier-Mueller and Everett are members of multi-generational family businesses and have experienced the benefits and challenges of being part of an enterprising family.
Aligning on Values and Embedding Governance Structures
For Barbier-Mueller, one of the most important elements in keeping the next generation of a family business together was having shared goals and being aligned on the values they want to project. For example, while she and her father have different personalities and working styles, they came to realize their differences complemented each other. “This can be a source of positivity.”
For Everett, a fourth generation member of a business involving 95 family members across the U.S., working constructively involved finding meaningful ways for the family to be involved, even if they weren’t working directly in the business.
Some family members wanted to contribute but didn’t necessarily want a job in the firm. Instead, opportunities were created for members to participate, including through governance structures like a board of directors, a family council, a private trust and estate activities, as well as events and family gatherings.
Everett stressed the need to put governance systems in place sooner than later. “Don’t wait until the fourth generation and there’s 95 of you,” he noted.
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Education is Key
For Everett, education was key in helping his family work together. He and other family members attended a series of courses to learn about the complexities of multi-generational businesses, creating systems and dealing with challenges. The courses provided him and his family with a shared educational foundation, vocabulary and understanding of the needs of a large ownership group.
Everett added that working with a knowledgeable family business consultant facilitated the process, helping identify areas of concern and building trust and togetherness.
Building Trust Within and Across Generations
Barbier-Mueller said that she and her sisters talk multiple times a day and try to keep communication flowing. “A family who has fun together will be more likely to stay together,” she said, recommending taking pleasure in the time members spend together.
Another essential element for Barbier-Mueller is giving family members the benefit of the doubt, and “trusting that everyone wants to achieve the same common objectives.”
Everett encouraged all members to make a concerted effort to build relationships. “Have opportunities for fellowship, and to get to know each other better.”
Supporting the Next Generation
For Barbier-Mueller, the most important role for the senior generation is to clarify rules and foster unity. The senior generation must treat all next generation siblings fairly. The principal role of older members is providing a historical context for the business and sharing stories about core family values, thus providing continuity and helping bind the family together.
Rau wrapped up the discussion, mentioning that working successfully with family members requires effort. “We have to become aware that it’s not just a given, but something we have to work for.”
Upcoming NxG Legacy Forums
The second NxG Legacy Forum took place in early April, with the topic question “We have wealth. When should we set up a family office to organize it?” Watch for an event summary soon.
To find out other ways Telfer is helping empower the next generation of business leaders, discover the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and sign up for the Institute's newsletter.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
In the coming months, The Telfer Knowledge Hub is featuring select parts from Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask.
The result of years of international research and practical experience, Enabling Next Generation Legacies delves into the unique challenges that confront family businesses.
Telfer Professors Peter Jaskiewicz. Director of the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI), and Sabine Rau, collaborator at FELI, have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners, and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by Next Generation members in a short and concise, yet meaningful way.
The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. Expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
Below, read a commentary to a pressing question by a fourth generation member of a Malaysian family business.
When and How Should Family Members Be Promoted in the Family Business?
Commentary by Yoon Li Yong, Malaysia
Our family business, Royal Selangor International, is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My great-grandfather started it in 1885. He was a tinsmith in the growing tin industry and began making products for households. We have never mined or smelted tin. Instead, we focus on adding value to tin. Our business has a strong brand and makes beautiful home products, many of which were designed in our workshop. The third generation was my father and three siblings. This generation internationalized the business to Europe, Australia, and the U.S. in the 1970s and built a network of offices, distributors, and wholesalers.
Today, we have a total of about 600 employees with most of us based in Kuala Lumpur. The family business is still privately held, and we have completed succession to the fourth generation. In our industry, product life cycles are long. Some of our evergreen products are twenty years old. However, the industry has shifted over the last thirty years; living has become less formal. The household items and gifts industry has, therefore, gone through some consolidation with brands either being bought out or shuttered. One has to be very passionate to work in this business but, then again, being constantly surrounded with beautiful things is a pretty good motivation.
In the fourth (my) generation, most of my relatives have been in some way or form involved in the business. Today, only two of us—my cousin and I—work full time in the business. I am the managing director; he is the executive director. I was an engineer by training before I did my MBA in 2004. In 2005 I joined the business as a retail manager for a few years before taking over product, manufacturing, and marketing as a general manager. From there, I worked my way up to where I am now. So, how are family members hired and promoted? Let me highlight our rules and our values.
Our Rules
- Every family member has to work elsewhere for at least two years after leaving school.
- If a family member is good at what they are doing and fits the company's needs, they might be invited to work here.
- We engage our nonfamily directors and managers for hiring family members.
- Once a family member is invited, they apply for a vacant position and undergo the standard recruitment process.
- Every family hire reports to their head of department, who may not be a family member.
- Every family hire starts as a regular team member.
- If the head of the department is a nonfamily manager, they make promotion decisions, and twice a year, they review possible promotions and provide employees with feedback. On average, we promote good employees every two to two-and-a-half years. The family council, however, can fast-track family members who excel in their jobs.
Our Values
Our family council includes six members electe d every three years from eligible voting members of the family forum. We organize a large family retreat every eighteen months. At every second retreat, we elect a new family council. A critical outcome of past retreats was the creation of our family charter. Our philosophy is to work together to generate solutions that meet the needs of both the business and the family. We communicate, work together, and practice integrity and love. We see our most important priority as remaining united as a family through spending time together and providing understanding and support to each other. We should maintain a balance of work, family, and play. We encourage family members to contribute views and ideas, to ensure participation regardless of age or experience. We recognise our responsibilities to resolve conflict through a process, to listen and communicate, and to unite in the face of external threats. We value our success, history, and legacy; and through our family council and family foru m we work to pass on to the next generations what has been so ably passed on to us.
Our Family Vision
Our Family Vision is to propagate the Royal Selangor name globally to be synonymous with pewter and good design leading to a vital and dynamic brand. We recognise that employees are a valuable asset. We will recruit, develop, and retain outstanding talent, both family and nonfamily, based on merit. The business will continue to be majority-owned by the family, in order to maintain the legacy of Royal Selangor. The board of directors will have family and nonfamily members. Family members not directly involved will have their views and interests represented through an active family council, and an evolving charter of good family governance. The business will be a good corporate citizen through its interaction with the community.
Questions for Further Reflection
- Are you familiar with the history of your family business promoting family members?
- Do you agree with the practice of promoting family members in your family business?
- Do you think this practice should be updated? If so, how?
- Do you have a family constitution/charter detailing how family members are hired and promoted?
- If you want to be promoted, as a Next Gen, within your family business, what do you do?
- How do nonfamily managers and board members see the practice of promoting family members?
Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask is now available in eBook and hardcopy. All royalties from Enabling Next Generation Legacies go towards the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Fund, helping students in need. Learn more at www.35questions.com.
To read more about how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise, visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date and be entered for a chance to win your physical copy of Enabling Next Generation Legacies. (you must have a delivery address in Canada).
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Telfer School of Management is the proud presenting sponsor of a series of four webcasts powered by the Globe and Mail Events. Each webcast will highlight one of the four pillars in our Vision for a Better Canada — greener, healthier, happier, wealthier and more prosperous — through an interview with a Telfer professor, followed by a discussion with a panel of experts.
Family enterprises represent more than 35% of Canada’s real GDP and account for nearly half of all private sector jobs, according to a 2019 report by Family Enterprise Canada and the Conference Board of Canada, yet their future is uncertain. As baby boomers exit the workforce, experts say the next generation is unprepared to take over and protect this vital part of the national economy. What skills and knowledge will future business leaders and entrepreneurs need to carry on the family enterprise legacy?
One expert looking into these questions is Telfer professor Peter Jaskiewicz, University Research Chair in enduring entrepreneurship and the founding director of the school’s Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI). In the interview portion of the event, led by Rita Trichur, senior business writer and columnist at The Globe and Mail, Jaskiewicz discussed family enterprises and how, when it comes to business succession, failing to plan is synonymous with planning to fail.
Business: A Family Affair
Jaskiewicz’s research has personal meaning. Growing up with a family musical instrument business in Poland, he had an early taste of entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, following the sudden, unexpected passing of his uncle, the lack of a succession plan led to major family conflict. Within six months, what was once a business appreciated by a loyal clientele and well established in the community closed for good.
This experience motivated Jaskiewicz to help other family businesses avoid the same fate. He also realized that his expertise could not only help business families, but strengthen the global economy as well. During the Globe and Mail webcast, Jaskiewicz said that a third of the family businesses in Europe are in danger of disappearing due to failure to support and prepare the next generation. This represents a large segment of the European economy in terms of jobs, growth and contribution to local surroundings.
Jaskiewicz mentioned two common mistakes that lead to poor family business succession plans:
- Members of the next generation are not viewed as partners in planning their integration and are just treated as kids within the family business. Thus, they fail to see their own value in the business and, more so, as contributors to their community.
- Family communication is often implicit. However, the senior generation’s vision does not necessarily apply to the next generation, who are easily taken for granted. Open and honest communication should be welcomed early on and even introduced around the kitchen table from a young age.
See also: Smart succession planning key to future prosperity for family businesses
Say Yes to a Helping Hand
Patricia Saputo, co-founder and executive chair of the board and strategic adviser at Crysalia, took part in the panel alongside Arjan Stephens, president at Que Pasa Mexican Foods and executive vice president at Nature’s Path Foods, and Margaret Hudson, president and CEO of Burnbrae Farms Limited.
Saputo, a member of the Telfer Strategic Leadership Cabinet, agreed with Jaskiewicz on the need for communication. For her, it can be difficult to speak about family conflicts. Many families would benefit from outside help — members might be good at running a business, but it doesn’t mean they’re also good at planning the succession. There is a network of professionals who can help, including at Crysalia, which Saputo co-founded to sustain multigenerational enterprising families.
Hudson agreed, adding that her family has worked with outside advisers for the last 20 years. Establishing structures such as family and shareholder councils is beneficial, as is actively educating the next generation about the business.
Watch the full Future of the Family Enterprise event
Start From a Young Age
The panellists agreed that engaging the next generation from a young age is key to them joining the family business. Both Hudson and Stephens shared stories of their involvement in the business as children — Hudson collected eggs on the family farm at age eight and Stephens worked in the family’s restaurants as a busboy. They not only gained an understanding of the business, but also saw their parents’ and family’s sacrifice, passion and energy.
For all panellists, it was important to set protocols on how family members enter the business. And as Stephens noted, the next generation must work hard and prove their worth: “Just because your last name is Stephens doesn’t mean people are going to respect you. You have to earn it, and you earn it by being a good team player.”
Follow the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI)
Professor Jaskiewicz and his colleagues at FELI have combined their years of international research and practical experience to establish the institute at the Telfer school.
Jaskiewicz has recently published an already influential book, Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask. He and co-author and FELI collaborator Sabine B. Rau have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by next generation members in a concise yet meaningful way. The book consists of best practices, real-life examples and questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries.
Subscribe to the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute newsletter and be entered for a chance to win Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask (you must have a delivery address in Canada).
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Answers are important, but asking good questions can be even more so. In our increasingly divisive world, the right questions can truly demonstrate our willingness to understand the needs of the other side.
For the younger generation in business families – Next Gens – the right questions haven’t previously been posed nor answered. Too often a lack of understanding prevails between the wishes of the senior generations and the concerns and needs of Next Gens. To compound this, much academic research has typically focused on the parents’ generation because they are the ones in power. These realities led Telfer Professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau to ask: what do Next Gens really need and want?
To answer this question, Jaskiewicz and Rau went straight to the source, asking Next Gens for their views, perspectives and concerns. The result: newly released book Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask, which is now available in hardcover. The book brings together the thirty-five most pressing questions faced by Next Gen members around the world, with responses from leading academics and enterprising families.
The book was recently the topic of an online article in Family Firm Institute’s publication, FFI Practitioner. The article explains how the book came together, starting with a research process of formal and informal interviews over several years with senior and Next Gen members of more than 100 business families. From these interviews, it quickly became obvious how much the challenges of senior generations differed from those of the Next Gen. Realizing there was a need to consider the Next Gens’ perspective more actively, Jaskiewicz and Rau systematically collected their questions, asked for feedback, then established a final list of thirty-five questions.
With the intention of encouraging discussion and dialogue instead of pushing static solutions, each question provides a thoughtful response from a leading academic or practitioner, followed by commentaries from Next Gens themselves. This unique format offers a fresh perspective on the topic of family business, equally relevant to academics, practitioners and businesses, bringing together the global community to answer the next generation’s call.
As members of Telfer’s new Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI), Jaskiewicz and Rau will be using research findings like those from Enabling Next Generation Legacies to help bridge the gap between differing generations in family businesses. Specialised programs such as the Certificate in Responsible Ownership tackle the intergenerational disconnect and help prepare the next generation, leading to healthy, sustainable relationships within the family and business.
To learn more about how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise – and working to ask the right questions – visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter .
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Black History Month is an opportunity for Canada to celebrate the great contributions and achievements of Black Canadians throughout history and how they have made our country more prosperous, culturally-diverse, and inclusive. The theme for this year’s Black History Month in Canada is February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day, which recognizes the importance of celebrating Black Canadians beyond just the month of February.
At the Telfer School of Management, we value the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in our student body, programs and initiatives. As such, we wanted to celebrate this history in Canada and highlight useful resources for the Black community during the month of February.
Black History Month in Canada
Black Canadians and their communities have shaped our country dating back to the 1600s, when navigator and interpreter, Mathieu Da Costa, first arrived in the place we now call Canada. Since then, the celebration of Black history in Canada dates back to the 1920s, starting as a week-long celebration, which then evolved into one month. In 1995, Black History Month became an official celebration at the House of Commons, introduced by Canada’s first African-Canadian woman in Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine. The Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month was unanimously approved by the Senate of Canada in 2008, brought up by Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate of Canada.
Some of Canada’s first Black Canadian business professionals and entrepreneurs include Thornton Blackburn, who started Toronto’s first cab company in the 1830s; Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman editor in Canada working for a Canadian Underground Railway newspaper called the Provincial Freeman; and Carrie Best, the founder of the first Black-owned newspaper in Nova Scotia, The Clarion.
Resources to Help You Achieve Your Goals
Along with the Canadian traditions, the Telfer School of Management values and fosters an environment for all talents to thrive, through both professional growth and personal development. In turn, these values will help create a community that truly reflects who we are. Through different initiatives and partnerships, the School continues to evolve and strive to make significant contributions in the life of its members.
Why Scholarships Are Important
To ensure our program is home to exceptionally talented and ambitious business leaders in the making, we offer access to a wide variety of financial support, including scholarships. Without assistance from an outside source, students may have trouble paying for a university degree. Scholarships thus help students have more time to focus on their studies, rather than needing a part-time job to earn money for their studies, which can take up more than 15 hours per week and become an obstacle to academic success.
Thankfully, generous donors have and continue to enable Telfer students to redefine business practice for the better as well as decrease the number and amount of loans students need in order to complete their degree. Among the different scholarships offered to our students, you can find many that are awarded to students who are part of a Black, Indigenous or Racialized community. Per example, the KPMG Scholarships for Accounting Students, created by KPMG LLP, is offered each year to two second year students of the BCom in Accounting program and who have demonstrated academic excellence. The Marlene King Patrick Admission Scholarship, generously created by Markene King Patrick, is another scholarship exclusive to Telfer students and is awared to a woman from a Black, Indigenous or Racialized community who is newly admitted into an undergraduate program.
To learn more about these scholarships and see if you are eligible, the Online Scholarships and Bursaries is an online tool that gives you access to the directory of scholarships and bursaries offered at the University of Ottawa.
The Onyx Initiative
Historically, business schools have always established themselves as a strong networking hub, uniting the scholars and corporate world of today to foster the leaders of tomorrow. While the number of Black members on the boards of the 100 largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has more than tripled over the past year, they currently account for only 2.35% of board members as of January 2021. Regarding the current labour market, Black Canadians in the core age group of 25- to 54-year-olds were more likely to hold a bachelor's degree or higher (42.8%) than Canadians in the same age group who were not a visible minority (33.6%). However, Black Canadians with a university degree had a lower employment rate (86.1%) than their non-visible minority counterparts (91.1%).
The systemic gap in the recruiting and selection of Black university and college students and recent graduates for roles in corporate Canada remains a big challenge. This is why the Onyx Initiative aspires to be a catalyst for the professional growth and development of Black Canadians as they launch their careers after university or college, helping them through access to placements, mentorships, coaching, and professional development.
This early intervention will facilitate a measurable increase in Black students and recent graduates securing internships and full-time employment in their chosen fields while serving the needs of corporations in sourcing qualified and diversified employees. How? First, by aggregating supply through the recruitment, preparation, and exposure of Black talent. This preparation includes career coaching and professional development through online learning, and, more importantly, mentorship. Afterwards, it is their main goal to help these highly prepared and talented individuals to get the exposure and awareness they need to accelerate their careers.
Their second mandate is thus to foster and nurture demand. Onyx can support corporate Canada and facilitate demand for talent. As they work with a wide range of organizations, their partners contribute with more than just financial aid. They can share ideas and in-kind support in helping grow and build the initiative.
Should you be interested in joining this group of Black students and recent graduates who are seeking support to enhance their personal and professional skills and gain access to meaningful career opportunities, you could apply to the 2022 scholar applications before the deadline on April 1st.
Black Entrepreneurship Program
For those who have an entrepreneurial fibre, it is within Telfer core values to enable students to develop the skills necessary to or launch a new venture creation, contribute to a high growth enterprise, or drive innovation at an existing organization. Whether you want to lead your own enterprise, work in a family business, or manage growth in an established company, our goal is to stimulate, inspire and prepare students to do so. Whether at Telfer or through the University of Ottawa, we offer a wide variety of entrepreneurship courses and programs (i.e. entrepreneurship option, Entrepreneurship Foundry, the Telfer Entrepreneurs' Club or Enactus), and the uOttawa Entrepreneurship Hub, that aim to propel careers in the entrepreneurship world.
There are also interesting opportunities through government-funded programs. For example, the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions to help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and achieve their goals. Along with a Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, driven by The Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), a National Ecosystem Fund and a Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, up to $265 million over four years has been invested in this program led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). These investments will help thousands of Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs by providing them with access to financing, mentorship opportunities, financial planning services, business training and more.
Mental Health Support Groups at uOttawa
The University of Ottawa has created specific support groups including a BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Colour), Black students support group, and international students support group to provide provides a safe space for those who identify with each of these groups to find strength, friendship, and expression of unfiltered feelings among peers. Each of these groups focus on building community, discussing any faced challenges, and connecting in a supportive space.
Students Supporting Students
Beyond academic resources, many of the most enriching experiences at Telfer take place outside the classroom, thanks to a close-knit student community. Among many student clubs and associations at Telfer and uOttawa, the Black Student Leaders Association (BSLA) will serve to assist and enhance the academic, social and philanthropic aspects of black students’ journeys at the University of Ottawa. They aim to represent the members of the community in a way that positively and truly reflects who they are and their potential to be leaders. BSLA extends open arms to all students and faculty who share their values to join the association.
“Count Me In” Initiative
After a long process of research, consultations and data analysis, the uOttawa Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) has launched a critical initiative to identify barriers to inclusion and to propose initiatives to bring traditionally excluded persons into research, teaching and administrative communities at the university. The initiative slogan, “Count me in / Comptez moi,” invites students, faculty and staff to self-identify in terms of gender, indigeneity, racialization, accommodation/disability, LGBTQIA2S+ preference, language preference and proficiency in Canada’s official languages in an anonymous and confidential questionnaire. By doing so, it will enable uOttawa to spot barriers and uncover systemic roadblocks to equity, diversification inclusion. When you count yourself in, you’re leading by example and making your presence known so that others may follow in your footsteps.
The questionnaire is accessible through uoZone. The Human Rights Office is responsible for confidentiality, ensuring only disaggregated data is used by the University community to inform and prioritize EDI initiatives and enable the creation of more of them.
Moreover, by simply counting yourself in, you enable inclusion. With each survey completion, the Office of the Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs, will donate $1 to a scholarship fund for uOttawa students incorporating the principles of EDI into their academic and research projects.
Telfer and the University of Ottawa celebrate Black History Month
Black History Month is a time to learn more about the contributions Black Canadians have made to the settlement, growth and development of Canada and their importance to the history of the Telfer School. Follow us on our social media to learn more about virtual and on-campus events and celebrate the contribution of our community throughout the month of February and beyond.
If you know of a member of Telfer Nation that deserves recognition for their actions and accomplishments or you are leading an initiative for Black Canadians, we invite you to share this story with us.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
In the coming months, The Telfer Knowledge Hub will be featuring select parts from Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask.
The result of years of international research and practical experience, Enabling Next Generation Legacies delves into the unique challenges that confront family businesses.
Telfer professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners, and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by Next Generation members in a short and concise, yet meaningful way.
The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. Expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
Below, read the response to a pressing question asked by family enterprises, followed by commentary from a Next Generation member of an enterprising family.
How Can I Prepare Myself to Work Effectively With My Fellow Family Owners?
Response by Peter Jaskiewicz and Elizabeth Tetzlaff, Canada
A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of 956 Next Gens in 2019 from sixty countries and territories found that Next Gens have big plans.[i] With 70 percent of these Next Gens actively engaged in the family business, by 2025; 41 percent expect to be executive directors (i.e., owner-managers); 29 percent anticipate being majority shareholders; 15 percent plan on being involved in business governance, and the other 15 percent expect to become non-executive directors. In other words, 85 percent share the ambition of becoming owners of their families’ businesses.
As Marvel’s Uncle Ben reminds Peter Parker, “with great power comes great responsibility.”[ii] Ambition, like power, has its own counterweight—obstacles. So, it could be said, “with great ambition come great obstacles.” Despite their ambition, 52 percent of Next Gens have yet to be given the responsibility of a special project, and despite being “deeply engaged” in the family business, 64 percent of them admit that they are not being used as a sounding board. Worse still, 10 percent of these Next Gens feel unheard: “I make suggestions, but they are hardly ever listened to.” These statistics echo the sentiment that Next Gens shared with us: We are ambitious and want to work effectively as owners, but how can we prepare for that ourselves?
Ambition, Abilities, Approach, and Acceptance
In our experience, effective Next Gens have their “A game,” which includes four As—ambition, abilities, approach, and acceptance.[iii]
Ambition. To have ambition is to have determination and a strong desire to achieve or see something to completion.[iv] For Next Gens, this desire could speak not only to their desire to succeed as the successor, but also their determination to improve upon the advancements made in the family firm. Indeed, on one hand, we have met Next Gens who lacked ambition, stating: “I will never be as good as the incumbent.” On the other hand, we have met ambitious Next Gens who were keen to learn how to accelerate their own development and were eager to leave their mark. For instance, they talked about projects to reduce carbon emissions of the family firm, unify the family before spinning off outdated business units, or implement plans in the family office to sell investments that do not comply with environmental and social standards. Without their ambition, these behaviors might not take place. Ambition is thus the first necessary quality that Next Gens need to possess. However, in order for it to be beneficial and not destructive, ambition, like energy, needs a value-oriented direction.
Abilities. Abilities help to harness ambition and give it direction. Abilities are commonly equated with accounting degrees or strategy MBAs. However, the abilities that make effective family owners are much broader and include having good people skills, being able to motivate others on the team, having healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress, and being able to approach conflict constructively. In his biography, Charles Bronfman—the second-generation former co-leader of Seagram—describes many effective decisions that he and his brother Edgar made, but Charles also discloses that his biggest mistake was to suppress his thoughts when his brother and his brother’s son brought forward proposals that were driven by their personal interests rather than business sense.[v] Charles says that he saw the problems of the family’s investment ideas but admitted that he did not use his veto right because he felt pressured to comply and wan ted to avoid conflicts. From Charles’s story, we learn how important it is for family owners to have an encompassing range of soft skills. We can also see that ambitions that are not properly guided can ruin the family business.
Approach. Having the right abilities equips the owner with a foundation onto which they can add an effective approach to decision-making processes in family business. In our experience, as long as all parties involved feel that their voices are heard and accounted for, family owners are able to make controversial decisions (e.g., How do we deal with an underperforming family manager?)—even if they do not fully agree with each other to start with. Otherwise stated, Next Gens need to understand what constitutes a fair process, communicate, and then implement such processes.[vi] We have witnessed, firsthand, good decisions failing because the family did not use an approach that allowed those involved to feel that they were all on equal footing in the decision-making process.
Acceptance. Finally, having the ambition and the ability together with the right approach leads Next Gens to the door, but in order to open it, a key is necessary: acceptance. It is not uncommon to experience the disheartening feeling of meeting everyone, having them congratulate you on the new board appointment, and then ignore you for the rest of the meeting (or the next five-to-ten years). This does not mean that the Next Gen will not be accepted, it simply means that Next Gens will need to accept that it is necessary to prove themselves in order to be recognized. Learning about ownership can look like attending family council meetings, being a board observer (visitor) in board meetings, and assuming formal roles in student groups, local not-for-profits, or regional family business associations. Rather than passively waiting for acceptance, Next Gens need to proactively work tow ard it. In other words, if Next Gens are able to commit to proving themselves outside and inside of the family business, then they will be more likely accepted as Next Gen leaders.
In summary, Next Gen owners’ effectiveness is an outcome of their ambition, abilities, approach, and acceptance. If the senior generation does not share influence and does not treat Next Gens as owners, the latter will be less effective. Similarly, fellow Next Gen owners can be destructive. If they are poorly prepared and immature, they can torpedo processes and push away effective Next Gens. Therefore, families and Next Gens need to do their part to ensure that none of the future owners become the Achilles heel of the family and the bottleneck of their enterprise(s). Families whose Next Gens bring their “A game” are more likely to make a difference for their families, enterprises, and communities.
Peter Jaskiewicz is the inaugural director of the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI) and co-author of Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask. He is a full professor of family business at the Telfer School of Management, where he holds a university research chair in enduring entrepreneurship.
Elizabeth Tetzlaff is a PhD candidate at the Telfer School of Management. Her research centers around exploring the impact of mental health on both the functioning of the business family as well as on the health and vitality of the family business. In addition to her research, Elizabeth is working on SSHRC-funded research study to understand how differences among families influence the longevity and success of their family businesses.
The ebook for Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask is now available. Learn more at www.35questions.com. Print copies available February 2022.
To learn more, visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise.
References
[i]“Agents of change: Earning your licence to operate,” PwC’s Global NextGen Survey (Germany: PwC, 2019), 1-26.
[ii] Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi (2002; Culver City, CA: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment), DVD.
[iii] Mira Bloemen-Bekx, “Enriching the Early Phases of the Succession Process: An Explanation of the Role of Social Mechanisms in Business Families” (PhD diss., Hasselt University, 2019). Authors’ note: Mira Bloemen-Bekx speaks of ambition, abilities, and acceptance.
[iv] Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. (2001), s.v. “ambition.”
[v] Charles Bronfman and Howard Green, Distilled: A Memoir of Family, Seagram, Baseball, and Philanthropy (New York: HarperCollins, 2017).
[vi] Ludo Van der Heyden, Christine Blondel and Randel S. Carlock, “Fair Process: Striving for Justice in Family Business,” Family Business Review 18, no. 1 (March 2005):1-21.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Family businesses pass more than ownership to the next generation – they also pass on traditions. And better management of these traditions can help family enterprises address two of their fundamental tensions: the need to modernize the business and the need to honour the founder’s vision.
Early studies suggested that traditions were an impediment to change because they burdened the family business with history. For instance, traditions could make family businesses risk-averse and less innovative because the preservation of the status quo trumps anything else.
However, as explained in a recently published article in The Conversation – co-authored by Peter Jaskiewicz, Telfer’s University Research Chair in Enduring Entrepreneurship – family firms shouldn’t be so quick to cast traditions aside. To explain the importance of traditions, the article weaves in examples from Greek folklore, using the famous stories of Theseus’ Paradox and Sophocles’ account of Oedipus. Parallels to the hit HBO series Succession are also made to explain how traditions can help and harm the family firm.
The article – adapted from an earlier paper published in Family Business Review – proposes that traditions shouldn’t be thrown out of the firm, nor rigidly enforced, but instead reinterpreted by the next generation. One way this can be done is through collective remembering: when senior family members share stories about past achievements and discuss their meaning with the next generation, they co-create narratives that are relevant to both generations. Another way is by retaining the structural elements of traditions — the rituals —but continually updating them to be relevant in today’s world.
It is through this rebuilding and reinterpreting of traditions that senior and next generation family members learn to better work together for the benefit of the family firm. Telfer’s new Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI) – of which Jaskiewicz is the inaugural Director – encourages and supports these relationships, working directly with family enterprises to help them evolve while maintaining their authentic identity and traditions. Knowledge gained and applied leads to more family enterprises enduring from generation to generation – leading to a stronger Canadian economy.
To learn more, visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise.
Peter Jaskiewicz is the inaugural Director of the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI), as well as full professor of family business at the Telfer School of Management where he holds the University Research Chair in Enduring Entrepreneurship. He is also the co-author of new book, Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask.
Peter’s research on family business has received numerous awards and were considered among the most globally influential scholarship in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Peter has presented his research insights to members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and employees of the United Nations. In addition, he has also worked with the federal government in Canada. His current research focuses on antecedents of transgenerational entrepreneurship and corporate reputation in family and founder firms. Moreover, Peter researches organizational outcomes of entrepreneurial legacies, managerial pay dispersion, and family dynamics in these firms.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
The journey to success of Telfer School graduate Brennan Loh inspires how he supports and empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs.
No two paths to success are entirely the same. Yet some guideposts are more dependable than others. Brennan Loh’s entrepreneurship journey is a reliable route for any budding businessperson to follow.
The Telfer School graduate and top Shopify leader started early, made connections and seized challenges. This path has not only taken him to the pinnacle of Canadian business, but has also guided how he helps the emerging generation of entrepreneurs at the Telfer School through generous donations, purposeful involvement and volunteer activities.
Start your journey early!
Entrepreneurship has always been near and dear to Brennan. As a child, he was motivated to start businesses and create something from nothing. His natural inclination for entrepreneurship was partly the reason.
The other was the inspiration he received from his businessman father, who immigrated to Canada from Singapore. After losing his job, Brennan watched as his father took the risk of becoming an entrepreneur to support their family. It was a proud moment for Brennan, and one that helped catalyze the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit not just in those that want it but who need it to survive.
Motivated to unleash his entrepreneurial spirit, Brennan joined the Telfer School in 2007. He was so eager to hit the ground running that he became a member of the Telfer School’s Entrepreneurs’ Club before he even began his studies. This early and enthusiastic start by the budding entrepreneur was a clear sign of things to come.
The Entrepreneurs’ Club offered Brennan a vibrant and welcoming gathering place, and put him in close contact with fellow entrepreneurs. It especially gave him learning opportunities that enabled him to dare boldly yet fail safely, without suffering significant personal or financial consequences. Brennan so enjoyed his membership with the Entrepreneurs’ Club that he served on its executive team for four years, two of them as president.
“The Entrepreneurs’ Club was a natural fit for Brennan’s entrepreneurial talents,” said Professor Stephen Daze, Dom Herrick Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Telfer School. “From an early age, he knew how to create value for sponsors and motivate team members; and he had a scrappy startup mentality—something that he has carried through to today!”
Make connections to discover opportunities
Entrepreneurial success is never a solo mission. Again, Brennan’s experience supplies a telling example. As part of a third-year course, he and two friends from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Engineering created a tech startup. They called it Avitu. When the school year ended, the entrepreneurial trio decided not to halt their enterprise but to keep their budding business active.
That summer, Brennan and his Avitu partners worked tirelessly out of a hot apartment before being given the opportunity by a uOttawa alumnus to use part of Shopify’s office space to run their company. The alumnus, Harley Finkelstein, a graduate of the combined law and MBA program, was chief platform officer at Shopify at the time.
Brennan took advantage of being in a shared space with Shopify to exchange best practices and discuss business strategies with Harley every week. The dedication and effort shown by Brennan and his business partners impressed Harley and the other Shopify executives so much that they offered them jobs within the company.
Seize challenges and reap the benefits
By the time Brennan graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing in 2011, he was already working over 40 hours per week at Shopify. The combination of school and full-time employment was demanding, but the valuable real-world experience he acquired only served to bolster his confidence and motivate him to take on increasingly greater challenges in the company.
In the decade since he joined Shopify, Brennan has helped the company grow from fledgling startup to e-commerce titan. His rise through the company’s ranks has been equally impressive—going from head of business development, to director of business development, to director of international markets. His varied and impressive portfolio of projects include Shopify media productions and Shopify Rebellion, the company’s e-sports organization.
Today, as the company’s director of brand and marketing partnerships, Brennan says his motivation stems partly from looking back with pride at successful projects he once thought would be impossible to achieve. Despite his impressive resume and achievements, he remains humble and prefers to operate under the radar. Case in point: in the years when he travelled frequently for the company, he would joke that few people at the Shopify head office knew who he was.
An inspiring journey that empowers a new generation
In keeping with his natural humility, Brennan is quick to acknowledge how much the generosity of others helped shape and propel his career. His professors, his classmates, and his colleagues at Shopify each gave him their trust and encouragement.
In turn, Brennan uses his journey to success as inspiration for how he supports and empowers the emerging generation of entrepreneurs at the Telfer School. To help budding business people start early, Brennan volunteers as an informal mentor, inspiring the next generation to seek out the opportunities that will shape their futures. To enable them to make connections, Brennan continues his work with the Entrepreneurs’ Club as an advisory board member. And to motivate and support emerging entrepreneurs, Brennan is a mentor at the Entrepreneurship Hub’s Startup Garage and an angel investor in the technology sector.
Most notably, Brennan funded the Loh Entrepreneurship Experience Scholarship to allow students to dare boldly. The bursary provides students from any faculty at the University of Ottawa with financial and mentorship support in their entrepreneurial journeys.
“We must give students opportunities to fail safely,” Brennan said. “I see encouraging a student to take four months to pursue entrepreneurship with a financial safety net and minimal opportunity cost to their formal education (in other words, letting them earn credits) as one of many possible solutions. I would love to see universities embrace innovative bets on fostering student entrepreneurship.”
As a result of this generous and intelligent contribution, the Telfer School named Brennan the 2021 Young Donor of the Year. The deserving honour is yet one more step along a career path worth following.
If you would like to support the student experience at the Telfer School of Management through a donation, click here to make a gift to the Telfer Nation Fund. For more information, please don’t hesitate to
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The balance between launching an Ottawa startup and being a student can be both a time-consuming and rewarding feat. University of Ottawa alumnus, Karim Alibhai, and Telfer alumna, Alina Jahani, know all about the student entrepreneurship lifestyle.
The BSc and BCom Management Information Systems duo launched their recruitment startup, HireFast, while completing their undergraduate degrees and are now closing a six-figure exit deal with a large American company.
The Beginnings of HireFast
Karim, the engineer of the partnership, remembers exactly how the HireFast journey began: “I was on a bus in Ottawa and my friend was telling me how he was interviewing for software engineering positions and how [employers] make them solve different problems in interviews. They were testing software engineers on algorithms, even though that’s not really what they’d be doing at their jobs.”
He then got the idea to start HireFast, an assessment tool for software engineer employers that would more accurately test applicant skills. He brought on Alina to help with project management and business development, and the partnership began. Now, the business uses pre-existing insights and data to help improve hiring times, quality of applicants, and quality of jobs.
The Life of Student Entrepreneurs
After Karim and Alina established their business idea, their first step was contacting Telfer entrepreneurship professor, Stephen Daze. Professor Daze teaches third and fourth-year classes for entrepreneurs and is noted to be one of Hire Fast’s key resources.
“He was a pivotal piece to our company. He was phenomenal and was not afraid to rip us apart and tell us when we were [not doing the right thing],” Karim explained.
After pivoting, the business grew and Alina and Karim began noticing the struggles of balancing their full-time work on a business and studies for each of their degrees. The two biggest challenges they faced as young, busy entrepreneurial students were related to time management and financing.
“Time management was tough. It was really hard to balance time, so as a result, we got lower marks [in courses] than what we were used to. Also, you are very cash-constrained, so we were trying to save money on small things that other people in the market could afford”, shared Karim
However, the benefits of being students while starting a business was their access to student competitions and opportunities like Startup Garage that the university has to offer.
uOttawa Entrepreneurship Programs and Business Accelerators
HireFast joined the Startup Garage program at the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub as part of the 2019 cohort. The pair originally applied to join because the program allows students to take an eight-month break from their studies and focus on their businesses full-time.
“We ended up getting more than just that, the best probably being a community of like-minded people, which was very powerful,” Karim explained. “Sometimes when you are failing it can be very overwhelming, but having other people in those same situations to guide you really helps.”
Another benefit to the program, Karim noted, was the access to experts in fields that they needed help in: “We were able to connect with Nolan Beanlands, who used to run the Startup Garage. He was extremely helpful.”
Alongside accelerator programs like Startup Garage, Karim and Alina noted that the business also felt supported financially by the university and its programs and competitions.
Business Startup Advice
Looking back, Karim had a few pieces of advice for current students who want to bring their business idea to life: “Try to stand on the shoulders of experts, alumni, and anyone you can. That was one of the key factors to our success. To talk to amazing people like Stephen Daze and Nolan Beanlands. We are still in touch with them and a lot of the time I had tunnel vision and getting advice from them was super useful.”
As for the Telfer alumna, Alina, she says that the main goal student entrepreneurs should keep in mind is to not give up: “Whatever the challenge is in your business, the last thing you want to do is lock yourself in a room and try to figure it out yourself. Lean on your beta users, customers, industry experts to find the answers you need. Launch small but powerful experiments to get your hypothesis validated and iterate from there.”
The Six-Figure Acquisition
HireFast was recently acquired by a consulting recruitment business in New York, U.S.
Karim shared how they were able to find the perfect match to make an exit deal:“We wanted someone with the right fit. So, we found a company in NY and they were already running a consulting recruiting business and they wanted to go into the software side. HireFast was basically their trampoline to the software side of recruiting.”
The New York-based business plans on launching the software in 2022.
As for the business and engineer duo, they are now both pursuing careers at two different startups. Karim is working in the dental startup space in New York, while Alina is pursuing project management as a Product Analyst in the retirement world.
Although living the life of a student entrepreneur can be hard work, the University of Ottawa and Telfer School of Management works hard to support students who are chasing their dreams.
Learn more about the Startup Garage program and other entrepreneurship opportunities at the university.
Photo credit: Mélanie Provencher, photographer
- Category: Latest News
Canadian industry chief executive says our country needs a catalyst to spark space innovation and entrepreneurship.
Are you aware of the Space Race? It began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, into orbit around the Earth. Over the ensuing dozen years, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in a fierce and sometimes deadly duel of technological space one-upmanship. The race culminated in 1969, when the U.S. landed a manned mission on the Moon and brought the astronauts back home safely.
According to Daniel Goldberg—president and CEO of Telesat, Canada’s largest satellite company—a new space race is underway. But this one is of a different kind. We spoke with Goldberg recently and our conversation revealed that this new space race is a satellite-driven dash for commercial supremacy of low Earth orbit—and the high-paying jobs, vast sums of revenue, and surging economic growth that come along with it.
To be more specific, today’s space race is propelled by private and public sectors working in tandem. Private companies lead advancements in communications satellite manufacturing and production, while governments monitor, regulate and promote an increasingly complex panorama of technological development. The complicated and evolving interplay between private and public has created fascinating industry conditions.
Canada is in fierce competition for commercial supremacy in space
Dr. Wadid Lamine, associate professor of entrepreneurship at the Telfer School of Management, is at the forefront of scholarly research to understand how innovation and entrepreneurship play out in the space industry. His most recent article concludes that certain policies in Europe have created a space industry in that region with barriers to access, leading it to be dominated by two giant French aerospace companies—Airbus and Thales. As a result of this closed environment, new European entrepreneurs have constrained ability and little incentive to enter the aerospace market.
Goldberg and Telesat experience firsthand the industry conditions that Lamine studies. The company’s advanced constellation of 298 state-of-the-art low Earth orbit satellites, known as Telesat Lightspeed, puts Telesat in direct and fierce competition with U.S.-based industry giants SpaceX and Amazon. “We are in a market that is brutally competitive,” he says. “The companies we compete against often have access to very significant financial resources, and a lot of that is connected to support from their domestic governments.”
SpaceX is a prime example. According to Goldberg, the company has been so successful so quickly in large part because of its close relationship with the U.S. government, which provides SpaceX with major funding to develop products. The same conditions largely hold true for other Telesat competitors around the world. The biggest space industry firms in China and Russia for instance are either state agencies or receive major backing in the form of funding and purchases from national governments. In Goldberg’s mind: “For our country to maximize the likelihood of success, we have to harness the abilities of our different stakeholders and make sure they are executing where the big opportunities are.”
Canada needs a space for collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship
The Telesat CEO offers a solution. He contends that Canada’s space industry needs what he calls a catalyst or convening function to bring government, businesses and academia together in common cause. Only then can the industry gain the clearest possible understanding of the opportunities that warrant substantial investment, the insights emerging from university researchers, and the technological innovations arising from universities writ large.
A space industry catalyst is not a completely unfamiliar idea. The United States established its National Space Council, chaired by the country’s vice-president, because it recognized the strategic importance of the public and private sectors working together. The United Kingdom has followed the U.S. example. Closer to home, Canada has taken much the same approach in various sectors other than space. Our country’s Innovation Superclusters are convening agents to nurture innovation ecosystems in industries such as digital technology and advanced manufacturing.
Goldberg’s rallying cry dovetails neatly with Lamine’s most recent research findings. Lamine found that innovation and entrepreneurship in the space industry only really take off when policymakers, entrepreneurs, established firms and university researchers build strong alliances. “This could be achieved by policymakers creating a space and working at the regional level to bring universities, industry and policymakers together to learn from each other, share ideas and transfer knowledge,” he writes.
Universities and their researchers are central to space industry partnerships
Both Lamine and Goldberg believe that universities and academics must be part of any relationships sparked by a space industry catalyst. Goldberg in particular sees two main benefits from university participation. First and foremost are new insights that are unearthed by expert university researchers.
“You have a lot of academics doing ground-breaking research on space communications and new battery technologies,” he says. “I believe there should be greater dialogue between what we are doing in the private sector and universities, and ongoing, regular dialogue and exchange about things that we are both seeing.”
Goldberg also anticipates a workforce benefit. “We are hiring a lot of people, including co-op students, out of universities,” he says. “We need to make sure graduating students come with the skillsets we need.” Dr. Lamine concurs. He notes that establishing the kind of deep, multi-faceted partnership referenced by Goldberg would create a vital “triple helix relationship” among universities, industry firms, and policymaking officials and institutions.
Two prominent voices—one in the private sector and the other in academia—are calling for the same thing: greater dialogue and richer partnerships within Canada’s broader space industry. Their voices might just be the catalyst our country’s industry needs to thrive even more in the new space race.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs and their start-ups, and the subsequent growth of their firms, can have a vital impact on the health of an economy. What’s more, young adults in Canada have demonstrated a growing interest in entrepreneurship as a career choice. Although entrepreneurship has historically been associated with business schools and traditional start-ups, all students need to learn to create value in uncertain environments with limited resources. Consequently, regardless of their faculty or career path, every student needs to learn and practice the skills typical of entrepreneurship. Whether these students become entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, employees, or innovators, the question for educators is: How are we working toward this goal?
To answer this question, Professor Stephen Daze and his team conducted a review of entrepreneurship activities at the 27 largest universities in Canada. This annual report describes the numbers and types of entrepreneurship courses available, the opportunities for students to learn this valuable skillset outside the classroom, and the current practices that support student start-ups.
Professor Daze shared the highlights of his 2021 annual report in an article published in The Conversation Canada. Read the full article to learn more about entrepreneurship education in Canada.
Stephen Daze is a long-standing, award-winning member of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada. He keeps his skills fresh as by serving as a visiting professor who teaches entrepreneurship in the undergraduate and MBA programs at the University of Ottawa and by working with entrepreneurs during the launch of their new ventures. He also currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Telfer School of Management and in 2016, he was named the University of Ottawa Chapter Honoree of Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honour society. Learn more about Stephen Daze’s work.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
In the coming months, The Telfer Knowledge Hub will be featuring select parts from Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask.
The result of years of international research and practical experience, Enabling Next Generation Legacies delves into the unique challenges that confront family businesses.
Telfer professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners, and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by Next Generation members in a short and concise, yet meaningful way.
The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. Expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
Below, read the response to a pressing question asked by family enterprises, followed by commentary from a Next Generation member of an enterprising family.
Who Is Considered Part of the Family?
Response by Gibb Dyer, US
The question “who is considered part of the family” is important for both academics and consultants who study and work with family businesses as well as family business owners and managers themselves. For academics and consultants, identifying who is considered family is key to determining a family’s impact on a business (and the business on the family) while those families who own and manage a business often need to decide if those who are considered family will have an opportunity to be involved in the ownership or management of the business.
Definition of “Family”
To identify who makes up a family we need to understand what people commonly consider a family to be. The definition of family is problematic today given the various types of families that exist. For our purposes, a family will be defined as “individuals who identify themselves as a family unit, are recognized by others as part of a family, and share a common biological, genealogical, and/or social history.”[i]
Families come in all shapes and sizes. Common family types include the nuclear family (father, mother, and often children), extended family (one or more children living with a parent and a related nonparent adult, often a grandparent), blended family (one or more children living with a parent and a stepparent), cohabiting family (one or more children living with a parent and an unrelated adult), a single adult/parent family, and a polygamous family (typically one or more children living with a father who has multiple wives).
Family as a Social Construction and Legal Entity
These different family configurations raise interesting questions concerning who is considered family. For example, should a child consider an unrelated adult cohabiting with her mother a family member? Or should a child consider the children of a stepparent members of his family? While there are legal determinations of what constitutes a family, very often family is a social or cultural construction created by family members. For example, while a stepparent might legally adopt a child, that child may not recognize or relate to the stepparent as her father or mother. In other situations, there are parents who “disown” their biological children—the parents may be biologically related to a child, but they do not recognize that child as a member of their family, often due to what the parents consider bad behavior on the part of the child. However, when it comes to inheritance, unless a family member is explicitly denied an inheritance in a family member’s will, they might still have a claim on that family member’s assets—particularly if that person is a blood relative or a spouse —and those assets might include the family firm.
Family Roles in the Family Firm
We see families who own and manage family businesses having family members take on a variety of roles in the business. Ownership and management roles in the business typically consist of family members who are central to the business and have the most power. Other family members may have management roles but are not involved in ownership. Often Next Gens fill this role but hope to eventually be owners when succession occurs. Conflicts may occur when certain family members own the business but are not managers in the business. Family members who are in the business typically benefit from their salary and other perquisites that managers receive and are generally interested in putting profits back into the business to help it grow. However, family members who are owners and not managers typically want the profits from the business to end up in their pockets so they can benefit from the business’ success. This creates natural conflicts between family members who are owners and family members who are managers in the business (and may be owners as well). During succession, family members who haven’t been either owners or managers may want to lay claim to the firm’s assets increasing the likelihood that family conflicts will occur. Even if a family member hasn’t been involved in owning or managing the business, she may lay claim to the firm’s assets based on inheritance or some other criteria. For that reason, it is important for a family to determine not only who is currently considered family but who in the family may have a legal claim to the family’s business assets.
Family Membership and Succession Planning
Family conflicts and lawsuits are often the result of ambiguity regarding “who is the family.” With that in mind, it is important for families who own businesses to identify all individuals in the family who currently or may in the future be involved in family business ownership and management, take those family members into account when making decisions regarding the firm, and make provisions for those family members who will likely not be owners or managers. The rule of thumb is for parents (or other senior family members) to leave other assets in their wills (money, property, etc.), not family business ownership, to such heirs to avoid conflicts.
These issues are also important to consultants who want to help family firms.[ii] Research shows that before succession takes place the family should put together a clear succession plan, specifying which family members will be owners and managers in the business. It is important to share that plan with the family before succession takes place. To do this, the family needs to identify who is legally considered a member of the family and thus may have legal claims to the firm’s assets as well as those who may not be considered legal claimants but are viewed to be family members with many of the privileges of legal family members. To plan for such a change, research by Ivan Lansberg and others encourages family members to have common goals or a “shared dream” along with creating ownership structures and processes to resolve these potential conflicts.[iii]
W. Gibb Dyer (PhD MIT) is the O. Leslie and Dorothy Stone Professor in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. He has been a visiting faculty member at IESE in Barcelona, Spain, and a visiting scholar at the University of Bath. He has published nine books and over fifty articles and his research has been featured in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company. His recent book, The Family Edge, focuses on how “family capital” supports business growth. He has been ranked as one of the top ten scholars in the world in the field of family business.
Commentary by Marcelo De Rada Ocampo, Bolivia
My family’s business is an international insurance brokerage in Bolivia. After a decade of experience working for both U.S. and Bolivian insurance companies, my father started the business in 1995 and grew it to become the largest brokerage in Bolivia in terms of revenue, clients, and number of sales agents with presence in all cities in Bolivia. In 2009, he and two partners from Ecuador and Venezuela developed a strategic alliance that made them the third-largest MGA (managing general agent) in LATAM, partnering with ten different international insurers, managing hundreds of distributors, and operating twelve offices across seven different countries.
I am the oldest of three from my father’s second marriage. My half-sister is thirty-seven and lives in Florida, while my younger brother (twenty-five years old) is in San Diego, and my younger sister (twenty-two years old) lives in Miami. After studying in the U.S. and working at start-ups in San Francisco for two-and-a-half years, I returned to Bolivia to help my father in the family business. I worked as a sales operations manager, splitting my time between empowering sales agents with training and new digital tools, and the insurance partners negotiating new policy coverages, premium increases, and sales incentives. Now, while I am doing my MBA at INSEAD, I continue to support my father as an advisor, holding weekly to biweekly calls with him to discuss the strategic and operational challenges of the business.
The article is a good starting point in understanding why it is important to define who is considered part of the family in a family business. I agree with Prof. Gibb Dyer that having a clear definition is essential in helping the first generation build a fair process with regards to the ownership and ownership of the business. This can be critical when future generations start getting involved in the business and don’t have the same understanding of who is considered part of the family and its impact on the business. Even just as a second generation, I frequently found myself between my two parents in discussions about the fairness of financially supporting struggling family members in each of their extended families. There were efforts of providing employment to extended family members, which ended up creating more harm than good, probably caused by the lack of clarity regarding the roles of each family member in the family firm. From my experience without clarity about the rights and responsibilities of owners and managers, succession planning has been difficult to push forward. An owner must understand and allow the manager to operate the business successfully, while the manager must also provide the owner with enough transparency on the strategic alignment and execution of the business in order to put to best use the business assets.
The ebook for Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask is now available. Learn more at www.35questions.com. Print copies available February 8th, 2022.
To learn more, visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise.
References:
[i] Gibb Dyer, The Family Edge: How your biggest competitive advantage in business isn’t what you’ve been taught—It’s your family (Sanger: Familius, 2019), 15.
[ii] Jane Hilburt-Davis and William Gibb Dyer, Consulting to family businesses: Contracting, assessment, and implementation (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2003).
[iii]Ivan Lansberg, Succeeding generations: Realizing the dream of families in business (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1999).
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The acknowledgement of the need for reconciliation through Truth and Reconciliation Day is a step in the right direction, but there is still more progress to be made as hundreds of Indigenous communities currently hold boil water advisories.
Advisories like these mean that in order to consume and use the water through their existing water systems, Indigenous communities must first boil the water to consider it safe. In some communities, the water is not usable at all.
University of Ottawa student and Project Manager of the Nibi Project at Enactus uOttawa, Alexandra Whiteduck, grew up with unsafe drinking water, despite only living an hour and a half from the Nation’s Capital.
“I grew up in a community 1.5 hours north of Ottawa, and I grew up without clean drinking water,” shared Alexandra.
As someone who has experienced the issue first hand, Alexandra now works on the student-led initiative, Nibi, to bring safe drinking water solutions to other Indigeneous communities through testing and purification solutions.
The map on the left shows the number of Indigenous communities in Canada with boil water advisories (note that the map does not include the do-not-use advisories) - via watertoday.ca.
The Importance of Clean Drinking Water
Without clean drinking water, the basic necessities of life are not met. Alexandra encourages you to ask yourself the question:
“What tasks do you plan on doing today? Are you going to wake up and have coffee? Drink a glass of water? Take a shower? Brush your teeth? Wash the dishes? All these tasks are not accessible to Indigenous communities.
As you go throughout your day, consider these questions and ask yourself: could I do this if I didn’t have access to clean water? There will be many tasks where the answer would be no, and for Indigenous communities, it continues to be the truth for them everyday.
If we work hard towards a future where Indigenous communities all have access to clean water, their everyday lives and everyday productivity would change drastically.
The Nibi Solution
How they’re helping
Alexandra became a part of the Nibi team as the second Project Manager. The two Project Managers before her who started the initiative were other uOttawa students Michelle Wronski and Elisabeth Mercier.
“Michelle and Elisabeth founded this project because they saw a large gap in research and support for the water crisis in Indigenous communities. They were extremely passionate about the issue and wanted to find a solution to fix it.”
The two founders saw Alexandra speak on the issue, and instantly saw her as a good fit to join the team. As someone who has lived without clean drinking water, Alexandra is able to bring first-hand insights on where support was lacking and how it could change to better Indigenous communities.
The student-run initiative now focuses on three different pillars of support: Testing, purification solutions and workshops.
For testing, Nibi connects communities with certified partners that help teach them how to monitor water on site. This gives Indigenous people ownership of their water treatment and the ability to monitor the systems themselves.
Nibi also helps Indigenous communities find purification solutions that work with their socio-economic needs. Unlike working with government bodies, the communities are not forced into accepting any help or taking action after the results are given.
“We conduct need-based assessments to identify purification solutions that meet their needs. It’s all their choice; if they want to work with us we will, but if they don’t, no problem.” The Enactus team then finds the contaminants in the water and asks the communities what they hope to see from the purification process.
Lastly, Nibi hosts workshops to empower youth to keep control of their water quality and infrastructure. The Nibi team also converses with Indigenous youth to see what they hope their communities look like in the future.
How to get involved
To join the cause with Nibi, you can attend their workshops and better understand this key issue. The team is also hiring a number of students to double their team’s size this fall including positions in:
- Science
- Outreach
- Business
- Indigenous Relations
- Marketing
- Sales
On this day of Truth and Reconciliation, it's important to remember that there is still a lot to be done. We hope everyone takes this day to continue to educate themselves on the lives of Indigenous people and how they are impacted by current legislations.
- Category: Student Voices
Canada ranks as one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world. This can be attributed to not only the ease with which businesses are created, but also to its favourable legislative framework and its various support programs for entrepreneurs.
With this in mind, one might question the origin of the inequalities that define female entrepreneurship today. A report from the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub demonstrates that the real challenge when it comes to female entrepreneurship in Canada is not the creation of businesses, but rather their growth and development. In an environment where many conditions exist but still face challenges, let’s collectively reflect on the future of female entrepreneurship in Canada.
A Supportive Environment
Canada is a country in which its environment supports the development of entrepreneurship, particularly female entrepreneurship. In addition to the legislative framework in place to guarantee gender equality in the workplace, there are public policies and programs designed to ensure the development of female entrepreneurship. This is the case with the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) which was launched in 2018. It includes funding and support programs, as well as the creation of networks for women to improve their access to funding, talent, and expertise needed to start and grow a business.
Organizations supporting women entrepreneurs, like the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada, are also part of the Canadian entrepreneurship ecosystem, as well as women-led venture capital firms like BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund), and women’s organizations such as YWCA, the Canadian Women’s Foundation and the Native Women’s Resource Centre.
Also, over time, these organizations have grown on both a large and small scale. For example, at Telfer, right within our business school, we have the Women in Management Network (WMN), founded by Polly Leung. This association came about as a result of a perceived lack of support in the student community of women’s groups that were helping each other at the professional level. WMN is working to address this through a mentorship program in a supportive and inclusive community where students can develop their skills and network for the future. As Leung herself says, with this network, she wanted to “change transactional relationships to make them much more meaningful.”
I also had the opportunity to meet with Marie-Emmanuelle Kouadio, ambassador of SEPHIS Canada, an association based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, whose goal is to promote gender, female leadership, and entrepreneurship. Kouadio, who had the idea of creating the SEPHIS embassy in Canada, saw it as a way to enhance the association’s reputation and thus continue her fight on a global scale, while maintaining a connection with her homeland of Ivory Coast. In Canada, the association focuses primarily on African international students and organizes events such as panels and webinars where students can learn more about the professional world, but also have the tools to overcome the challenges they may encounter.
Ongoing Challenges
In the case of female entrepreneurship, there are ongoing challenges, primarily related to gender stereotypes. The Women entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub’s report about the state of female entrepreneurship in Canada demonstrates the pervasiveness of these stereotypes. For example, a content analysis study conducted between 2017 and 2019 of Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, found that a majority of articles on entrepreneurship focused on men. As for the content, while men appear to be “born” entrepreneurs, women are presented as entrepreneurs by “necessity,” which reveals the presence of gender identity, in this context as it appears entrepreneurship is assigned to men. These socially constructed stereotypes are among the factors behind the low proportion of women in entrepreneurship training programs, and hence their under-representation in the field. They are hindering the growth of their businesses because they are partly at the root of their difficulty in accessing financing, and are closing their doors to certain sectors such as in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).
If I could visualize the future of female entrepreneurship in Canada, I would certainly see a successful and much more inclusive sector. The creation of WES in 2018, and their expert panel made up of women from diverse sectors and cultures, is a testament to the government’s desire to truly support all women entrepreneurs, and this time by working hand-in-hand with them.
Although there is still some progress to be made, particularly in terms of stereotypes and cultural diversity, by giving all women the opportunity to take their place this can be gradually broken. By providing them with the tools they need to develop such as gender-specific training services, better access to information and funding, and support for internationalization, they would be able to demonstrate their full potential. Coupled with this growing phenomenon of supporting women entrepreneurs, these are all factors that can only have a positive impact on female entrepreneurship.
That said, as Kouadio points out, women should dare and venture by giving themselves the means to do so. This is especially true when we know that the increased presence of women in the sector would serve as role models for the younger generation, which would help them develop an entrepreneurial identity other than that imposed by society, but also to motivate them to take their turn.
I will close with a quote from Marcelle Goran, who runs her own business support structure for hiring and retaining immigrant workers in Quebec: “It can only be beneficial to let women fit into the economic fabric.”
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Originally published on LinkedIn on May 14, 2021
We are delighted to announce the release of the report, Entrepreneurship Policies through a Gender Lens by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD). This timely report contains a collection of 27 policy insight notes on long-running policy issues in women’s entrepreneurship support. OECD data and editorial insights reinforce the policy note findings. This report will be of interest to women entrepreneurs, policymakers, women’s enterprise advocates, and academics at a time when evidence-based sights are needed to drive post-pandemic recovery measures.
Background
This report is a collaboration between the OECD and the Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy Research Project (Global WEP), which is a network of established researchers from over 34 countries. The project was led by Jonathan Potter (Head of the Entrepreneurship Policy and Analysis Unit) of the OECD and Dr. Colette Henry, Chair of Global WEP - (Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland; Chair, Global WEP), Dr. Susan Coleman (University of Hartford, United States) and Dr. Barbara Orser (University of Ottawa, Canada). Excerpts from the Executive Summary follow.
What will you learn from this report?
Women’s enterprise issues have become even more relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to set women’s entrepreneurship back 20 years. The notes contained in this report cover a range of policy challenges – including in relation to formal and informal institutions, access to finance, access to skills and policy design – and policy instruments that can be used to address them. The notes underline core principles and good practices to follow in designing and implementing policies.
This report also offers an overview of the state of women’s entrepreneurship in OECD countries and beyond, using gender-disaggregated indicators on business creation, self-employment and barriers to business start-up, sustainability and growth. These indicators illustrate gender gaps in entrepreneurship, not only in activity rates but also in the proportion of entrepreneurs who create jobs for others. Persistent gender gaps call on public policy to continue to address gender inequalities in entrepreneurship.
Overall, this report provides an important source of new insights to assist policy makers and advocates seeking to strengthen holistic interventions in support of women’s entrepreneurship, and to encourage and facilitate peer learning across countries.
Report highlights
The policy insight notes in this report argue that mainstream entrepreneurship policies and programmes are not gender neutral. Explicit approaches are needed to address barriers to entrepreneurship that are experienced differentially by men and women, and to ensure that women have equal access to policy support aimed at entrepreneurs.
To an extent, this reality is recognised by the wide range of dedicated policy interventions for women’s entrepreneurship that have been put in place internationally across many contexts. The interventions address barriers in the areas of entrepreneurship culture, entrepreneurship skills, access to finance, entrepreneurship networks and ecosystems, and regulatory institutions, as well as approaches to designing and delivering policies to achieve gender equality. These approaches illustrate the dynamic nature of women’s entrepreneurship policy, as well as the gains that are being made as policy makers recognise the needs and contributions of women entrepreneurs.
However, women’s enterprise policy initiatives are often fragile – time-limited, small-scale, sparse, symptom-oriented – and not sufficiently underpinned by a genuine vision and framework for women’s entrepreneurship. To address these limitations, there is a need to increase awareness and knowledge about policies that engage and support women entrepreneurs within entrepreneurial ecosystems. Adherence to gender-blind entrepreneurship policies will be ineffective in achieving the benefits to be had from truly stimulating equal opportunities in entrepreneurship.
There are three main priorities for further policy development:
Overarching policy frameworks for women’s entrepreneurship need to be introduced
In some countries, policy frameworks for women’s entrepreneurship are well-developed and women’s entrepreneurship programmes work effectively towards the global objectives and priorities set out in these frameworks. However, in other countries, women’s entrepreneurship policies are incomplete or ineffective, often because the programmes are not consistent with global policy objectives. Governments should do more to strengthen policy frameworks for women’s entrepreneurship. They also need to dedicate greater resources to ensure that programmes are informed by frameworks and are sustainable in the long-term.
Women’s entrepreneurship policy interventions must reflect context
Governments need to ensure that policy interventions are appropriate for the institutional, cultural and social contexts. The policy insight notes describe vastly different contexts, ranging from developed economies where gender inequalities persist but are relatively subtle to developing economies with strong patriarchal systems. Women’s entrepreneurship policy can be effective in any context, but the objectives, instruments and delivery mechanisms must be selected accordingly.
More evaluation evidence is needed as a foundation for scaling policy initiatives
A wide variety of policy instruments and delivery approaches have been put in place in many countries. A key challenge is to assess the effectiveness of these approaches in different situations and different combinations and to scale and transfer the most effective approaches. More evidence is needed on the effectiveness of women’s entrepreneurship supports in different contexts. This includes, for example, the impacts of measures for training and mentoring, financing, and the role of measures that influence underlying institutional conditions. Information is also needed on the extent to which measures need to be applied as packages. The lack of evaluation evidence represents a lost opportunity to learn from high impact policy interventions and may lend to the vulnerability of women’s enterprise programme funding.
Download the Entrepreneurship Policies through a Gender Lens report
- Category: Community Engagement
A new Telfer study shows that traditional families with businesses often treat their children differently based on gender, including in succession planning and entrepreneurial education. We talked to two women raised in entrepreneurial families to learn how gender bias can affect women’s careers and experiences in entrepreneurship. They also shared some advice for family businesses.
Emma O’Dwyer
Emma O’Dwyer, regional manager at Family Enterprise Canada, has seen bias first hand in her own family. She says she was not given support even though she earned “two MBA degrees from prestigious universities, gained outside experience, and built a professional network beyond the family business.” She often wonders if this stopped her from building the confidence to take a more entrepreneurial path.
O’Dwyer says that gender bias can damage both daughters and sons. “Today, I see that a lot of men who are expected to inherit the family firm or start their own business receive pressure to be successful.” She believes that “forcing sons to lead the family firm restricts their opportunities to gain experience outside the walls of the family business and develop the business knowledge they need.”
Susan St. Amand
Susan St. Amand is the founder and president of Sirius Group Inc. and Sirius Financial Services. Like O’Dwyer, St. Amand always had an interest in the business world. “My dad and a group of local entrepreneurs would meet for coffee every day, and I loved it when I was able to join them to hear their stories.” This led her to studying business.
Even though St. Amand gained experience and education in entrepreneurship, her brother was still the one expected to take over the business on her father’s retirement. “It was just not common for women to run or inherit a family business, so I was not considered.” This didn’t deter St. Amand from pursuing a career in a large finance organization, before starting her own business. But despite her success, St. Amand was often asked when she would sell her business and fulfil a more traditional female role.
Advice to families to challenge gender bias
O’Dwyer and St. Amand shared some suggestions to help families challenge gender bias and prepare the next generation to succeed in the family firm and beyond:
- Treat children as equally as possible and make sure the expectations and pressure are the same for all.
- Identify what the children need to do and experience, and what support they need to build their skills and succeed in any career.
- Great things come from failing and learning. Let the next generation try things, fail, learn, try again and repeat to succeed, within a safe environment.
- Your legacy as a family does not and should not be limited by the business, no matter how many generations it has existed. Let the next generation find their passion and explore the world outside your walls — you’ll be surprised what happens.
- Introduce children to role models and mentors across genders very early in life.
- Engage them in conversations about the business and about finances. Don’t assume children aren’t interested in numbers, investments or business because of their gender.
- Use stories to share knowledge and make information accessible.
- Teach children how to make decisions and take responsibility early on. Being comfortable with risk is critical to feeling confident and independent.
O’Dwyer reminds parents who run a family firm: “You play an important role in the success of the family and the business.” St. Amand highlights the need to question rigid norms: “Families are members of communities and communities share cultural norms that are embedded for generations. It takes strength and courage to be disruptive and time to evaluate the results.”
Susan St. Amand, TEP, FEA, ICD.D is the founder and president of the Sirius Group Inc. and Sirius Financial Services in Ottawa, and chair of Family Enterprise Canada. Learn more about her work with multi-generation families.
Emma O’Dwyer is a regional manager at Family Enterprise Canada.
- Category: Student Voices
In Canada, the number of female entrepreneurs is growing every year. According to Statistics Canada, by 2019, 15.6% of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were mostly owned by women and they represented 37.4% of the self-employed population. Generating more than $117 billion in economic activity annually, we can see that women are increasingly emerging as key players in economic development.
That being said, unlike their male counterparts whose sectors of activity are varied, women tend to start their own businesses in the service sectors. Let's find out what these different sectors are.
The Choice of A Service Industry
As noted, female entrepreneurs in Canada are more likely to start their businesses in the service sector and are less represented in certain sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fishing or even construction.
According to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub 2020 report, a study of women-owned SMEs by industry sector ranks as the following:
- Education and health care (63%)
- Accommodation and food services (52.8%)
- Information, culture and recreation industries (44.1%)
- Finance, insurance, and real estate services (38.5%)
- Professional services (38.1%)
Similarly, among the self-employed, they generally report that their activities are in the following sectors:
- Public services (65.7%)
- Health care (57.6%)
- Commerce (55.7%)
- Professional services (54.2%)
- Information, culture and recreation industries (54.1%)
While some studies tend to explain this concentration by factors related to history or socialization, I believe that we should not neglect the motivations of female entrepreneurs, who often start a business in order to have a significant social impact. Many of them find their interests in the service sector, where relationships with others are higher. In fact, they dominate the social entrepreneurship sector with 11% of female-dominated companies reported as social enterprises compared to 5.3% of their male counterparts.
Emerging Growth Sectors
Just as the number of women who decide to go into business is changing, so are the sectors in which they decide to work.
According to a Statistics Canada study, between 1987 and 2018 the number of self-employed women in the health care and social assistance industries nearly doubled. So did the finance, insurance, real estate services and related industries, which grew by five times in 30 years.
Art and Creation: A Forgotten Sector?
When talking about female entrepreneurship and even entrepreneurship in general, little mention is made of the art and creative sectors, even though most artists tend to work independently (usually freelance or under contract) and can be considered entrepreneurs.
In Canada, 52% of artists were listed as self-employed in 2016, and the 2016 Census indicates that women dominate the arts sector, accounting for more than half of artists. We can, therefore, see that "female entrepreneurs" are very present in this sector.
The absence of art and creation can be explained by the desire of some artists to distinguish themselves from the business world or by the existing debates surrounding the very definition of the word "artist" itself (partly linked to the distinctions between different cultural fields such as fine arts, advertising art, design, and crafts).
In the end, there is no denying the growth of female entrepreneurship in Canada and its contribution to the country's economic development. That being said, the concentration of female entrepreneurs in the service sectors is a testament to the inequalities that remain in the business community in the entrepreneurial field.
While there are more and more women, they are still sidelined by sectors with high growth potential. Work remains to be done to finally break down the barriers women face.
- Category: Student Voices
As a female entrepreneur, you are bound to discover lessons learned and favourite tips from your experiences. A wise person once said that the first act of wisdom is to give good advice, the second is to ask for it and the third is to follow it. While this statement applies to all aspects of life, it resonates even more when it comes to entrepreneurship, which is a field full of surprises and twists.
If you’re a student thinking about starting a business, know that you’re in the right place! I had the chance to talk to inspirational women who decided to work on their own, which led to this list of 7 things you need to know before you get started as an entrepreneur.
#1 Take Your Time
For Christen Konan, CEO of her financial coaching firm, KC Consultings, in Ottawa, it is important for future entrepreneurs to think carefully about their project and plan it properly before starting. This will help you to avoid “hitting your head” as she says, as you will have a clear idea of what you want to do and, therefore, a guideline. This step includes coming up with a good definition of the benefits of your product or service and identifying what you want to bring to the market.
#2 Surround Yourself With The Right People
Christen Konan shared her second piece of advice about one’s surroundings. She said that one of the most important things for female entrepreneurs is their entourage, because it is what guides them and helps them grow. Therefore, it would be great for you to build a network of professionals in your field through which you can develop connections and share information. However, you should not neglect your loved ones who will be in the best position to support you and bring you a perspective different from that of a professional in your field (for example, because of their perspective as a possible client).
#3 Continue Training
We all know that you never stop learning. According to Binta Kanté, co-founder of Spirits Chocolats, an online gift shop and retail store selling chocolate-based treats in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the success of any entrepreneur depends on continuing one’s education in business management.
Although she stressed that it is very good to delegate tasks, she acknowledged that an entrepreneur must have, at minimum, knowledge of each of her company’s functions. Whether it is in marketing, accounting or finance, it is important to have basic knowledge that will enable them, especially in small businesses, to keep an eye on their activities and be able to recognize any problems or errors. Binta advises those interested in starting a business to watch YouTube videos, attend seminars, and connect with local entrepreneurs to further your training.
#4 Be Humble
This advice from Christen Konan echoes the previous one. She explains that in order to succeed in business, you must be humble. This humility will allow you to always be open to constructive criticism and continuous learning, which will improve your performance.
#5 Accept Challenges
Any entrepreneur, especially as a woman, must prepare to meet obstacles, says Marcelle Goran, director of a business support structure for hiring and retaining immigrant workers in Quebec. Whether they occur in your personal life or in your micro-environment, she maintains the fact that challenges are inevitable. Therefore she advises you to see these obstacles as means to help you grow and improve, and invites you to put them into context when they occur.
#6 Believe in Yourself
It can never be overstated that self-confidence is essential in entrepreneurship. As Christen Konan says, “if you do not believe in your project, you will not be able to convince someone else to trust you and join you in your project.”
#7 Go For It!
This latest advice comes from freelance photographer-journalist, Ama Ouattara. She emphasizes the importance of freeing oneself from the hesitation and fear that often leads to inaction. Once you feel that this is what you want to do and have thought about your project, she advises you to avoid thinking too much, but rather to go ahead and start. After all, only then will you know whether your project can work or not.
Now you have a few essential tools that will help you navigate the busy waters of entrepreneurship. If your project is well thought out, only one thing is left to be done…go for it!
- Category: Student Voices
Nowadays, it’s no secret that the path to entrepreneurship is far from being a walk in the park, and more so for women, who face many more challenges compared to their male counterparts. That being said, there is a growing number of women around the world who are leaving their traditional jobs to work on their own businesses.
So I decided to look into it, and I interviewed several business women to understand their motivations for entrepreneurship. Here’s what I found:
Common Motivations
After conversations with these women, it soon became apparent that they shared common reasons for choosing entrepreneurship:
1. Desire for Independence
Many women see entrepreneurship as a source of empowerment and autonomy. For freelance photographer-journalist Ama Ouattara, it is the need to distance herself from hierarchical institutions that has led her to entrepreneurship, as well as the flexibility to work on projects she is interested in and in the way she wants.
For Marcelle Goran, who leads a business support structure for hiring and retaining immigrant workers in Quebec, this desire for independence resulted in wanting to “control what she represented and its results”, but also because she wanted to manage her own time and schedule.
2. Willingness to Do Something Meaningful
Entrepreneurship is seen by many women as a way to engage in something that makes sense to them. Most of the time, it is about helping society or filling an unmet need in their environment. This is the case for Christen Konan, who started her financial coaching firm, KC Consultings in Canada, to address the lack of education in the field.
In that same spirit, Binta Kanté, co-founder of Spirits Chocolats, an online gift shop and retail sale of chocolate-based treats in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, uses entrepreneurship to “share with others and make them happy.” Meanwhile, Marcelle Goran’s choice of specialization is closely linked to her own career path in Quebec.
3. Seeking a Better Work-Life Balance
This reason is perhaps the most prevalent among entrepreneurial moms. They find that entrepreneurship allows for greater flexibility in their schedule and in turn, for their family constraints and obligations. This is the case for Ms. Goran, for whom entrepreneurship makes it possible to work while still having time to spend with her children.
4. Looking for a Better Income
Less prevalent than some of the other reasons, but just as important, one motivation for women to pursue a career in entrepreneurship is the desire for better economic opportunities. This motivation usually occurs when they are either unemployed or looking for another source of income.
Contextual Differences
While these motivations apply to the majority of female entrepreneurs, there are still subtleties, depending on the cultural contexts and territories, in which they operate. So from one part of the world to another, you can find differing key reasons.
For example, while in Europe, specifically for French and British entrepreneurs, the desire for independence prevails, where as, in Africa, where societies are often very traditional, women are mainly motivated by economic necessity followed by a desire to be self-asserting, empowered and independent (mainly in Maghreb countries like Algeria).
Bottom line, in terms of women’s motivations for entrepreneurship, although they have a lot in common, they have different motivations from one part of the world to another. So we can understand that female entrepreneurs have very different backgrounds, and in order to better understand them, it is important to consider them in their environment.
- Category: Student Voices
It is clear that as society evolves, entrepreneurship has emerged as a driving force of our modern economies. Following the various advances in women’s rights and liberation around the world, it was only a matter of time before women began to conquer the entrepreneurial world.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day in March and look back on their place in our societies, let me share with you my thoughts on female entrepreneurship as a business student at Telfer.
What Is Female Entrepreneurship?
In my opinion, entrepreneurship seems to be one of those terms that we often hear without really knowing what it means. For those who can relate to this, let me give you a little help. Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation of economic activity to achieve a goal, the primary result of which is the creation of value.
Now that we have a better understanding of the concept, what about female entrepreneurship? It can be defined as the creation and development of economic activities specifically by women. Whether it is for personal or professional reasons such as self-fulfillment, better work-life balance, or economic reasons such as seeking a higher income, more and more women are choosing to trade their 9 to 5 jobs to become an entrepreneur.
According to the World Bank’s data, it is recognized globally that one in three businesses is owned by a woman. In Canada, many women-owned businesses operate primarily in service sectors such as hospitality, tourism, retail, and food services.
Exploring Entrepreneurship
For as long as I can remember, entrepreneurship has always been something I have been aspiring to do even before I was able to define the concept. Having been raised by an ambitious, busy mother who has run several small businesses, I developed my personality from the example my mother set as a female role model who is entrepreneurial and an independent woman, which probably explains why I chose to study at a business school.
As a teenager, when I had my first project ideas, although I was far from imagining the issues of women in entrepreneurship, I was at ease with the idea of living in an ever-changing world. As I grew up and met female entrepreneurs along the way, including some friends who have chosen this path, I really became aware of the realities of female entrepreneurship. This allowed me to:
- Discover a rapidly developing environment shaped by important issues. One example is financing, which is still difficult for many female entrepreneurs to access. This is because women are sometimes seen as lacking in credibility , according to socio-cultural stereotypes which hinders their productivity.
- Understand the importance of female entrepreneurship not only in addressing gender inequality, but also in terms of the benefits it brings for economic growth in various countries.
What Does Female Entrepreneurship Mean to Me Today?
First of all, as a strong supporter of women in leadership, I see entrepreneurship as a way for women to assert themselves as leaders in order to prove their managerial abilities, and, therefore, to break down the clichés and stereotypes that have long influenced society.
Now that I am in the last year of my BCom program, I know that I am getting closer to the professional world, as well as my growing awareness of women’s issues in the business world, especially in the field of entrepreneurship, which I intend to pursue one day.
Each graduate student would like to be able to get a chance to apply what they’ve learned and succeed in their careers. It is important that career opportunities remain equal for each and every one of us.
I see women in entrepreneurship as a source of opportunity that women can largely benefit from if they are given the necessary tools to do so. This is a developing sector where women still face inequalities that need to be addressed in order for them to reach their full potential. With global awareness to foster change, and the increasing development of community groups that support female entrepreneurs, this may be the beginning of a promising change. At least, that is what we are hoping for!
- Category: Student Voices
Since the beginning of my undergraduate studies, I have been immersed in entrepreneurship activities at the University of Ottawa, and over the years, I have been excited to see startup culture growing on campus. After participating in Startup Garage’s 2018 summer cohort at the uOttawa Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), I have been impressed by the number of innovative ideas produced on campus and have been further motivated to collaborate with uOttawa students and alumni.
The University of Ottawa’s eHub and Startup Garage programs have been a great tool that has helped me cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit and grow my previous and current startups. The Makerspace Lab and eHub in the STEM building offer a space where aspiring entrepreneurs can collaborate and network with fellow students on campus.
Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have been fortunate enough to have been given a wide array of startup opportunities including working at an artificial intelligence focused startup and launching an e-commerce platform.
My Most Recent Startup Experience
I am currently working on an education technology startup called The GlobalPass. The GlobalPass is a web application that allows students to discover and easily apply to universities all over the world. We assist students in finding schools that fit their needs, financial goals, and academic interests. Additionally, the GlobalPass matches students with hundreds of scholarship opportunities and provides marginalized students with access to funding options.
Coming to Canada (or any country for that matter) for school can be daunting, and The GlobalPass aims to make it easier by providing professional Visa support as well as discovering affordable student housing.
Overall, The GlobalPass connects students to international opportunities and gets them settled into the new country they are exploring with visa, community information, and mentorship.
The Opportunities on Campus
From my experience, I have found that entrepreneurs can greatly benefit from collaborating with peers in the startup community so if you are interested in starting a company, I strongly encourage you to explore and take advantage of all uOttawa resources during your degree. Telfer and the uOttawa eHub have plenty of mentors and founders willing to brainstorm ideas and help get you started.
If you are interested in The GlobalPass, education technology, or would like to see how your institution can benefit from working with our technology, feel free to reach out to me.
- Category: Student Voices
When you are in high school, it is difficult for everyone, and especially for international students, to find the university program that best suits you. Faced with the multitude of possibilities available to us, both in terms of the program and the choice of city and university, it is a stressful and difficult decision. I am from Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, and I decided to come to Canada in 2017 for my university studies.
At that time - and I think a lot of students feel the same way - I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future, either for my future career or for my university studies. I was happy to have good grades, and did not fully realize that only a few years were separating me from university. By my senior year in high school, I started to feel the pressure to choose a university and a program of study, and it was not easy.
Finding my program
Initially, choosing which university I wanted to attend was fairly easy. My brother was already a student at the University of Ottawa, so it was the obvious choice for me as well. However, the biggest challenge was finding a program of study that was best for me. During my research, I realized that one of the things I liked to do in my spare time was to read and learn about companies and their founders, not for the activities and services they offered, but mostly for their history and what led to the success of those companies.
The only option that I felt came close to this interest was to study management. So I enrolled in the Telfer School of Management with a Specialization in Management with the idea of one day being my own boss. After one year at the school, I learned that there was a Complementary Option in Entrepreneurship offered at Telfer. It was a perfect option for me, especially since the course choices were related to my interests and allowed me to finish my bachelor's degree still within four years. So I completed my registration, and took this additional step on in my academic path towards the career I want to build.
Today, in my third-year, after starting my elective courses, I can say that my entrepreneurial ambition is confirmed day after day. The practical aspect of these courses was what I was missing in most of my theoretical courses. I had the opportunity, for example, to analyze a film about the life of an entrepreneur, to participate in a conference on entrepreneurship, and even to meet an entrepreneur with whom I discussed his career path in order to write a report.
From a passion to a career
All of these activities I am doing now, I either used to do already or always wanted to do. I believe what I am learning now will allow me to develop important skills such as teamwork, creativity, or initiative that will be very useful to me when I go into business.
For now, although I haven't discovered my business idea yet, I am determined to, and I know that one day I will reach my goals. We'll talk about it one day!
- Category: Student Announcements
This year is a new experience for everyone due to the “new normal” we have been adapting to over the last six months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. These changes have brought about many new learnings, challenges, and even opportunities.
After having to postpone their usual in-person event in March, The Legacy Conference team is committed to delivering another memorable conference experience this year, even if it means going virtual. As the largest student-run conference in Canada, this year is extra special for the team as they celebrate 10 years of The Legacy Conference in Ottawa. In 2010, a University of Ottawa student saw an opportunity to inspire the next generation of student leaders through entrepreneurship, and thus, the Legacy Conference was born.
The Legacy Conference is designed for the learners and doers of this world. Speakers have a laid-back attitude and provide a personal experience, often wearing casual attire like t-shirts & jeans. “Legacy is all about sharing those genuine, real-life moments of entrepreneurship. We are empowering the future generation of leaders at our workshops, mentorship sessions, career fairs and more,” as their website states.
Legacy Conference 2020
As always, the conference is open to all University of Ottawa students with an interest in leadership and entrepreneurship intended to “provide the next line of leaders with the necessary resources to help them cultivate new ideas, kickstart business endeavours or build onto current ones.” This year's Director, Sally Adam, and the rest of the Legacy team is excited to present their first-ever virtual edition of the event, as they have made it clear it will be the same phenomenal experience, but “now all in your sweatpants.”
Sally her motivations for joining, and leading, the Legacy Conference movement this year: “I found out about Legacy randomly and since then, I've been hooked on our mission. We're focused on sharing the powerful moments of passion, failure, and perseverance that often define entrepreneurship. University is sadly when students let fear drive life-altering decisions about the paths worth travelling. Legacy is changing that for a lot of young people, including myself."
This year’s line-up of speakers include:
- Jason Fried, Founder and CEO of Basecamp
- Rob Villeneuve, CEO of Rebel
- Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
- Anne De Aragon, Vice President and Country Manager of GoDaddy Canada
- Shawn Kanungo, Keynote Speaker and Disruption Strategist
- Emily Anne Epstein, Editor-in-Chief of Narcity Media
- Mike Smith, Founder of Skate4Change and The Bay
- Travis Rosbach, Co-founder of HydroFlask
- Seth Godin, best-selling author and entrepreneur
- Izzy Camilleri, Designer at IZ Adaptive
Interested in joining the fun and learning from this line of leaders to cultivate new ideas, kickstart business endeavours or elevate existing ones? Grab your tickets to attend this year’s virtual Legacy Conference on Friday, October 2nd, 2020.
- Category: Latest News
“Every year, over 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, with only 9% of it ever being recycled,” says Carter Barrett in the Enactus uOttawa team’s video submission for Regionals. After taking home three of the four titles at Enactus Central Canada Regionals competition, they moved on to compete at the National Competition.
With projects to eliminate global plastic waste and create sustainable businesses that use the abundance of plastic available in the world, Enactus uOttawa placed as the National Runner Up at the 2020 Enactus National Competition. They competed against 47 teams across Canada, showcasing the impact they have created with their sustainable and innovative entrepreneurship projects this year.
During the first-ever virtual edition of the national competition, the uOttawa team also received the following awards:
- Best Project Awards for Poly and Project F.L.Y. (mental health and wellness project)
- National Winner of the Youth Empowerment Challenge (Poly and Evolve Eyewear)
- Second Place in the National Entrepreneurship Competition
- National Runner up for the Entrepreneurship Challenge (Poly)
The team also received $2,000 each in grant funding for 3 of the 4 new project ideas they submitted.
How Poly Tackles Global Waste
Poly is a social enterprise that aims to tackle the massive environmental implications of plastic waste through the manufacturing of small scale machines that can melt down plastic and mould it into new products. The plastic is first cleaned, and then shredded, melted, and moulded in the Poly machines. The variety of products are limitless with the ability to create custom furniture, school supplies, kitchenware, and even small household products such as tiles.
They have been able to reduce plastic waste by working with organizations like Lush and Old Navy to repurpose the plastic items like hangers they would usually just throw away. These recycled products are then purchased by individuals, business owners, firms, and municipalities. Some businesses have even added their partnership with Poly as an extension to an existing business model.
Enactus currently plans to launch eight systems annually around the world. They already have a Poly workshop in Ottawa, and have expanded to locations like Saint John, New Brunswick; Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario; Iqaluit, Nunavut; and Malone, New York. The Poly team works closely with the system operators to ensure they make their Poly business successful.
Evolve Eyewear Encourages Eco-Friendly Practices
Evolve Eyewear is an innovative social venture that creates environmentally-friendly eyewear using 100% locally recycled plastic, using the Poly machines to turn the plastic into glasses. The project encourages making more sustainable purchases and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. With this business, the Enactus team has created job opportunities for Canadians, including employing 12 individuals with a disability to help them process their plastic and 4 at risk youth to operate their machines and produce the frames.
Project F.L.Y. Provides Entrepreneurial Skills to Youth
Project F.L.Y. is a program that works to empower and guide youth with hands-on workshops where they can learn practical skills. The team hosts an annual Perfect Pitch competition at the end of the year, a bilingual competition for high school students that introduces core business functions with a focus on entrepreneurship, creative thinking, and initiative. The students who compete are then offered the opportunity to attend The Legacy Conference hosted by Enactus uOttawa.
Another Great Year
The team has generated over $80,000 in revenue this year, and diverted over 150,000 water bottles worth of plastic waste.
“I’m incredibly proud of all the work our team has done throughout the year to make Ottawa, and Canada, a better place through sustainable impact,” shared Parker Selman, the president of Enactus uOttawa.
“Despite the challenging times, and the need for a virtual competition, we were still able to showcase our innovative projects and gain national recognition as a top team in the Enactus network,” Parker continued.
Congratulations to the Enactus uOttawa team for another highly successful year, and for your amazing work on your leading sustainable and innovative businesses!
- Category: Latest News
Every year, the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition brings together student, academic, and industry leaders to celebrate the achievements of Canada’s future leaders and entrepreneurs. Typically, each school presents their live pitches to a panel of judges who decide which Enactus teams and student entrepreneurs will be named Regional Champions and move on to the final rounds of the competition held at the Enactus Canada National Exposition.
This year, due to COVID-19’s campus shutdowns and national lockdowns, the competition had to cancel its in-person event and hold it online instead. Enactus teams across Central and Atlantic Canada had to quickly pivot and find ways to showcase how they are solving social, economic, and environmental challenges through entrepreneurial action.
Through the creative use of video, storytelling, and narration, our Enactus uOttawa team submitted their “virtual showings” that won three of the four categories, securing their place at Nationals, which will also be held online in a couple of weeks.
The team was crowned champion during a Facebook Live event in their respective leagues in the following challenges:
- Scotiabank Climate Change Challenge
- Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge
- TD Entrepreneurship Challenge
Here is one of their submissions for the Entrepreneurship Challenge, about the sustainable plastic recycling company, Poly:
Congratulations to Parker Selman (President of Enactus uOttawa) as well as Julia Raseta and Carter Barrett, the presenters in the video (voices behind the scenes) and the rest of the team on this amazing accomplishment.
From all of Telfer Nation, we wish our Enactus uOttawa team best of luck putting together their virtual submissions for Nationals!
- Category: Student Voices
Deciding whether or not to attend a business school can be a challenging decision for high school graduates or business enthusiasts who aspire to start a business of their own. Given the many popular stories of college dropouts who later emerged to become business tycoons, decision-making becomes even more difficult.
So, you may be asking yourself, should I attend business school before starting my own business?
I can confidently say that business school did indeed help me start my own business.
In 2019, after years of freelancing and consultation, I founded a digital marketing agency named myMarketing.io. It is an Ottawa-based company focused on providing startups, small and medium-sized businesses with high-quality digital marketing at an affordable price.
The business was started during my studies. Today, six months later, myMarketing is a team of three individuals providing services to multiple clients. Although other factors played a role in the success of the company, such as professional experience, a strong network, and sufficient resources, attending business school was undoubtedly very useful.
Here are the top 10 ways business school helped me start my business:
1. Vast Connection and Networking
The greatest benefit of attending a business school is its vast and connected networks. In the context of running a business, networking is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to determining your business’ success. In some cases, the difference between a successful and failed business can be determined by a single valuable connection.
Attending business school allows you to build a network and make connections with like-minded people who have similar business interests. These connections can be a gateway to lucrative business opportunities for your future business. Having these connections is a valuable asset that belongs to you for the rest of your career. It might be difficult to imagine, but the connections you make in university may turn into your future client, partner, co-worker, mentor or investor.
Here’s a simple example from when I started my own business. When I began looking for employees for my newly launched company, the first people that came to mind were my university connections. Since I already knew them and had worked with them in the past, I was able to hire people that were the best fit for my business.
No matter which industry you are in, having quality employees is essential for your business growth. Investing your time in network building helps you identify qualified candidates. It is a very effective method to learn about their skills required to do the job as well.
2. Valuable Co-op Experience
Another benefit of enrollment in a business school is the opportunity to experience a co-op program. In this co-op program, a company hires students temporarily through schools. It is a mutually beneficial agreement between the student, employer and educational institute.
Students participating in co-op placements from business schools gain valuable, hands-on experience. While it is important to study and attend classes, the co-op program immensely helps you to expand your professional skills. It allows you to ‘put your foot in the door’ and begin your career in your field of study.
My co-op experience helped me learn about my interests, develop skills in my field and, most importantly, make valuable business connections.
Discovering my interest: My experience in co-op allowed me to expand my passion in my field and discover which areas were of interest to me and which weren’t. It also gave me the opportunity to test my own strengths and weaknesses and excel in certain areas of my field.
Developing my skills: Business school courses concentrate on the theoretical aspect of business, but lack practical business teaching. Fortunately, co-op provided practical experience that allowed me to develop my skills and start my business.
Expanding my network: My co-op experience played a crucial role in guiding my professional career. The connections I made during my co-op placements are still very relevant to my career today. Some connections have become my co-workers, others are my clients, and others are business promoters.
Whether you realize it or not, a co-op program that provides you with professional experience in your field is very important for your career.
3. General Business Know-How
Many startups fail due to the founder’s lack of basic professional knowledge. This is where a business school can make a big difference. They give students the opportunity to understand the basic functioning of a startup and give an overview of each major business field.
As an entrepreneur, you may be in charge of many aspects of your company. Due to this, it is essential to understand the basics of each business field such as managing finances, monitoring operations, marketing your products and many other general administrative tasks. Business graduates are much more likely to successfully manage these operations than those who have no theoretical background.
It is unquestionable that the general business knowledge I gained during my studies has been of extreme value when starting my company. Though I was always most interested in marketing, studying business allowed me to become knowledgeable in essential day-to-day activities for my business.
4. Communication and Presentation Skills
For business owners, communication can be a major key to success. From conducting meetings to public speaking, strong communication and presentation skills are very important. The better you become at communicating, the greater the chances that your message will influence the target audience.
During your studies in business, you will be exposed to several communication practices such as public speaking, formal presentations, networking, and so on. For people that are not experienced or comfortable communicating or presenting, attending business school gives them the much-needed practice to improve these skills.
During my studies, I presented dozens of times and communicated professionally with hundreds of people. This has helped me improve my communication skills and my body language, but most importantly, it has helped me boost my confidence. As a business owner, I am required to present to small groups and speak to other business professionals on a daily basis. I can confidently say that I would not be nearly as comfortable and knowledgeable in public speaking as I am now if it weren’t for my business classes.
5. Inspiration and Guidance
Attending a business school played a major role in inspiring and guiding me to launch my business. During your time in business school, you get to know many professors and classmates who can become a big source of inspiration for your professional development.
Guidance from mentors and encouragement from peers can act as a strong catalyst in an entrepreneur’s life. They are people that can teach you valuable lessons and provide you with insight on the rights and wrongs of running your own business.
During my studies, many students and professors have inspired me to bring me where I am today. From professors who had become successful business owners to students with side businesses, I can confidently say that these people have had an impact on my business.
6. Extracurricular Activities
A business school lets you explore more than just educational knowledge. It allows you to discover other areas of interest by participating in extracurricular activities beyond the classroom. These activities help you create more connections, develop new skills and give you more professional experience.
By joining university clubs, you work alongside other students to fulfill a common goal. You learn to manage responsibility, work in groups and develop many other important skills that prove to be useful when running your own business.
At my university, I was a part of the Telfer Marketing Association. In this club, I worked on different projects and made truly great connections. Apart from participating in activities at Telfer, I took part in different competitions that allowed me to gain business experience and improve my overall professional performance.
7. Access to Resources
Most business schools offer additional support both during and after your graduation. The foundation of a successful business is its valuable resources, and a business school gives access to many of these to its students. From finding suitable mentors to opportunities for funding, a university gives you access to resources that might otherwise be difficult to attain.
In order to launch and grow a business, funding is important. Fortunately, business schools give you access to various grants and funding opportunities. Many business schools have a special fund for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as strong networks which provide opportunities for you to pitch your business ideas to investors. For example, to foster and support entrepreneurship, the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub has a four-month pre-accelerator program named Startup Garage. The mission of this program is to provide young entrepreneurs with the right mentorship, environment and funding to launch a new venture.
Business school also gives you access to experienced entrepreneurs and mentors. In entrepreneurship, experience is considered to be one of the most important assets. Finding the right mentor to help you guide your business is one of the best ways of gaining experience. They can provide you with the knowledge you need to improve business decisions and increase your chances of business success.
During my studies, the University of Ottawa gave me access to valuable resources like a strong network, mentors, databases and so on. These resources will be an asset to my business for years to come. I have already been able to profit from the resources offered at university, and I plan to continue capitalizing on them to grow my business.
8. Teamwork and Leadership Skills
Becoming an adept leader is not easy; it takes experience, knowledge and a series of important traits. However, the one thing that will help anyone improve their leadership skills is practice. In business school, students have the opportunity to practice these skills when participating in team projects and presentations. Having the opportunity to work in many different groups during your studies allows you to develop and sharpen your overall leadership skills.
Apart from academics, involvement in extracurricular activities can help you to develop leadership skills and improve teamwork abilities. Managing the day-to-day activities of your university clubs and working with teammates to achieve a common goal is an excellent way of developing your leadership capabilities.
During my time in business school, I participated in many activities that required teamwork. The valuable teamwork and leadership lessons I learned through academics, the co-op program, and extracurricular activities have become valuable skills for my career. These are skills that I use daily when managing my business and that are invaluable to my business’ success.
9. Work on your Business
For students who have recently started or would like to start a business during their studies, business school may offer them the opportunity to work on their business as assignments. Many classes may have project mandates that are relevant to your business and for which you will be able to implement in your business. This can be a great opportunity as it allows the student to receive relevant feedback from their professors and apply theoretical learnings to their business.
During my studies, some of my classes were able to contribute to what I was trying to build. For example, some of the services my company offers were thought of during my "New Venture Creation" class. I also had school projects that allowed me to work on launching my business. For example, the myMarketing.io website was designed during a project in my "Digital Marketing Technolgies" class.
10. Enhanced Credibility
It is undeniable that a business school degree helps strengthen the credibility of your business. As you already know, a degree helps candidates find a job, but what you may not realize is that a degree will also help a business owner attract prospects, clients, investors and partners to their business.
For business success, credibility is paramount; it is linked to client acquisition, investor trust, supplier confidence, business reputation and much more. A student that succeeds to build a strong reputation during their time in business school is likely to have much more success in their business ventures.
Throughout my time at university, I worked hard to try to stand out in each of my classes. My hard work allowed me to complete my program with one of the highest grades at Telfer. By doing this, I was able to prove myself as a credible connection to those in my network. The credibility I earned during my time in business school will be an asset to me for the rest of my career. Above all, the degree that I will receive at graduation will certify my credibility as a professional and the credibility of my business.
My Final Thoughts
After all, business school played a great role in starting my own digital marketing company. Today, with so many competitors in the industry, I consider my experience in business school a very valuable asset to my business.
I am thankful for having invested valuable time and effort in my university studies. They have truly paid off and will undoubtedly benefit my career and myMarketing.io for years to come.
- Category: Student Announcements
The Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) has been hosting the Elevator Pitch Competition as a part of Global Entrepreneurship Week for over a decade, showcasing top talent and innovation among uOttawa student-entrepreneurs. This year’s competition offers ten companies, competing in two divisions, an opportunity to pitch their business ideas for a chance at a prize pack valued at over $35,000; with $20,000 in cash prizes and over $15,000 in additional services including law (offered by LaBarge Weinstein LLP), accounting (offered by Logan Katz) and incubation space (offered by Invest Ottawa).
Throughout the years, the competition has grown both in popularity and in awareness amongst the Ottawa business community. Back in the first few years of the competition, there was one category which was only for companies that were already established. When Professor Stephen Daze, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management got involved in the event, he pushed for the formation of a second “Validation” category. Professor Daze recently explained the evolution of the competition, and shared that the new category “allows the opportunity to promote that it's important to validate your ideas before you just create a business. By showcasing the top five companies at this stage, [we] demonstrate to everyone else in the room what they need to be doing as next steps for their business ideas.”
Over the decades, TECDE, the Telfer School of Management, and the competition’s sponsors have been able to help countless companies launched by uOttawa students. Two of these companies include Hoppier, co-founded by Telfer alumnus, Cassy Aite, and Welbi, founded by Telfer alumna, Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau. These two bright co-founders will both be joining the 2019 competition as judges.
Aite, co-founder and CEO of Hoppier shared that: "the Elevator Pitch Competition gave Hoppier the opportunity to connect with a network of people and receive funding to help the company grow in a time when we needed it most. Hoppier was able to grow into a self-sustaining company, achieving over 6 figures in sales in its first year. Today, 2 years later, Hoppier employs over 20 people and is used by companies across Canada and the United States." The ability to create an impact in the lives of students and their companies over the years is the reason why TECDE continues to host this flagship event and strives to make improvements year over year.
In addition to the two category prizes, TECDE will be featuring a People’s Choice Award where the audience will vote on their favourite startup to be awarded a $2000 cash prize!
Join TECDE on Tuesday, November 19th in DMS 4101 to hear the 2019 finalists pitch their ideas and support our uOttawa student-entrepreneurs.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
From Monday, November 18th to Friday, November 22nd, the University of Ottawa will be celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week with unique events and workshops organized by the University of Ottawa Entrepreneurship Hub.
Whether you make valuable connections at the Telfer Career Centre’s Startup Career Fair, learn some HTML basics at the Coding with Legacy workshop, get inspired hearing new business ideas at the Elevator Pitch Competition, or attend any of the other events, be sure to take advantage of the incredible opportunities on campus this Global Entrepreneurship Week. See the schedule and register here.
Entrepreneurship is about more than just starting a business. Entrepreneurship is also a mindset and lifestyle. Before the week starts, you don’t have to go far to find the entrepreneurial spirit in our community! Our university is home to many budding innovators. Here is some advice that some student-entrepreneurs want to share with students interested in entrepreneurship:
Alina Jahani, CEO and Co-Founder of HireFast
While completing her degree in Management Information Systems and Analytics (now renamed Business Technology Management) at Telfer, Alina started HireFast, a SaaS company that reads through millions of data points on Github to source top developer talent for recruiters within seconds.
Alina shares, “starting your own business is an exciting process that leaves you tangled in tons of information about the best next step to take for your business. As a result, tons of great entrepreneurs get stuck in the quicksand known as analysis paralysis. The best way to stop yourself from sinking further is to get ‘out of the building’ and talk to your users about your idea and about your competition.
Logan MacPherson, Co-Founder of Point3D Commercial Imaging
Two years ago, Management and Entrepreneurship student, Logan launched his startup, Point3D Commercial Imaging, a B2B company that creates media experiences to allow audiences to digitally navigate a space as if they were actually there.
Logan adds that “everyone wants to be successful, but only a few are willing to put in the work to make it happen. From my experience, failing is a key part of the process, but more importantly, it is how you learn from failure that determines your success."
Andres Tovar, Co-Founder of Noetic Marketer
Marketing alumnus, Andres started his own digital agency, Noetic Marketer while he was studying Marketing at Telfer. Now he runs his company from Toronto.
Andres shared some meaningful advice: “entrepreneurship is about adding value to people’s lives through a business or an organization. Is your business making people’s life easier, more enjoyable, more affordable, or profitable? You don’t need a ground-breaking idea or a lot of money to achieve this, all you need to do is care, think critically about this question, and continue to push that agenda. So, don’t overcomplicate entrepreneurship, and put your energy into nurturing your mindset and learning new skills. The idea will come to you as you become passionate about starting your business.”
Check out the uOttawa Global Entrepreneurship Week event schedule to register and connect with some of the brightest and most creative people in Ottawa!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Telfer Impact goes beyond the classroom. There are countless stories of students and alumni who have truly made a difference through their involvement, community engagement, entrepreneurial vision, and hard work. Over the last 6 weeks, we’ve shared some incredible stories of Telfer students developing into the next generation of leaders:
The CASCO Impact
20 years ago, two inspired Telfer students founded the non-profit organization, CASCO. Every year, Telfer students team up to host spectacular events that raise money for families at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). CASCO has donated over $560,000 to the cause ever since.
The Growcer Impact
After visiting communities challenged with food insecurity in Northern Canada, two Telfer BCom alumni, Alida Burke and Corey Ellis created a hydroponic system that grows produce in controlled shipping containers. From there, the business, The Growcer Inc. was born. Today, the company is part of Invest Ottawa’s accelerator program, and its systems are being sold across Canada, empowering communities around the globe to grow their own produce.
The PhD Impact
Telfer PhD candidate, Alex Chung researches the design of wearable technology that influences human behaviour change. As a result of the balanced program, Alex has been able to lead an active and fulfilling life, while impacting the future of wearable technology.
The Unscented Company Impact
BCom alumna, Anie Rouleau is living her dream, running her own eco-sustainable, B Corp certified cleaning product business, The Unscented Company (TUC). Through her innovative business model, Anie has caught the attention of the public with her Dragons’ Den deal to sell TUC products in 500 Canadian Tire stores across Canada.
The MBA Impact
After discovering the world of administration while working at Montfort Hospital, Mélanie Potvin decided to elevate her experience with an MBA in French at Telfer. Now she has the crucial knowledge and confidence in her leadership role as Project Manager for the Orléans Health Hub at the hospital.
These are just a few stories of the meaningful change that Telfer Students are creating. What will be YOUR impact?
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The business world needs a world, and that's what Telfer BCom alumna Anie Rouleau understood in 2016, when she decided to launch her eco-responsible and certified B Corp venture, The Unscented Company (TUC).
Much more than just a company selling soaps and household products, TUC is trying to redefine the very concept of cleanliness by focusing on innovation and eco-design.
For Anie, sustainable development is not only a fundamental value, it is in the DNA of Unscented Co. From research and development, to minimalist, recyclable and plastic-free packaging, to re-filling stations at local retail partners, to the very furniture of its offices made from recycled materials, every decision is guided by this eco-responsible corporate philosophy.
Her innovative re-definition of the consumption model was not an immediate success, but her patience and strong convictions will have finally paid off in a market where until recently, the environment was not considered an issue."It will have taken a video of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose for people to wake up," she told us during our interview. "Now we are seeing a real willingness on the part of people to change their consumption habits, and business is starting to move," Anie concluded.
On that note, her business is definitely moving. On October 10, 2019, Canadian Tire announced on a CBC episode of Dragons’ Den, that they would bring TUC products into their 500 stores across Canada. Although Anie was already seeing some craze for her products in local markets, a national distributor such as Canadian Tire will allow her to amplify her message, and together, they will have a real opportunity to change the country's consumption habits.
Her story is an inspiration for the business community that proves that when you have strong convictions, you can make your dreams come true. Once again Anie, congratulations, and we are very proud to have a graduate among us who has such a great impact on our world! #TELFERNATION
- Category: Telfer Announcements
At the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, we believe that it is through hands-on learning experiences and community support that we can help our students reach their goals, accelerate their careers and make a positive impact on our collective future.
This is the case for The Growcer Inc. - an Ottawa-based social enterprise co-founded by Corey Ellis and Alida Burke, two Telfer BCom Alumni. The pair came up with the idea for their modular hydroponic growing systems after having visited remote communities who face food insecurity in Northern Canada.
The plug-and-play hydroponic system gives produce everything it needs to grow in a controlled environment, built inside retrofitted shipping containers. These enable northern communities, schools, Indigenous and regional governments, as well as other businesses and non-profit organizations to develop more self-reliant and sustainable local food systems.
Through Telfer opportunities and extra-curricular activities such as the E-Foundry course and Enactus, Corey and Alida were able to travel the world, understand the challenges communities face, and build their business. Enactus is a student-led organization that uses the power of entrepreneurship and business, to help solve social problems. In 2017, the University of Ottawa became one of The Grower's first customers and acquired one of the systems to grow local food that’s now being served in our own cafeteria.
Now, The Growcer has over 15 employees and operates out of Invest Ottawa’s accelerator program at Bayview Yards.
Find out more about The Growcer Inc.
Find out more about our Entrepreneurship at Telfer.
Find out about uOttawa's Enactus Chapter.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
As an aspiring entrepreneur, Cyril Moukarzel was looking for a school that would teach him the business skills needed to start and run a successful business. He was attracted to the Telfer School’s international recognition and faculty expertise, as well as its strong alumni network. These elements made Telfer the best fit for him.
The Telfer School has had a tremendous impact in Cyril’s professional and personal life. He explained the Professors helped guide him in his career path and provided him with the necessary skills to thrive in the business world. In fact, it is with the help of Professor Gurprit Kindra that he changed his major from entrepreneurship to marketing. This decision had a significant impact on his career, as he was able to learn about the digital marketing landscape, enabling him to “bootstrap startups from the ground up and grow them into revenue generating businesses”. Furthermore, during his time at Telfer, Cyril recalls several amazing experiences, like the time he won first place at the Telfer Elevator Pitch competition. He explained this accomplishment gave him the validation and the motivation he needed to pursue a career in Entrepreneurship.
When asked about how the Telfer School helped shape him into the person he is today, Cyril explained how the School helped launch his entrepreneurship career. It is thanks to the Telfer School that he was able to take part in the Startup Garage Accelerator. The program helped him acquire the funding necessary to get his first startup off the ground. The startup, called eCelery, is an “online marketplace where hungry food lovers can order authentic ethnic meals from chefs cooking in their own kitchens”. Without this program and the Telfer School, Cyril would not have been able to grow his startup to 40 chefs and gain hundreds of monthly sales in just a few months. Cyril also explained the individuals he met during his studies helped him get to where he is today.
After eCelery, Cyril worked as the head of Marketing for a few startups, where he was put in charge of growing their sales and customer base. He also participated in the Techstars Accelerator Program in Berlin for 3 months, which helped him hone his marketing and entrepreneurship skills before he could start his next venture. Cyril aspires to create a positive impact and change the world with his companies. He is achieving this goal with his current company, LifeDNA. LifeDNA is a personal genomics company that analyzes your DNA and creates a customized regimen of dietary supplements based on your unique genetics. With a growing team and some of the best advisors, LifeDNA created the most personalized supplement line in the world. In this regard, Cyril recalls that Telfer connected him with the Entrepreneurship community in Ottawa and taught him essential business skills, which helped him make this positive impact.
Connect with Cyril on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrilmoukarzel/
Learn more about LifeDNA: https://www.lifedna.com/
- Category: Rising Stars
Alida Burke was born and raised in Ottawa, and made the decision to study at the Telfer School of Management to have a positive impact in her community. She recently completed her fourth year of studies, specializing in Accounting. Alida has always been interested in making a positive impact in communities across Canada, which is why she joined Enactus in her first year of studies. Enactus is a student club at Telfer aimed at building social enterprises to tackle social and environmental issues in our community. During her fourth year, she held the Vice-President of Finance position. Through Enactus, Alida met another student who shared the same passion as her for the wellbeing of Canadian communities. Together, they created their own startup called The Growcer.
Click here to visit their website.
It all started when Alida decided to do something about the issues regarding food security in the Northern communities of Canada. Her company provides state-of-the-art farming systems that allow people to grow fresh produce with ease all year long. These systems are suitable for virtually any temperature, and do not require any farming experience to operate. What is interesting is the fact that this business lets people grow produce in a sustainable way, while still making profits year-round. You can find one of her farming systems at the University of Ottawa, near the Morisset library. Alida even appeared on the show “The Dragon’s Den” with her business partner to pitch her business, where she astounded everyone with her ability to manage such a revolutionary business while still studying at Telfer.
Click here to watch her appearance on The Dragon’s Den.
Not only has Alida been involved in Enactus, she has also been a Telfer Peer Mentor, a Career Centre ambassador and a Teaching Assistant for Financial Accounting! When she is not getting involved in her community, you can find Alida hiking in Gatineau Park and finding great local bookshops. Her involvement in the Telfer community has granted her many opportunities, and allowed her to meet likeminded people who have strongly enriched her student experience. Alida encourages everyone to do the same!
Her current work aspirations are to obtain her CPA and to work in a field she is passionate about, which is currently at The Growcer. Her impressive accomplishments lead us to believe she will undoubtedly find success in any field she chooses to pursue.
We wish Alida luck with her future endeavors!
Connect with Alida Burke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidaburke/
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Foundry course (ADM3396) is a cross-campus initiative that leverages University and community resources to help you grow your business venture in a for-credit 13-week long course. This course lets you earn credits while working on your existing business or social enterprise (not just an idea), acting as an accelerator for your entrepreneurial venture.
You will have access to external mentors at themed sessions as well as frequent access to “lab” time to allow you to focus on your business. Course deliverables are designed to be relevant to your venture and each week you will have dedicated work time to help meet your milestones.
This course is open to all University of Ottawa students.
Interviews and Application
An interview and acceptance process will ensure only those most committed to real entrepreneurship will be accepted. Student teams are eligible, and not all members need to be registered for the course to participate. Space is limited to 25 students.
Venture Assessment
- Your venture will be evaluated by using a pre-survey and interview to determine where you are at with your venture and set goals.
- At the end of the course, you will be interviewed to measure the progress.
- Frequent pitches will allow you to develop your pitch skills, as well as gain valuable feedback from professors, mentors and peers.
Below you can watch Andres Tovar talking about his experience taking the Entrepreneurship Foundry course and building his business Noetic Marketer.
The course will run Fall 2020, Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
To learn more and to apply for the course, please contact Stephen Daze.
- Category: Latest News
CEOx1Day is on the Hunt for Canada’s Top Students!
The CEO x1 Day program, run by executive recruiting firm, Odgers Berndtson, matches Canada’s top students with CEOs from across the country. Today’s students are the leaders of tomorrow and the yearly program aims to uncover some of Canada’s most promising future talent by giving them an unforgettable real-world experience.
The program has matched over 80 third and fourth year undergraduate students from across the country with leading Canadian CEOs from organizations like IKEA, PayPal, De Beers Canada, Purolator, the CFL, Manulife Financial, Kellogg, CBC/Radio-Canada, Amnesty International and the Canadian Red Cross. This year, we have another fantastic line-up of 19 CEOs from organizations in the private, public and not-for profit sectors including Toronto Pearson International Airport, Cirque du Soleil, IKEA, Mindbrige AI, Servus Credit Union, WSP Canada, Broadband TV, ArcelorMittal and more!
Past CEOx1Day students who have taken part in the program say that they received valuable experience that equips them with the tools to start building their careers. Because the selection process has several stages, there is an opportunity for students to get feedback on their leadership and interview skills that are instrumental to their career development. The different phases of the selection process include an online leadership assessment, as well as phone and in-person interviews and a half day with Odgers Berndtson recruiters.
The application process kicks off September 27th until October 26th and the actual day spent with the CEO occurs in February 2019.
Why Should You Apply?
The program gives third and fourth-year students an opportunity to take in-class learning and apply it to real-world situations while providing you with the tools and skills needed to start building your career.
What Are the Benefits?
There are many benefits of going through the CEOx1Day application process – even if you don’t reach the finalist round:
- 2 out of 3 applicants will have the opportunity to receive a personalized leadership report from Hogan Assessments
- Semi-finalists will be considered for an interview with McKinsey & Company for a summer internship or full-time job
- Semi-finalists will spend a half day participating in group exercises and one-on-one interviewing which will strengthen their presentation and interviewing skills
- And ultimately, the winners will spend a full day shadowing a CEO (including one-on-one time), learning about his/her background, career path, and leadership approach
- You can also see first-hand what previous winners have to say about the program.
Interested in applying? Starting September 27th, 2018, third and fourth-year students can apply at ceox1day.ca until October 26th, 2018.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
There are over 250 student associations at the University of Ottawa, which encourage students to work with their peers while discovering their strengths and passions. One of the newest teams, Formula uOttawa, continues to evolve and promote experiential learning opportunities in the STEM fields through a collaboration of multiple faculties, including the Faculty of Engineering and the Telfer School of Management.
Formula uOttawa is the University of Ottawa’s student race car team. Each year, the team is required to design and build a brand new race car, which is judged at various international competitions and scored based on the overall design, cost, and performance of the car. The team’s third season has officially come to an end, after their most successful competition to date at Formula North 2018. The team placed 23rd out of 49 registered teams. By gaining this hands-on experience, the members of the Formula uOttawa team are able to highlight to employers that they can apply the knowledge and skills that they have learned in the classroom. As a result of the hard work of the students on this team, numerous members have secured internships at multinational companies including Tesla, Chrysler, and Continental Tire.
Not only were the racing events at Formula North a success, the talented group of students from the Telfer School of Management were able to capture 2nd place in the business presentation out of 27 teams. These outstanding students made this year’s car possible by securing 26 sponsors who provided over $30 000 in donations. The students from the Telfer School of Management are members of the Formula uOttawa Marketing Team, Accounting Team, and Administration Team.
Formula uOttawa could not have attended the international competition without the hard work and collaboration of students in both faculties.
For more information about Formula uOttawa and to learn how you can get involved, visit their website at www.formulauottawa.com
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Telfer alumnus Cassy Aite (BCom 2015), and his co-founded company Desk Nibbles have landed pre-seed financing to fund U.S. expansion. Desk Nibbles uses Artificial Intelligence to make it easier for Office Managers to manage their office kitchens. With over 65 customers and a growing number of employees, Desk Nibbles is quickly expanding.
Read more about the pre-seed financing to fund U.S. expansion.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
A new Telfer study, conducted in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada, identifies action strategies to increase federal SME supplier diversity and inclusive innovation. Showcased at the Chatham House International Policy Forum in the UK, the report provides important benchmarks about the progress of women entrepreneurs in Canada, and sets a standard of reporting in examining gender of firm ownership, breadth and types of innovation and federal SME contracting.
The empirical report and action strategies will be of interest to policymakers, small business and innovation organizations, advocates, industry associations, and corporations that support supplier diversity. The research, for example, helped to inform a key Chatham House conference resolution, one that the W20 adopt entrepreneurship, procurement, and trade as one of its three policy priorities.
Telfer report recommendations include:
- Adopting sector-specific strategies to help achieve the Government of Canada's commitment to increase the participation of women business owners from 10 percent to 15 percent in federal contracting. Sector-specific strategies follow from the Telfer finding that gender differences in the likelihood of SMEs being federal contractors varied significantly by industry sector.
- Improving SME procurement data and analytics, including large samples and detailed analyses to move beyond anecdotal evidence and to increase SME contracting opportunities.
- Developing gender-sensitive procurement training in collaboration with industry organizations, such as Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC), WBE Canada, WEConnect International Canada, Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC), among others.
View the 'Action Strategies to Increase the Diversity of SME Suppliers to The Goverment of Canada` report.
View the full 'Benchmarking SME Suppliers to The Government of Canada' English report.
View Related Telfer Publications and Initiatives.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
People, planet, and profit. Otherwise better known as the "triple bottom line," this concept distinguishes itself by including certain spheres, namely social and environmental, in assessing the profitability of a business. It's from this same vision that The Unscented Company, a line of unscented home and body care products, was born. The brand was launched in 2016 on two founding principles that greatly inspired founder and CEO Anie Rouleau in her company's creative process. "Firstly, we had to redefine the notion of clean by offering exclusively unscented, all-natural products. Secondly, we had to design our packaging for conscious living, with the goal of significantly reducing our collective plastic footprint."
Anie's philosophy is based on a model combining transparency, inclusiveness and accountability. More specifically, "what inspires me are the men and women who hold on to their vision, while staying true to their own beliefs, even when it's hard."
It's thanks to this same innovative vision that Anie's company was awarded B Corp certification, making The Unscented Company the first Canadian home and body care product company to be certified.
"I find real joy in giving back. I want to contribute to a better world and I enjoy building the business of tomorrow." This same desire to give back is reflected in the Anie Rouleau International Exchange Scholarship. Established in 1999, this scholarship not only gives young people the opportunity to pursue their studies abroad, but also encourages young women to carve their own path to entrepreneurship. "Every thank-you letter I get from recipients reminds me how important it is to give back and be involved in the academic lives of young people."
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
"Enactus uOttawa has been named both the 2018 TD Entrepreneurship Challenge National Champion as well as the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge National Champion for their business, The Growcer.
The Growcer’s core product is a state-of-the-art farming system that utilizes hydroponic technology to enable entrepreneurs to create their own businesses growing produce locally in northern food-insecure communities. Enactus uOttawa’s Growcer system has yielded 10,000 servings of vegetables in just 5 months.
Enactus uOttawa was also named a finalist in the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge, and the Hellman’s Food Security Challenge. These competitions were created to empower post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach relevant entrepreneurship skills to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.
Drew Stirling, VP External, mentions that “Enactus has been an incredible platform to develop personally and professionally, meet other driven students, and travel the world - all while learning to use business to change the world for the better”.
The Growcer was also named finalist in the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge, and the Hellman’s Food Security Challenge.
Not to be outdone, Alida Burke was named Project leader of the Year, while Holly Todd was also named the HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow runner up. uOttawa had a strong showing at nationals finishing 2nd overall amongst 70 other schools.
"It's always great to challenge ourselves at competition and see the growth of the team year after year - I could not be more proud to lead this team", says Holly Todd, President of Enactus uOttawa.
Congratulations to Enactus uOttawa on a successful National Championship!
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership (CEL) at the University of Ottawa and Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute have collaborated to launch the Ontario Inclusive Innovation (I2) Action Strategy.
The Brookfield Institute of Entrepreneurship + Innovation has awarded Telfer CEL, in collaboration with Ryerson’s Diversity Institute, a $225,000 contract to report on the state of women’s enterprise support in Ontario, facilitate gender-sensitivity entrepreneurship workshops, develop a certification program, and host a conference to showcase evidence-based practices for empowering women entrepreneurs. Industry partners include: Women in Communication and Technology, WEConnect International Canada, Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council, WBE Canada, YWCA and Youth Employment Services.
Telfer and Diversity Institute research has shown the need for women-friendly culture and gender-sensitive entrepreneurship services. Community-based enterprise supports focus heavily on technology, in spite of the importance of other sectors in which entrepreneurial women operate in larger numbers. Women entrepreneurs are significantly less likely to secure capital and government contracts, resulting in lost business opportunities.
“It is an economic imperative to translate evidence-based insights into programs and tools that empower women entrepreneurs. Failure to support growth-oriented and diverse entrepreneurs wastes intellectual resources and contributes to economic and social inequality,” says Telfer faculty member and Project Lead Dr. Barbara Orser. “This 12 month action strategy is expected to transform Ontario into one of the most inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems in the world.”
Adds Diversity Institute Director Dr. Wendy Cukier, coauthor of Innovation Nation, “Women play a critical role in driving economic growth. We need to remove barriers to diverse women and ensuring that the processes and supports do not reflect conscious or unconscious bias. Our recent research has shown immigrant, racialized, and indigenous female entrepreneurs face additional challenges. Diversity drives innovation and we can leverage what we know about innovation to level the playing field.”
- Category: Latest News
Tuesday, April 3, 2018, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Join us on April 3, 2018 for the next event in our Entrepreneurship Bridges Lecture Series. We will be hearing from guest speaker Cole Miller, Founder of Twelve Barrels, as well as announcing the 2018 Startup Garage cohort.
Cole will be offering guests of the event a free tasting* of his whiskey, Twelve Barrels. Cole Miller is currently launching Twelve Barrels, a whisky brand in Canada. An entrepreneur with experience as a Junior Marketer and as an Apprentice Whisky Distiller at the Lakes Distillery Company, Cole acquired a Bachelor of Cognitive Science and a Minor in Entrepreneurship from Carleton University. He is also an alumnus of uOttawa’s Startup Garage.
The Startup Garage is an initiative of the University of Ottawa’s Innovation Support Services to foster and support youth entrepreneurship in the Ottawa area. The program offers youth-led ventures the opportunity to accelerate their business by working full time over the course of three months during the summer. Startup Garage provides each participating company with four essential tools: cash, office space, mentorship and support. The program is delivered through the generous support of the University of Ottawa, Gowling WLG, BMO and Logan Katz LLP.
*Valid ID Required (19+). For those who are interested in the tasting, you will be required to present valid ID to obtain a ticket and may be asked again by the server to present your valid ID. One sample per person.
- Category: Student Announcements
The regional exposition of the Enactus Canada championships took place from March 8-9 in Mississauga, Ontario.
We would like to congratulate Enactus uOttawa president, Holly Todd, who was named the HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow.
The team was crowned champion in their respective leagues in the following challenges:
- Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge
- Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge Ottawa
- TD Entrepreneurship Challenge
They were also second runner up in the Capital One Financial Education Challenge.
"Regionals was when everything really clicked for me when it came to Enactus, and it was really nice to see that happening for the newer members. I'm so proud of our team and am extremely grateful to be working with such a hard-working, dedicated, talented, intelligent and fun group of people." Holly Todd, President, Enactus uOttawa
Hosted at the Hilton Meadowvale, the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition for the Central Canada category endorsed the entrepreneurial achievements of over 500 students across the region. With the additional help of professionals, academic advisors, and organizers, it was a two-day event filled with competitive spirit, collaboration, and celebration. Students competed in live presentations that demonstrated their positive outreach in both their local and international communities - all within the categories of entrepreneurship, environmental issues, youth empowerment, and financial education.
Enactus uOttawa, now a group of over 90 motivated young leaders from seven different faculties at the University of Ottawa, competed in all four categories.
The Enactus uOttawa team will now move on to compete in the Enactus Canada National Exposition taking place from May 14 to 16 in Toronto, Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
During the Winter Study Week (February 20th - 23rd, 2018), the Telfer School offered a four-day intensive course entitled Global Marketing & Innovation Strategy: Learning about and from China, taught by Amy Karam, a Telfer alumnus, who is the author of the book, The China Factor. The course addressed the topic of whether: “There is a global economic power shift and whether Western-based businesses are being challenged in different ways by the rapid growth of China and other emerging entrants and what can they do about it?”
The course offering served as a guide for Western companies to understand how their Chinese competitors do business and how they can change their strategy to be more successful in international markets. A third of the class were BCom students from China who shared their expertise regarding the Chinese emerging market with other Canadian BCom students.
With the emergence of China, the rules of the global business and trade game have changed. Innovation and product superiority are no longer enough to win business in international markets – especially in emerging markets. Western companies need to re-evaluate their sales and marketing strategies and reposition themselves in the context of a new genre of competition and different customer demands. This course explored how China and other emerging entrants do business using the 5Ps of Global Marketing Framework while studying how a Western-based company can learn from them and adapt their strategy, all while incorporating competitive dynamics into their plan. Maintaining an innovation advantage is also a key success factor in the new global economy and students learned ways to become innovative at innovation by learning about new models.
Amy Karam, who is a speaker, consultant, author and corporate instructor of Stanford University professional development courses, taught this intensive seminar. She has advised and trained sales teams, executives and managers across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa and at companies such as Cisco, Apple, Visa, Nationwide, Capital One, SAP, Bell Canada and AT&T. Notably, she led a CEO-sponsored global competitive sales support program at Cisco Systems, the catalyst for her current practice. She has also led business development initiatives with the World Bank, ITU-D, government Ministers of emerging countries and high-technology companies, to foster public and private sector collaboration.
- Category: Latest News
The uOttawa Top Start-ups initiative recognizes and celebrates the culmination of each annual cycle of teaching, competitions, workshops and hard work that lead to exciting start-ups.
Already in its 4th year, this annual search for the top start-ups on campus is a collaborative effort between the Telfer School of Management, the Faculty of Engineering, Startup Garage and the uOttawa e-hub.
The 2018 Top uOttawa start-ups, in alphabetical order, are:
GameStrat
GameStrat is a sports software company that specializes in sideline instant replay and real-time analytics. GameStrat currently provides solutions for a number of different sports such as football, basketball and volleyball, with plans to branch out to other sports in the future.
Co-Founders: Tunch Akkaya, CEO & Co-Founder, BASc 2015, Diploma 2016, MEng 2017 and Elijah Wu, Lead Developer & Co-Founder, BASc 2015.
Transparent Kitchen
Transparent Kitchen leverages technology to empower independent restaurants and local food entrepreneurs to sell better, so that we can all eat better. Powered by our Interactive Menu Application, our online platform improves customer engagement, resulting in higher online conversions, while connecting our B2B partners to new B2C revenue channels.
Co-Founders: Frazer Nagy, CEO, BSocSc 2015, Andrej Sakic, CDO, BSocSc 2014 and Jérôme St-Hilaire, CTO.
ZoomMate
ZoomMate is an online platform that helps people find roommates/housing. ZoomMate has found a way to solve the issues of roommate seeking that makes sense. ZoomMate allows people to find homes that they like and fill it with people that are compatible with them. ZoomMate also helps landlords fill their homes with individuals that are compatible.
Co-Founders: Moktar Yusuf, CEO & Co-Founder, Telfer BCom 2017 and Himanish Kaushal, CTO & Co-Founder.
“Each year the quality of start-ups on campus is improving” says Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School. “Student interest, faculty programming and an increasing culture of entrepreneurship is contributing to this rise in quality and it’s encouraging to see our next generation of leaders creating their own opportunities”.
HOW WERE THE TOP START-UPS ON CAMPUS SELECTED?
A public web-based call for nominations allowed start-ups to show their interest. The nominees were then evaluated by a campus entrepreneurship committee and an initial long list of top start-ups was selected.
Feedback from various alumni and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley was obtained before a final list of “Top Start-ups” is selected. These Top start-ups will be invited to visit Silicon Valley for a learning and business development experience in May 2018, a trip which coincides with the annual Telfer Executive MBA trip to the Valley.
“The trip exposed me to some of the top entrepreneurial thinkers and companies in the world. The effect was to make me think bigger. It also made me realize that I (and Canadians in general) have no shortage of amazing ideas. We can, however, learn a lot from ‘the Valley’ on how to execute on those ideas and impact more people than we could have previously imagined.” - Jeff Perron, Co-Founder of TruReach and Top Start-up recipient in 2016.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
It was another great success for our Entrepreneurship Bridges Lecture Series, which brought together the co-founders and co-CEOs of Surmesur, François and Vincent Thériault, and the Elevator Pitch Competition presented by the National Bank.
The annual Elevator Pitch Competition showcases some of the University of Ottawa’s top talent. As a part of Global Entrepreneurship week, this competition allows young entrepreneurs to present their business ideas that are still in the early stages of development to a panel of judges and Rise to the Top. The winners are awarded with a generous cash prize that they can put towards furthering their business idea. “The competition is a great preview into what students are working on and what is to come. Entrepreneurs create jobs and grow economies and it’s encouraging to see that our students are building the next generation of businesses, both traditional for-profits and social enterprises”, mentions Stephen Daze.
The competition has two categories: validation and traction. Each category can make a big contribution to the development of a start-up, with prizes of $5,000 and $10,000 respectively.
Results:
Validation Competition: Swich
Swich is a carbon air filter company utilized for odor elimination across many industries. It’s the world’s first reusable and biodegradable can-styled carbon filter and is the most economic, efficient and environmentally sustainable option on the market.
“We are in the beginning of a Green rush, and when everyone in mining for gold you want to be the one selling them shovels and pickaxes. Or in our case Carbon filters”, said Adam Czach, Co-founder of Swich.
Traction Competition: Desk Nibbles
Desk Nibbles is a local uOttawa startup serving snacks across the country. They Strive to create the best customer experience and ensure providing their clients with the best snacks in Canada.
“Anyone can agree the work they do deserves to be treated with a snack once in a while. Desk Nibbles is a service that prides itself on delivering that treat straight to the employees of any office. Desk Nibbles delivers the best snacks to your office, so it can glow with varieties of taste tested, proven, premium healthy snacks. These snacks will energize the minds and bodies of the workplace. It’s also a simple, painless process, no need to lift a finger. Simply signup online or call a representative to place an order. Then receive bundles of the best healthy snacks for to any office hassle free.”
Visit their website at https://desknibbles.com/
- Category: Donations / Fundraising
Fulfilment Enough
I’m an accountant, and my practice includes a specialization in fundraising. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when you ask people to give money to a cause, you better be ready to give when they ask you for something in return. I approached fundraising for the Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award with this insight in mind. The scholarship award is given each year to recognize a member of The Entrepreneurs’ Club for his or her participation and dedication to the club. The award is named for a friend, former fellow club executive and budding entrepreneur who died in an accident back in 1993, when we were both Telfer BCom students.
I was asked by the school to revive the award financially so it remains viable for years to come. Rather than simply putting the touch on a few club alumni with fat wallets, I asked the school and its students for something instead. I decided the school’s request would be a great opportunity for me to work with today’s executives of The Entrepreneurs’ Club and share my knowledge and experience with fundraising. What better way, I thought, to honour Kevin’s memory and further his legacy than not only to raise the necessary funds, but also mentor his successors at the club about this vital part of business life.
The fact that the Telfer School is honouring me is proof that my approach is a winning one. The Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award is well on its way to becoming fully funded and sustainable for many years, and several students have gained important knowledge and valuable real-world experience in the process. Best of all, Kevin’s legacy at the school and the club is secure. That’s more than fulfilment enough for me.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
This page is for the 2018 Entrepreneurship Foundry Course. For information on the upcoming session, visit this year's page.
The Entrepreneurship Foundry is a cross-campus initiative that leverages University and community resources to help you grow your business venture in a for-credit 13-week long course.
The Entrepreneurship Foundry course will act as an accelerator for your entrepreneurial venture; you will have access to external mentors at themed sessions as well as frequent access to “lab” time to allow you to focus on your business.
- Your venture will be evaluated by using a pre-survey and interview to determine where you are at with your venture and set goals.
- At the end of the course you will be interviewed to measure the progress
- Mandatory 3 slide check-ins on a bi-weekly basis; will allow you to develop your pitch skills, as well as gain valuable feedback from professors, mentors and peers.
An interview and acceptance process will ensure only those most committed to real entrepreneurship will be accepted.
The course will run this winter on Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. and space is limited to 25 students. Student teams are eligible and not all members need to be registered for the course to participate. The deadline to submit applications is December 12, 2017.
To learn more and to apply for the course, please contact Stephen Daze.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
Professor Daina Mazutis has received an Honorable Mention for the 2016 Page Prize for Excellence in Sustainable Business Education awarded by the Darla Moore School of Business. Professor Mazutis was recognized for her undergraduate course “Leadership, Strategy and Sustainability” (ADM 4317).
This fourth year Bachelor of Commerce course focuses on corporate social responsibility and sustainability at multiple levels – self, others, the organization and society. It covers topics such as social entrepreneurship, carbon-negative enterprises, regenerative business models and the circular economy, instilling within undergraduate students and business leaders a keen understanding of the importance of sustainability in business.
This recognition underlines Professor Mazutis’ expertise in the field of sustainability and CSR. She holds an endowed Professorship of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability at the Telfer School, through which she focuses her research on the path to more socially and environmentally conscious organizations. Her research lies at the intersection of strategy, leadership and corporate responsibility, approaching environmental and social issues facing organizations today as critical strategic issues that require a broader understanding of business' role in society.
We would like to congratulate Professor Mazutis on this remarkable honour.
About the Page Prize
Now in its 10th year, the Dr. Alfred N. and Lynn Manos Page Prize for Sustainability Issues in Business Curricula is designed to encourage and support efforts to introduce or substantially upgrade sustainability courses or associated course work into the curriculum of business schools, both nationally and internationally.
The Page Prize is awarded annually for the best submission based on the integration of sustainability into business curricula. Submissions are welcomed from faculty, doctoral students and others related to innovative approaches to teaching sustainability to business students. Previous applications have covered a wide range of disciplines including accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management, marketing, operations and supply chain management, and organizational behavior.
For more information on the Page Prize or on the recipients, please click here.
- Category: Rising Stars
Jordan Samaroo is a BCom-JD student who benefitted from the Telfer School of Management’s First-Year Advising initiative and is now beginning his second year of study. According to Jordan, what’s unique about Telfer is that it "acknowledges the entrepreneurial spirit innate in all business students. Whether it is through the extensive list of clubs offered in every commerce discipline, the Telfer Capital Fund, challenging case competitions, or academic excellence, Telfer ignites ambition in all its students. In my opinion, such ambition breeds the type of healthy competition that drives the business world and pushes students to do their best.”
Involved in the Telfer Business Law Association (TBLA), Jordan says that as a student studying both commerce and common law, he has enjoyed being able to be a part of a club whose goal is to connect with undergraduate business students who are curious about the field of law and the prospect of going to law school. Through TBLA, Jordan has been able to participate in events like the TBLA Mock Trial, help coordinate the planning of the TBLA executive leadership retreat, and speak on behalf of TBLA at the Place à la jeunesse academic competition. Jordan says that he is motivated to participate in all of the opportunities that Telfer and uOttawa have to offer because he believes student engagement is an integral part of being involved in the university community.
Reflecting on the difficult decision of choosing the right university for him, Jordan explained, “My decision of choosing where to study was not easy, but Telfer has definitely proven to be the right choice. Being a bilingual student, Telfer offered an unparalleled bilingual experience. Having the opportunity to study in both French and English, coupled with the opportunity to study two fields that I’m passionate about - Commerce and Law - allowed me to enhance my language skills while being passionate about what I am learning. A bilingual university as a whole offers an enriched learning experience for all students.”
For high school students going through the process of choosing a university, Jordan advises, “Committing to a university is so much more than simply evaluating averages; it is about choosing the institution that can provide you with the best student experience. For me, Telfer offered it all: from intensive case studies and competitions, to high quality professors, to a great CO-OP program and career prospects. The School is actively working to connect each and every student to what matters to each of them. For these reasons and so many more, I recommend you choose Telfer; you won’t regret your choice!”
- Category: Latest News
By Brandon Gillet, Gazette, May 12, 2017.
Enactus uOttawa was runner-up at the 2017 Enactus Canada National Exposition in Vancouver, where 40 universities and colleges presented business-minded approaches to solving social problems. The uOttawa team showcased food security and job creation initiatives in Canada’s North.
Through The Growcer, Enactus uOttawa hopes to combat food insecurity in isolated Inuit communities.The team has also launched Sprout, which aims to bring fresh, healthy options to low-income food deserts in Ottawa and other cities.The projects were presented by Enactus uOttawa president Corey Ellis, Alida Burke, Faraz Malik and Vivian Liu.
The uOttawa team also took home the BDC Entrepreneurs First Project Partnership Best Project award for the Iqaluit Innovation Hub, a co-working space and community initiative to encourage entrepreneurship. The project was presented by Brianna Fraser and Steven Bui.
A fourth project, Sanajit, is a social enterprise in Iqaluit that up-cycles discarded wood into quality furniture. It acts as a recycling program for the community and a mentorship program for high school students to learn about the trades. The project was presented by Parker Selman and McKinley Richards.
Congratulations to Enactus uOttawa. Best wishes, as well, to the Memorial University team that will represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup to be held London, England, in September.
Video: Enactus uOttawa's National Exposition send-off
Related story: Recipe for better health
- Category: Latest News
On May 3, 2017, the Telfer Community joined Enactus uOttawa at the Annual National Showcase to highlight their key accomplishments and explain the high-level impact the team has had on the community.
The event also served to “send-off” the team, who will be attending the Enactus Canada National Exposition, happening in Vancouver on May 9-11. During this event, teams will present their projects, and demonstrate to panels of senior executives how they are making a real impact in their communities. Teams attending the National Exposition will be competing for the title of National Champion and a chance to represent Canada in English on the world stage in the fall of 2017.
This chance to represent the University at a national level comes after the Enactus uOttawa team competed in the Regional Exposition, and placed second in the Financial Literacy and Eco Living challenges as well as first place in the remaining two; Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship. The projects presented were judged based off specific impact criteria, unique to each particular category.
The projects presented by the team were all a result of the students’ hard work applying the skills they learn in and outside the classroom. Here is an example of the projects that will be presented at the National Exposition:
- Sanajit is a social enterprise in Iqaluit, Nunavut that up-cycles discarded wood into quality furniture, also acts as a recycling program for the community and a mentorship program for high school students to learn about the trades. The project will be presented by Parker Selman and McKinley Richards.
- The Iqaluit Innovation Hub is a co-working space and community initiative to encourage entrepreneurship as a viable career path and provide otherwise non-existent resources to individuals looking to start their own ventures in the north. The project will be presented by Brianna Fraser and Steven Bui.
- Sprout is a local social enterprise looking to address Ottawa’s food deserts by using a consignment approach that enables convenience store owners to provide affordable fresh produce to families in need. Sprout will be one of the projects featured in the team’s National presentation by Corey Ellis, Alida Burke, Faraz Malik and Vivian Liu.
Join us in wishing them good luck for the National Exposition, and stay tuned for the results!
- Category: Latest News
In an effort to help streamline the drive of entrepreneurial students, the Telfer School of Management in conjunction with the Faculty of Engineering and Arts, has recently meshed entrepreneurship projects with course credits. The Entrepreneurship Foundry Course is a cross-campus initiative that leverages University and community start-up resources to help students grow their business venture in a “for-credit” 13-week long course.
“The course, essentially an incubator with a course credit attached to it, offers immense opportunities to students who are looking to move their businesses along and benefit from both external and University resources,” stated Stephen Daze, Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence. “Twice throughout the semester, participants even pitch their business to external judges for prize money.”
Students apply to be accepted into the program and their ventures are interviewed to evaluate where start-ups are at with their ventures and what they can accomplish over the course of the semester. At the end of the course, they make a final pitch and report on their progress to highlight their accomplishments throughout the semester. Mandatory check-ins on a bi-weekly basis allow students to develop their pitch skills, as well as gain valuable feedback from professors, external mentors and peers.
Microbright, for instance, is a start-up that uses microbes naturally found in the environment to remove toxic metals from water that comes from mining activities. “The entrepreneurship foundry helped me understand how to succeed with a start up from a business perspective. It provided me with tools and mentorship I would not have had access to otherwise,” indicated Daniel Grégoire, a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Science and one of the founders of Microbright.”
Eephorea, on the other hand, aims to cater to the entertainment industry by producing and promoting live entertainment experiences. “If people are going to be at an event for several hours, there might as well be some engaging activities for them to enjoy in addition to the headliner attractions. Simple activities like food sampling, acrobatic dancers, photo props and intriguing visual displays can really enhance a guest’s experience and make the event more memorable,” said Zachary Princi, a student at the Telfer School of Management. “The entrepreneurship foundry course allowed me to put more time into my business without taking me away from completing my studies.”
For more information on the program and to find out how to participate in the winter of 2018, please contact Stephen Daze.
- Category: Latest News
The uOttawa Top 5 Start-ups initiative recognizes and celebrates the culmination of each annual cycle of teaching, competitions, workshops and hard work that lead to exciting start-ups.
Already in its 3rd year, this annual search for the top 5 start-ups on campus is a collaborative effort between the Telfer School of Management, the Faculty of Engineering, Startup Garage and the uOttawa e-hub.
“Each year the quality of start-ups on campus is improving” says Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School. “Student interest, faculty programming and an increasing culture of entrepreneurship is contributing to this rise in quality and it’s encouraging to see our next generation of leaders creating their own opportunities”.
The Top 5 uOttawa start-ups, in alphabetical order, are:
Kegshoe
- Cofounders: Torin Regier, CFO (Telfer BCom 2017), Mike Eagar, CMO (former student, uOttawa), and Adrian Pawliszko, CTO (Civil Engineering student, uOttawa).
- Kegshoe Inc. is a software company for the beer industry that provides user-friendly, cloud-based solutions to manage the
complex business of running a brewery. With features like keg tracking and a brewery-specific
CRM, Kegshoe Inc. is helping breweries solve their biggest and most expensive problems.
Spiderwort
- Cofounders: Dr. Charles M. Cuerrier, CEO (Postdoctoral fellow, uOttawa), Dr. Andrew E. Pelling, CTO (Associate Professor, Department of Physics, uOttawa) and Daniel J. Modulevsky, CBO (PhD candidate, Biology, uOttawa).
- Spiderwort has developed innovative biomaterials for medical research, reconstructive surgery and regenerative medicine. Spiderwort’s strategy relies on the use of cellulose scaffolds for the regeneration and repair of damaged or diseased tissues.
Spivo Inc.
- Cofounders: Andre Bellerive, CEO (BASc 2014 and currently completing a Master’s program in Engineering at uOttawa) and
Marc Bjerring, COO (BASc in Mechanical Engineering, 2014, uOttawa). - Spivo Inc. designs, manufactures and sells creative camera
accessories which capture life’s memories like never before. Their flagship product, the Spivo Stick is a patent pending rotating camera mount, which allows adventure seekers and travellers to instantly switch the view of their cameras. Videos created using the Spivo Stick are fun, creative, and feature built in scene transitions which create incredible, engaging footage.
Welbi
- Cofounders: Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau, CEO (Telfer BCom 2016), Felipe Izquierdo, COO (Telfer BCom 2016) and Nicholas Petryna, CTO, (former uOttawa Software Engineering student).
- Welbi is an application that helps families take care of an older loved one. It uses Fitbit smartwatches to analyze sleep, activity, and heart rate patterns and then notifies you about changes in their habits. Our main objective is to provide families the visibility and information they need to support their loved one’s health and happiness at home.
YouCollab
- Founder: Shaun Maclellan, CEO (former student, uOttawa).
- YouCollab is a unique platform that provides frictionless communication and collaborations between YouTube creators. YouCollab connects users based on location, audience size and keywords.
How were the Top 5 start-ups on campus selected?
A public web-based call for nominations allowed start-ups to show their interest. The nominees were then evaluated by a campus entrepreneurship committee and an initial long list of top start-ups was selected.
Feedback from various alumni and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley was obtained before a final list of five “Top Start-ups” is selected. These Top 5 start-ups will be invited to visit Silicon Valley for a learning and business development experience in May 2017, a trip which coincides with the annual Telfer Executive MBA trip to the Valley.
“Travelling to the Valley opens up a world of connections and possibilities that you can only find there” said Lee Silverstone, cofounder GymTrack and Top 5 Recipient 2016. “The opportunity to be there with the University of Ottawa and their network was incredible experience and one that I highly recommend start-up founders take advantage of.”
- Category: Rising Stars
The 26th annual Business Dinner ‘Toast to Success’, organized by the Entrepreneur’s Club (TECDE), is one of the most awaited events of the year. Bringing together Telfer faculty, professionals and sponsors with students at the Museum of Canadian History, this year’s dinner welcomed a total of 242 attendees, making it the best attended event to date.
During the event, a silent auction took place with various items donated by the local community in which the proceeds went to the Cam’s Kids Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing young people that suffer from anxiety, along with the Rwanda Craft Brewery Project, which helps the Rwanda community become better established.
As dinner rolled around, attendees had the pleasure of listening to a very special keynote speaker for this year, Steve Beauchesne, CEO of the very successful craft brewery Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company. During a very competitive time in the beer industry, Beau’s continues to be the top player in the market. Steve shared his story on the philosophy of starting a business but also, the secret to making great beer. To celebrate International Gruit Day coinciding with the Business Dinner, Beau’s provided attendees with 4 different samples of beer.
New for this year, TECDE incorporated the winners from the Elevator Pitch competition back in November, showing the Telfer community the incredible talent that comes out of uOttawa’s Telfer School of Management. A portion of the evening was also dedicated to award two hard working executive members on the TECDE team with the Carpe Diem Award and the Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award.
This year marked a new milestone for both TECDE and Telfer, as a joint collaboration was announced to kick start a fundraising campaign for the Kevin Vollett award, created to honour Kevin, a Telfer student and TECDE executive member who passed away from a tragic accident. With the 25th anniversary of the award coming up in 2018, TECDE and Harry Mortimer, a Telfer alumni and dear friend to Kevin, have come together to raise $9,000 before the 27th annual Business Dinner in order to sustain the financing of the award. Help them reach their goal by donating now. For more information on this fundraising campaign, click here.
- Category: Latest News
The University of Ottawa is pleased to invite students and faculty who have created startup ventures to participate in a competition that will result in up to five companies being selected for an exclusive trip to Silicon Valley in the spring of 2017. Each selected startup will receive $4,000 (CAD) in financial support for the trip.
- Category: Latest News
This page is for the 2017 Entrepreneurship Foundry Course. For information on the upcoming session, visit this year's page.
The Entrepreneurship Foundry is a cross-campus initiative that leverages University and community start-up resources to help you start and/or grow your business venture in a for-credit 13-week long course.
The Entrepreneurship Foundry course will act as an accelerator for your entrepreneurial venture; you will have access to external mentors at themed sessions as well as frequent access to “lab” time to allow you to focus on your business. .
- Your venture will be evaluated by using a pre-survey and interview to determine where you are at with your venture and set goals.
- At the end of the course you will be interviewed to measure the progress
- Mandatory 3 slide check-ins on a bi-weekly basis; will allow you to develop your pitch skills, as well as gain valuable feedback from professors, mentors and peers.
An interview and acceptance process will ensure only those most committed to real entrepreneurship will be accepted.
The course will run this winter on Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. and space is limited to 25 students. Student teams are eligible and not all members need to be registered for the course to participate. The deadline to submit applications is December 12, 2016.
To learn more and to apply for the course, please contact Stephen Daze.
- Category: Rising Stars
During the weekend of September 23 to 25, Telfer School of Management students in the ADM4317 Leadership, Strategy and Sustainability course engaged in an intensive simulation called The Green Business Lab.
“The Green Business Lab is unique in that it is the only interactive, live, comprehensive business simulation that can provide students with a hands-on experience in running a business while at the same time solving the most pressing problems arising from environmental and social issues facing organizations today” said Daina Mazutis, Endowed Professor of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability at the Telfer School. “It connects students directly to important strategic decisions that they will need to make as future business leaders.”
Working in teams, the students were immersed in running a business where each team member played a key function in the company. They had to shape the company’s strategic direction, design and build a new product and improve performance. Yet, due to mounting pressure from various stakeholders — including customers, governments and NGOs — success depended on triple-bottom-line (economic, environmental, social) metrics.
Teams made final presentations to a panel of judges who evaluated their strategy. This board of directors was composed of Robert G. White, CA, CMA, CPA, Independent Investor and Adviser (Telfer BCom 1992), Kristina Haakman, VP Finance at Brookfield Renewable Energy (Telfer BCom 2003), Salim Charabati, B.Arch. MBA, Consultant BuildGreen Solutions (Telfer EMBA 2016) and John Purkis, Senior Associate, The Natural Step.
Spherical Solutions (George Amidjinov, Kacey Cryan, Francis Desjardins, Alexis Harrison, Adam Khawas, Philippe Lafontaine and Vanessa Mangano) finished first in the “Industrialized Nations” category and “Eco-Impact Spheres” (Patrik Hashem, Andrew James Low, Olivia Le, Cassandre Pomerleau, Isabelle Trudeau and Jacob Sousa) finished first in the “Developing Nations” category. These teams developed the best overall strategy from a triple bottom line perspective.
“Speaking on behalf of the majority of participating students, the Green Business Lab is a real life, fast paced scenario involving tough decisions” said student Francis Desjardins. “This weekend simulation gave us the possibility to apply our acquired knowledge in a sometimes stressful, but always fun environment. We not only learnt multiple typical business lessons, for example the importance of profits and cash flow, but also the impacts of other bottom lines: the importance of the environment and of social awareness. I would like to thank our Green Business Lab facilitator, our professor, my class colleagues and the Telfer School of Management for this great experience.”
This in-class simulation was made possible with the support of the Telfer School’s Yersh Family Pedagogical Innovation Fund.
About the Green Business Lab simulation
The simulation tests the students’ leadership skills, knowledge of core management disciplines, as well as broader understanding of business’s responsible role in society. The Green Business Lab simulation has previously been run in well-regarded universities such as Cornell University, Georgia State University, Central Michigan University, Denver University, University of Michigan, Georgetown University, University of Iowa, Wayne State University as well as major multinational organizations such as General Electric, Rio Tinto and Chrysler Financial.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The University’s Co-operative Education Programs and the Entrepreneurship Hub have teamed up with RBC Royal Bank to launch an innovative CO-OP program designed to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Read the complete article in the Gazette »
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Finding My Way
When I started at the Telfer School, I didn’t know where I was going in my life—let alone my future career. I was in school because I was expected to be there. My grandfather’s death in July 2005 began to change that. To celebrate and honour his life, I helped found a non-profit organization that went on to raise more than $150,000 for cancer research. Creating, organizing and propelling Typically Canadian inspired me to become an entrepreneur. It led me to realize that what matters to me is building things that impact people’s lives for the better. It showed me my way.
I couldn’t have built that organization without the Telfer School. Not because of the school’s top-notch teaching or special student services or many networking opportunities. The school’s professors and staff gave me the personal and academic support I needed to bring Typically Canadian to life and then succeed. The backing I received from Professor Barbara Orser and Assistant Dean Alain Doucet stands out. They believed in the cause. They believed in how I wanted to further it. Most importantly, they believed in me.
Their guidance and encouragement changed my life. It instilled me with the confidence to make my own choices about the things I wanted to spend my career building. It made me realize that neither youth nor inexperience nor lack of tenure was a barrier or limitation to business success and personal fulfilment. It gave me the power to launch a career in which I’ve created several successful companies, changed how a key aspect of healthcare is delivered, and impacted people’s lives for the better. Starting with my own. Barb and Alain’s support helped connect me with what matters most and, in doing so, enabled me to find my way.
- Category: Latest News
Barbara Orser was the keynote speaker at Startup Canada’s Canadian Entrepreneurship Institute, which took place on September 1, 2016. The event, titled “Unlocking Feminine Capital: Canada and the World”, explored how public policy can be better leveraged to support women entrepreneurs in Canada. Barbara Orser currently co-chairs a grassroots committee, comprising 18 leaders from women’s enterprise centres, networks and SME support organizations. The mandate of the Ontario Women’s Enterprise Committee is to improve business support infrastructure for Ontario women entrepreneurs.
Full Professor/Deloitte Professor at the Telfer School of Management, Dr. Orser is the Canadian representative on a team of 13 international scholars examining SME policy associated with women’s enterprise. Collaborative entrepreneurship studies in development focus on financial literacy, technology literacy and the efficacy of public procurement policies. Professor Orser is the author, with Professor Catherine Elliott, of Feminine Capital (Stanford University Press, 2015).
- Category: Latest News
We have received a generous donation from the funds raised in the 6th Annual National Bank One for Youth Bicycle Tour. The donation which was presented by the National Bank on July 8, 2016, will help fund the Entrepreneurs’ Club Elevator Pitch Competition.
The annual Elevator Pitch Competition showcases some of the University of Ottawa’s top talent. As a part of Global Entrepreneurship week, this competition allows young entrepreneurs to present their business ideas that are still in the early stages of development to a panel of judges and Rise to the Top. The winners are awarded with a generous cash prize that they can put towards furthering their business idea. The evening also includes a catered networking portion as well as a keynote speaker that shares their personal successes and struggles as an entrepreneur. This year we plan on making the competition the most competitive to date.
- Category: Latest News
Teams from the Telfer Executive MBA Class of 2017 wrote about their experiences in Silicon Valley as a part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Business Consulting Trip which took place from May 14 - 20, 2016.
Anticipation Mounts as the Class of 2017 fly into San Francisco
Written by: Ashley Mascarenhas
Make Yourself Known
Written by: Adan Elsaadi and Mario Fowler
Video: Bringing a Canadian Perspective to Silicon Valley
Written by: Team Kentaurus- Michael Bell, Martin Chartrand, Kevin Jones, MJ Levesque, Glenn Moran and Derek Quesnel
Incremental Innovation vs. Invention
Written by: Team Capella – Mohamed Eldery, Daniel Feeny, Tanya Gracie, Kyle Taplay and Andrew Wright
Surviving in an Innovative Playground
Written by: Team Canopus- Amanda Bernier, Scott Johnston, Matt Lundie, Kimberley Marr, Ryan Peatt and Sukri Sharbini
Top 10 things Ottawa can learn from Silicon Valley
Written by: Amanda Dwyer, Team Sirius
Our Silicon Valley Outcome: Uniting as One Big Team
Written by: Team Arcturus - Abdul Ahmadzai, Ajay Bhandari, Isabelle Blondeau, Bernard Guité and Kurt Schweitzer
- Category: Rising Stars
On Wednesday, May 4, 2016, the Enactus uOttawa team was in Toronto to defend its National Champion title at the 2016 Enactus Canada National Exposition, in front of a 65-person panel of judges comprising top Canadian CEOs. Each participating team was scored on its ability to enable social, environmental and economic progress through entrepreneurial action.
The Enactus uOttawa team made it all the way to the finals, along with three other teams: Memorial University of Newfoundland, Ryerson University, and Saint Mary's University. The Memorial University of Newfoundland team was named the 2016 Enactus National Champion, and will advance to represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup taking place in Toronto in the fall of this year.
The team’s President, Corey Ellis, a 3rd year Management student at the Telfer School, commented on their most recent success by saying his team “started with a mainly new team this year and launched a new portfolio of projects. We’re extremely grateful for all the support from faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader community that have helped us along the way. We’re all very excited for what’s ahead this year for our organization.”
The Telfer School was awarded the University Administration of the Year Award by Enactus Canada for its support of youth entrepreneurship. This award, which recognizes the university administration which did the most outstanding job of supporting their Enactus team on their campus, was accepted on behalf of the school by Stephen Daze, Telfer Entrepreneur in Residence and one of the mentors of the Enactus uOttawa team.
Additionally, just last week, one of the projects presented at the 2016 Enactus Canada National Exposition by the uOttawa team, the Northern Innovation Hub in Iqaluit, was awarded $30,000 by the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. This project aims to solve two problems at once by collecting unused sea shipping containers that litter the local coastline and repurposing them to provide badly needed commercial and residential space. The goal is for the Northern Innovation Hub to become a catalyst for further change in Iqaluit, which needs a space to facilitate the planning required to adapt to increasing local urbanization.
Congratulations to the Enactus uOttawa team for their achievements!
- Category: Rising Stars
Kevin Smiley is a full-time MBA student at the Telfer School of Management and a strong believer in social entrepreneurship. This year, he founded SuraiTea Inc., a social enterprise tea shop which employs mostly Syrian refugees in order to provide them with job opportunities in Canada, all while also raising money for settlement efforts.
Being in the Right Place at the Right Time
Having previously studied in environmental engineering at Queen's University and worked in renewable power and sustainable real estate development, and being actively engaged with the Professional Engineers Ontario / Ontario Society of Professional Engineers' Engineering Innovation Ecosystem, Kevin was inspired to create a sustainable business model which would benefit all parties involved.
In early February 2016, Stephen Daze, Telfer’s Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence, informed Kevin about uOttawa’s Start-Up Weekend which carried the theme of refugee resettling. It was then that he shifted his focus to creating a business that would help with the Syrian resettling effort in Canada. “After seeing and reading many stories about the enormous strain on limited resources which not-for-profit organizations were experiencing, I began to think that there may be something that I could do to help,” he says.
The Project
SuraiTea Inc. is a corporation that uses the power of the markets to create positive change for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Canada. It hopes to create high value employment for refugees and establish a sustainable source of corporate donations to the organizations that are active in the refugee resettling effort in Canada. SuraiTea Inc. is a social enterprise and a ‘Pending B Corp’ (start‐up) with B Lab Canada.
Why tea? Jasmine is the unofficial national flower of Syria and Damascus, the capital city of Syria, is also known as ‘The City of Jasmine’.
Kevin contacted a wholesale tea supplier in Toronto, which uses 100% USDA and Canada Organic certified organic ingredients and Ecocert certified facilities. He then reached out to World Skills Employment Centre, an Ottawa organization that finds jobs for recently-arrived immigrants and refugees and then put the two together. So far, SuraiTea Inc. has 20 Syrian refugees working on the project. “The more our customers support us by signing on to our online store and purchasing our teas, the more positive social change for refugees we can create,” he says.
Sustainability and Business
Kevin’s long term goal for SuraiTea Inc. is to eventually grow the corporation and add additional lines of teas from other areas of the world which have humanitarian issues, such as East-Africa, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. “The areas which produce some of the best teas, also unfortunately have some of the worst problems,” he says, “Syria has over 20 million refugees currently but there are actually over 55 million total refugees in the world so it’s not just a Syrian problem.”
Kevin says that the Telfer MBA program has helped him gain the knowledge needed in order to create his business from the ground up. “Telfer has truly been a transformational experience for me,” he says, “Telfer is where I learned about B Corps, where I learned that the truly successful business are the ones that solve problems, where I learned about intrinsic motivation and where the entrepreneurial fire was lit inside me.”
CBC News has covered SuraiTea Inc.’s story. Read the news article, or watch the TV clip (starts at 43:30 minutes).
- Category: Rising Stars
Dasha Shakov, a third year BCom Marketing student, is an innovative entrepreneur who is sure to inspire and impress everyone she meets for years to come. As a student juggling a part-time job, yoga, travelling and extracurricular activities, Dasha still managed to find time to found Parcelly with her mother, an online parcel shipping company. The idea behind Parcelly is that it offers a unique gifting solution for long distance friends, family members, and loved ones. They throw 4-5 special items together which is catered towards a specific theme, like for a birthday, a wedding or even a breakup. Once a person orders a package from their online store, the mother-daughter duo puts the items together in a box and ships it to the recipient’s address. “It’s a hassle free, meaningful, and creative way to show someone you care,” she says.
Dasha also spends a lot of her time being one of the Event Directors of the Telfer Business Law Association. She was involved with planning the club’s Mooting Competition, Wine and Cheese and Third Annual Speaker Series. “Getting involved in a club allows you to engage with amazing people, organize and participate in various activities,” she says, “It’s a really fun way to make long lasting memories!”
Dasha feels like she belongs at the Telfer School of Management. With it being located in the heart of the Nation’s capital, she likes getting to meet other bright students coming from around the world. “The Telfer School has allowed me to broaden my horizons and meet an enormous amount of incredible, like-minded people. It’s a fulfilling place to learn,” she says.
What matters the most to Dash is being true to herself, proactively facing herself with new challenges, embarking on new opportunities, and saying “yes” to things outside of her comfort zone. She recently applied to study in France next year though the Telfer's International Exchange Program. “Living and learning away from home, in a foreign country, is definitely outside of my comfort zone, however it would be an amazing experience that I would remember for the rest of my life,” she says.
Dasha’s company, Parcelly, has been featured in other articles on campus, such as The Fulcrum and Her Campus and has also appeared in Kidbacker.
- Category: Rising Stars
The University of Ottawa Enactus team just competed in the regional competition rounds of the Enactus Canada championships, and received distinguished awards among a gathering of over 25 different universities and colleges for their excellence in entrepreneurial action and community leadership. Enactus, Canada’s largest entrepreneurship focused student organization, fosters today’s youth to advance the economic, environmental, and social growth of their communities.
Hosted at the Hilton Meadowvale in Mississauga, Ontario, the Enactus Canada regionals for the Central Canada category endorsed the entrepreneurial achievements of over 500 students across the region. With the additional help of professionals, academic advisors, and organizers, it was a two-day event filled with competitive spirit, collaboration, and celebration. Students competed in live presentations that demonstrated their positive outreach in both their local and international communities - all within the categories of entrepreneurship, environmental issues, youth empowerment, and financial education.
Enactus uOttawa, now a group of over 116 motivated young leaders from seven different faculties at the University of Ottawa, competed in all four categories. In recognition of the amazing impact they made through a variety of innovative and impactful projects, the team was awarded as the first place Runner Up in the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge, the Capital One Financial Education Challenge, and the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge, and was the winnner of an Impact Award in the TD Entrepreneurship challenge. In addition to these achievements, VP Project Management Shevaun Ensor-Harrison was awarded the 2016 HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow for Central Canada, in recognition of her contributions to Enactus and her commitment to improving the livelihood of people in her community through entrepreneurial action.
The Enactus University of Ottawa team will now move on to compete in the Enactus Canada National Exposition taking place from May 2nd to 4th in Toronto, Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, striving to retain the title of Team Canada once again for 2016. Follow the team’s progress on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Enactus uOttawa would like to thank all of their supporters and advisors, and would like to congratulate all participating teams on their positive impact on their communities.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Given the recent surge in entrepreneurial activity on the University of Ottawa campus, it is appropriate to recognize and celebrate the culmination of each annual cycle of teaching, competitions, workshops and hard work that lead to exciting start-ups.
In the fall of 2015 and early 2016, we conducted the 2nd annual search for the Top 5 Start-ups on the uOttawa campus. This is a collaborative effort between the Telfer School of Management, the Faculty of Engineering, Startup Garage and the uOttawa e-hub.
“Each year the quality of start-ups on campus is improving” says Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School. “Student interest, faculty programming and an increasing culture of entrepreneurship is contributing to this rise in quality and it’s encouraging to see our next generation of leaders creating their own opportunities”.
The Top 5 uOttawa start-ups, in no particular order, are:
Helix (Powered by MicroMetrics)
- Cofounders: Andre Richards, CTO (Honours Bachelor of Science 2011, uOttawa) and Artem Abramov, CEO.
- MicroMetrics is a software company with a focus on customer experience innovation. Working together with TripAdvisor, they’ve developed Helix – a robust guest experience management platform that empowers hotel staff to conduct real-time service recovery. Since its introduction, Helix has helped brands like Starwood and IHG deliver memorable guest experiences, improve occupancy rates and outperform their competitive sets at premier properties across North America.
GymTrack
- Cofounders: Lee Silverstone, CEO and Pablo Srugo, COO.
- Gymtrack is a platform that brings personal training to all exercisers through their gym and impacts the $80BN gym industry. Gymtrack provides gyms with virtual coaching that automatically tracks everything in an exerciser’s workout, from weight lifting to cardio and helps gyms reduce churn.
Go Give-Back
- Cofounders: Lemuel Barango, (Bachelor of Science 2015, uOttawa) and Liora Raitblat (Telfer BCom 2015, uOttawa).
- Go Give-Back (GGB) is providing a solution for charitable causes by offering a mobile donation platform that accepts donations, catering to the “in-the-moment” factor. GGB will include detailed demographics for the organization with “on the go” analytics used to retain and engage donors.
TruReach:
- Founder: Jeff Perron, MBA (Clinical Psychology PhD Candidate, uOttawa), Clinical Lead: Dr. Joti Samra, PhD, C. Psych.
- TruReach provides instant access to scientifically proven cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It eliminates the stigma associated with mental illness and helps people get better, faster. TruReach cuts costs associated with the management of mental illness and their analytics give organizations data to prove it.
Spectrafy
- Cofounders: Richard Beal, CEO and Viktar Tatsiankou (B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, uOttawa).
- Spectrafy has reinvented the way we measure sunlight and the atmosphere. Spectrafy’s solution, the SolarSIM, combines simple hardware and breakthrough software to slash the cost of measuring sunlight and the atmosphere by over an order of magnitude.
How were the Top 5 start-ups on campus selected?
A working committee of the 4 leaders on campus who run the various entrepreneurship activities select possible candidates from the start-ups they see in their programs. In addition, a public web-based call for nominations allowed start-ups to show their interest. The nominees were then evaluated by the committee and an initial long list of top start-ups was selected.
Feedback from various alumni and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley was obtained before a final list of five “Top Start-ups” is selected. From the Top 5, selected start-ups will be invited to visit Silicon Valley for a learning and business development experience. The exact number of start-ups who are invited to go to Silicon Valley will be a function of available funding.
Photo: Liora Raitblat, Go Give-Back cofounder, at Startup Weekend 2015 (Feb 27 - March 1)
- Category: Latest News
The uOttawa Enactus team hosted their annual rendition of the exemplary Strat 24 Case Competition this past weekend, Ottawa’s premier opportunity for Engineering and Commerce students to work together and showcase their intellectual and creative talents.
Twelve teams, consisting of 2 students from the Telfer School of Management and 2 from the Faculty of Engineering each, were given a live case, created in collaboration with Strat 24 sponsor Hydro Ottawa. With only 24 hours allotted to crack the case, the teams worked tirelessly overnight to find innovative and unique solutions. They then presented their solutions to a panel of judges, and the winners of each pool advanced to a final round of presentations.
Thanks to the support of Hydro Ottawa and the competitive spirit of 48 hardworking uOttawa students, the fifth edition of this annual event was a great success.
The winning team, comprised of uOttawa students Roma Stepanchenko, Katya Berezovskaia, Amanda Godin and Barry Li, proposed that Hydro Ottawa connect Smart Grid technologies via an app, allowing Hydro Ottawa to support residents in reducing their energy consumption and carbon footprint without impacting the company’s bottom line. Their solution earned the top prize at the competition, a $4,000 cash award.
Congratulations go out to all participants for their work and their creative solutions! Stay tuned for next year’s event online at www.strat24.com [This link is no longer available] or on Enactus uOttawa’s social media.
Contact
Enactus uOttawa
(613) 562-5800 ext. 3700
- Category: Latest News
The JDC Central (JDCC) competition took place January 8-10, 2016, in Toronto, Ontario, hosted by the Canadian Association of Business Students. The JDCC competition is one of Canada’s largest business school competitions that brings together 700 delegates from 14 universities across Ontario, Québec and the Maritimes to compete in academic, sporting and social events.
Congratulations to students for winning the following:
Team Awards
- 3rd place overall, School of the Year
1st place trophy:
- Entrepreneurship (Alamin Mollick, Elliott Foley and Osman Wais)
Coach: Sara Valentino
3rd place trophies:
- Accounting Case (Jenna Curran, Regina Melnyk, Sui Qu)
Coaches: Sheldon Weatherstone, Sylvain Durocher, Nadia Daskalova - Sports – Futsal (Victor Delage, Philip Kijek, Sunny Khorugdharry, Jeff Davies, Maurizio Ferme, Selena Saikley, Madison Cunha and Samantha Mikhael)
Coach: Justin Sweeney
- Category: Latest News
Startup Weekend is a non-profit organization headquartered in Seattle, Washington that brings people together for weekend-long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.
Now in its 2nd edition, Startup Weekend will be held at uOttawa in February 2016 and is geared for current uOttawa students and recent graduates. The objective is to connect students across all faculties to encourage and promote entrepreneurship regardless of discipline of study. We look forward to seeing the different types of innovative ideas that can come to life when students branch out and connect with those around them with different skill sets and areas of expertise.
The event will be held February 26-28, 2016.
Details and registration information to follow
Please contact Stephen Daze,
A can’t miss event for students interested in entrepreneurship
“Startup Weekends are an international phenomenon being held in the most innovative cities around the world” said Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management. “The Telfer School and the University of Ottawa are bringing this event on campus to provide our students an opportunity to learn, network, start a business, meet potential co-founders and much more.”
Entrepreneurs, innovators, makers and those curious about starting a new venture that attend this event will benefit from 54 hours of fast-paced start-up experience working with a team of like-minded students, mentored by seasoned veterans from the local start up community.
“Nowhere else can you experience entrepreneurship/start-up in a more concentrated and curated format” said Stephen Daze. “This venue brings together business students, coders and designers, and provides training and mentoring in a cool atmosphere targeted at creating start-ups.”
The Telfer School’s commitment to Entrepreneurship
We are committed to helping students succeed. For many, success will be starting a new venture or contributing to one as co-founder or team member. We provide the tools and resources you’ll need to learn, network and build your innovation and entrepreneurship skills. In addition to hosting Startup Weekend uOttawa, here are some of the other initiatives that are available:
Entrepreneurship Bridges Speaker Series – Co-hosted with the Faculty of Engineering, this 5-part annual speaker series is targeted at students looking to or considering entrepreneurship. The speaker series features local young entrepreneurs who tell their start-up stories and act as a source of inspiration, education and mentoring. The series is also the home for other entrepreneurship-related announcements and competitions such as the final pitches in the Entrepreneurs' Club Elevator Pitch Contest. The series averages 150 students per session and includes the formal talk or panel, as well as networking and refreshments.
Entrepreneurship Foundry Course - The Entrepreneurship Foundry is a new Telfer-led initiative that brings together collaborators from across campus to build, manage and deliver a semester-long, for-credit course that sees participants apply for entry in order to start a venture over 13 weeks. Working in multi-disciplinary teams, students will learn from experts in lecture and workshop environments and complete evaluated work leading to the start of their new venture. It is anticipated that the course will see 25 students in the first session scheduled for Fall 2015.
Telfer Business Traction Competition – Now in its second year, this business competition is a new take on traditional business plan competitions. It's open to full-time undergraduate students at the Telfer School of Management and/or teams comprised of at least 50% Telfer students. It is not about ideas and proposed business plans, it’s about traction. Contestants will demonstrate the achievement of real milestones towards starting, or validating their business ideas as well as realistic goals moving forward. Applicants can be at any stage of their business idea but must be able to demonstrate real milestones completed and future goals. External judges will determine the winner based on actual work to date and planned milestones. $10,000 in prize money is available to be won.
- Category: Latest News
Related links
The uOttawa Enactus team just competed in the semi final round at the Enactus World Championships, and was named one of top 16 teams among 1,700 other universities and colleges worldwide.
After their humble beginnings of starting as a group of 12 tight knit members, Enactus uOttawa has grown to be a team of 116 highly capable and innovative students, spanning across 7 different faculties at the University of Ottawa in just four years. In recognition of both the local and international impact they’ve made through a variety of projects, the team, after having been crowned National Champions in Toronto this past May, represented Team Canada at this year’s World Cup - taking place for the very first time on the continent of Africa
A 3 day event of competition, collaboration, and celebration, the Enactus World Championships are an opportunity for representatives from 36 different countries to showcase the social impact they’ve made through presentations of up to 17 minutes. Enactus uOttawa showcased 2 of their 12 projects which have empowered countless individuals, created many jobs, and effectively eliminated waste in their local community - the most notable being a project by the name of CigBins. CigBins, a cigarette butt and recycling service, provides meaningful job opportunities to individuals with mental illness. It has thus far diverted over 183,000 cigarette butts off the city streets, and generated $129,000 in revenue.
In addition to the competition rounds, the Championship’s events also consisted of two Action Leaders Forums (covering the topics of Food, Water, and Energy Security) in addition to a Women’s Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Forum - which were supplemented by various guest speakers. Featured performances included African Footprint, The Soweto Gospel Choir, and DJ Reactagirl.
With last year’s Enactus World Cup taking place in Beijing, China and this year’s competition in South Africa, a country in which every public university is involved with the organization, the championship moves internationally from city to city each year, and will be taking place in Toronto, Canada for the 2016 rounds.
Contact
Enactus uOttawa
(613) 562-5800 ext. 3700
- Category: Rising Stars
Kathleen Kemp and Ajmal Sataar have a nose for business and their heart set on making a difference in their community. Since 2013, the fourth-year students have combined studies in management and finance at the Telfer School of Management with running a business called CigBins, a cigarette butt collection and recycling service.
- Category: Latest News
On May 9, 2015 candidates from the Class of 2016 travelled to Silicon Valley as a part of Telfer Executive MBA's Innovation and Entrpreneurship Trip and Consulting Project.
Over the duration of the week, the teams of candidates will finalize their findings and will submit their final recommendations to their San Jose-based start-up client. The objective of the report is to address a business problem as well as to understand the challenges and opportunities of doing business in a highly innovative environment.
In addition, candidates will also visit several of the world's leading technology companies, attend private executive briefings with senior Silicon Valley leaders and see first-hand previews of the future technology and innovation. Technology companies on the agenda for this year include IBM, AVAYA Inc., Stanford University, Rocketspace, Google, Aruba Networks, and US Market Access Centre.
Teams will be contributing to a daily blog which will be featured on the Telfer Executive MBA webpage as well as the Ottawa Business Journal.
Anticipation for the trip
Published on Monday, May 14, 2015 by Salim Charabati, Telfer Executive MBA candidate
The return of Silicon Valley North?
Published on Tuesday, May 15, 2015 by Deepali Bhatt, Telfer Executive MBA candidate
Lessons learned on day one
Published on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 by Taylor Bildstein, Telfer Executive MBA candidate
Touring IBM and more
Published on Thursday, May 21, 2015 by Mathieu Leduc, Telfer Executive MBA candidate
- Category: Rising Stars
globalnews.ca
Enactus National Competition Winner
The University of Ottawa has been named the 2015 Enactus National Champion by this country’s largest student leadership development organization, Enactus Canada, and a 72 person judging panel comprised of top Canadian CEOs, for their ability to enable social, environmental and economic progress through entrepreneurial action.
The team from the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management took home the Tim Hortons Cup in recognition of the impact made at home and abroad through a variety of projects, one of which is providing meaningful job opportunities to individuals with a mental illness.
The winning team included:
- Kathleen Kemp
- Ajmal Sataar
- Sam Thumm
- Hannah Behzadi
- Sayem Reza
- Timmy Guo
“Winning Nationals has been the most amazing ending to my university career. It’s surreal to see that the work that our team has accomplished over the past few years has made such an impact that we’ve been crowned the National champion” said Kathleen Kemp.
“Championing and empowering young people is as important to Tim Hortons as it is with our Tim Horton Children’s Foundation, which shares so many key values with Enactus,” said David Clanachan, President and Chief Operating Officer, Tim Hortons Canada. “Tim Hortons is proud to support Enactus and the entrepreneurial spirits of the young Canadians participating in this competition. We wish them continued success as they make a true difference in their own lives and in that of their communities.”
Enactus University of Ottawa stood victorious with their project CigBins, a cigarette butt and recycling service that has diverted 100,000+ cigarette butts off city streets and generated $73,200 in revenue.
“The Enactus team from the University of Ottawa greatly improved the quality of life for individuals by creating and implementing innovative and forward-thinking community projects,” said Nicole Almond, Enactus Canada president. “We are eager to see Enactus University of Ottawa compete and represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup.”
The National Champion team took home the Tim Hortons Cup and now advances to represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup taking place in South Africa in the fall of this year.
More than 1,200 delegates including the country’s brightest university and college students, academic professionals and top business leaders witnessed the crowning of the National Champion at the 2015 Enactus Canada National Exposition held in Toronto.
In addition, the financial Literacy team placed 3rd in their category. Congratulations to:
- Mieka Loepp
- Wendy Liang
- Faraz Malik
About Enactus Canada
Enactus Canada, this country’s largest student leadership development organization, is shaping generations of entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 2,400 entrepreneurial postsecondary students led 250 community empowerment projects and business ventures this past year in communities coast to coast. As a global network of 36 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Entrepreneurship Foundry is a new Telfer-led initiative that brings together collaborators from across campus to build, manage and deliver a semester-long, for-credit course that sees undergraduate participants apply for entry in order to start a venture over 13 weeks.
The Entrepreneurship Foundry Course will focus on helping students move beyond the discovery and planning stages of starting a company to the possible launch of an actual venture in a structured, for-credit learning environment.
"The course is open to all Faculties" said Stephen Daze, Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence. Basically, "students will have the option to either pitch an idea and build a team around their concept or enter the course simply willing to contribute as a team member to another business concept".
An interview and acceptance process will ensure only those most committed to real entrepreneurship will be accepted.
The course will run this fall on Mondays from 7-10 p.m. and space is limited to 25 students.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Startup Weekend is a non-profit organization headquartered in Seattle, Washington that brings people together for weekend-long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.
An exclusive edition of Startup Weekend is coming to uOttawa and is geared for current uOttawa students and recent graduates. The objective is to connect students across all faculties to encourage and promote entrepreneurship regardless of discipline of study. We look forward to seeing the different types of innovative ideas that can come to life when students branch out and connect with those around them with different skill sets and areas of expertise.
The event will be held February 27 to march 1, 2015.
http://www.up.co/communities/canada/ottawa/startup-weekend/5406
A can’t miss event for students interested in entrepreneurship
“Startup Weekends are an international phenomenon being held in the most innovative cities around the world” said Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management. “The Telfer School and the University of Ottawa are bringing this event on campus to provide our students an opportunity to learn, network, start a business, meet potential co-founders and much more.”
Entrepreneurs, innovators, makers and those curious about starting a new venture that attend this event will benefit from 54 hours of fast-paced start-up experience working with a team of like-minded students, mentored by seasoned veterans from the local start up community.
“Nowhere else can you experience entrepreneurship/start-up in a more concentrated and curated format” said Stephen Daze. “This venue brings together business students, coders and designers, and provides training and mentoring in a cool atmosphere targeted at creating start-ups.”
The Telfer School’s commitment to Entrepreneurship
We are committed to helping students succeed. For many, success will be starting a new venture or contributing to one as co-founder or team member. We provide the tools and resources you’ll need to learn, network and build your innovation and entrepreneurship skills. In addition to hosting Startup Weekend uOttawa, here are some of the other initiatives that are available:
Entrepreneurship Bridges Speaker Series – Co-hosted with the Faculty of Engineering, this 5-part annual speaker series is targeted at students looking to or considering entrepreneurship. The speaker series features local young entrepreneurs who tell their start-up stories and act as a source of inspiration, education and mentoring. The series is also the home for other entrepreneurship-related announcements and competitions such as the final pitches in the Entrepreneurs' Club Elevator Pitch Contest. The series averages 150 students per session and includes the formal talk or panel, as well as networking and refreshments.
Entrepreneurship Foundry Course - The Entrepreneurship Foundry is a new Telfer-led initiative that brings together collaborators from across campus to build, manage and deliver a semester-long, for-credit course that sees participants apply for entry in order to start a venture over 13 weeks. Working in multi-disciplinary teams, students will learn from experts in lecture and workshop environments and complete evaluated work leading to the start of their new venture. It is anticipated that the course will see 25 students in the first session scheduled for Fall 2015.
Start-up Tools Workshops - The 4-part workshop series is designed to teach students the tools and resources available for start-ups. Each session focuses on a specific theme and students and external resources are relied upon for content within the curated environment. Themes include: Tools of Validation; Web Design; Marketing and Analytics; and Software and Productivity. Each session is attended by approximately 25 students.
Telfer Business Traction Competition - This new business competition is a new take on traditional business plan competitions. It's open to full-time undergraduate students at the Telfer School of Management and/or teams comprised of at least 50% Telfer students. It is not about ideas and proposed business plans, it’s about traction. Contestants will demonstrate the achievement of real milestones towards starting, or validating their business ideas as well as realistic goals moving forward. Applicants can be at any stage of their business idea but must be able to demonstrate real milestones completed and future goals. External judges will determine the winner based on actual work to date and planned milestones. $10,000 in prize money is available to be won.
- Category: Rising Stars
As members of a uOttawa student organization called Enactus, my colleague Ajmal Sataar and I are always looking for ways to provide opportunities to those in need. Enactus tackles social, economic and environmental issues through business and is focused on bringing social enterprise to the community. When the opportunity came to bring these opportunities to the town of Iqaluit in Nunavut, we jumped at the chance to travel there.
Each year, Enactus teams travel around the world to bring enterprise to third world communities that are lacking in resources, funding and support. Our team feels that there is a lot of room for economic development through social enterprise and entrepreneurship within the confines of our own country. Nunavut, a territory with lots of potential for growth, is an area in which we wanted to invest time and energy in order to bring more opportunities to people in the North.
Read the full article by Kathleen Kemp on The Gazette Website [This link is no longer available]
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