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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
The journey to success of Telfer School graduate Brennan Loh inspires how he supports and empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
Canadian industry chief executive says our country needs a catalyst to spark space innovation and entrepreneurship. Read more ›
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? Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
Originally published on LinkedIn on May 14, 2021 Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
“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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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). Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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: Read more ›
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). Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
CEOx1Day is on the Hunt for Canada’s Top Students! Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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 ›
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. Read more ›
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." Read more ›
"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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
The regional exposition of the Enactus Canada championships took place from March 8-9 in Mississauga, Ontario. Read more ›
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?” Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
This page is for the 2018 Entrepreneurship Foundry Course. For information on the upcoming session, visit this year's page. Read more ›
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). Read more ›
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.” Read more ›
By Brandon Gillet, Gazette, May 12, 2017. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
This page is for the 2017 Entrepreneurship Foundry Course. For information on the upcoming session, visit this year's page. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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 » Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
globalnews.ca Enactus National Competition Winner Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›
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. Read more ›