Ottawa-based technology company has partnered with 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Innovation Hub to inspire and engage student entrepreneurs in their learning and new venture journeys.

鈥淒ataKinetics is an active participant in the community in terms of philanthropy and employee benefits that support gift giving,鈥� said Allan Zander, CEO, DataKinetics.  鈥淚 am proud of that legacy but as I reflect on where I am now in my career, my desire to give back now involves not only being generous with our community gifts but also in projects where we can give back in terms of time, career development and the wisdom of my years.鈥� 

The Allies in Innovation program connects businesses to students in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Innovation Hub to support and nurture future founders and changemakers.

鈥淲e are grateful to Data Kinetics for supporting the innovation ecosystem at 杏吧原创 and in Ottawa, and for championing our student entrepreneurs. We rely on the support of community partners like Data Kinetics to deliver high-impact programs that support experiential learning and exploration, launching a business or social enterprise and accelerating growth,鈥� said John Nelson, director of the Innovation Hub.     

Led by the Sprott School of Business, the Innovation Hub serves 杏吧原创 students from all faculties in entrepreneurship exploration and new venture development through experiential learning, mentorship and support. Since its launch in fall 2021, the Innovation Hub has supported more than 100 student-led businesses and social enterprises.

Headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, DataKinetics鈥� solutions drive more than a billion financial transactions from the world鈥檚 largest financial and insurance organizations every single day. With a focus on innovation and giving back to our communities, DataKinetics has spent the past 45+ years investing in people, ideas, and startups 鈥� helping to shape the technology landscape and great people.

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Knak Champions NexGen Entrepreneurs Through 杏吧原创鈥檚 Innovation Hub

Ottawa-based enterprise marketing company has partnered with 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Innovation Hub to inspire and engage student entrepreneurs in their learning and new venture journeys.

“At Knak, we believe in fostering innovation and giving back to the communities that drive entrepreneurial growth. Partnering with 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Innovation Hub through the Allies in Innovation program is a meaningful way for us to support the next generation of entrepreneurs,鈥� said Sarah Crandlemire (BA/13), Director, People and Culture, Knak.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to help student founders transform bold ideas into impactful ventures, strengthening Ottawa鈥檚 innovation ecosystem.”

The Allies in Innovation program connects businesses to students in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Innovation Hub to foster and nurture future founders and changemakers.

鈥淲e are grateful to Knak for joining 杏吧原创鈥檚 Innovation Hub as the inaugural partner in the Allies in Innovation program. We rely on the support of community partners like Knak to deliver high-impact programs that support experiential learning and exploration, launching a business or social enterprise and accelerating growth,鈥� said John Nelson, director of the Innovation Hub.

鈥淲e look forward to working with Knak on our shared vision to support students in transforming ideas into tangible solutions and bolstering the innovation ecosystem in Ottawa.鈥�   

Led by the Sprott School of Business, the Innovation Hub serves 杏吧原创 students from all faculties in entrepreneurship exploration and new venture development through experiential learning, mentorship and support. Since its launch in fall 2021, the Innovation Hub has supported more than 100 student-led businesses and social enterprises.

Co-founded by 杏吧原创 Internation Business alum and CEO Pierce Ujjainwalla (BIB/13), is the first no-code campaign creation platform built for enterprise marketing teams that speeds time-to-market while empowering marketers to be creative.

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The Innovation Hub was excited to partner with the to bring back the Female Founders Street Market on March 25th, 2024 from 12:00 pm 鈥� 4:00 pm, right on campus in the Richcraft Atrium. Female founders filled the atrium with their homemade and handcrafted products such as jewelry, haircare, clothing, baked goods, art, and more. The event featured over 20 women-owned businesses, henna artists providing free henna, live music performers, a keynote address from MP Anita Vandenbeld, Rodney the Raven taking pictures, and a giveaway! It was fulfilling to see so many people come by to support their local female founders and women entrepreneurs. Through collaboration and support, events like the Female Founder Street Market pave the way for a future where gender equality and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.

Member of Parliament discussed some of the barriers that women entrepreneurs face:

The is a welcoming space dedicated to providing support, education, and resources for individuals who identify as women, as well as anyone interested in gender-based issues. It is the only women鈥檚-only space on campus, where all women are invited to use this peaceful sanctuary for studying, resting, prayer, breastfeeding, and self-care. The Innovation Hub plays a crucial role in supporting entrepreneurship on campus by providing programs at no-cost to student founders and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in starting or growing a new business venture or social innovation. The Hub connects its program participants with resources, mentors, and investors in the Ottawa entrepreneurship ecosystem that can help them to design, launch and scale their own businesses.

The Female Founders Street Market was made successful once again as a result of the CUSA Women鈥檚 Centre, the Innovation Hub, all of the talented vendors, and the members from the 杏吧原创 community who came out to show their support. The Female Founders Street Market is empowering because it provides a platform for women to showcase their talents and skills, while making connections with others in the Ottawa area. Attendees were about to have meaningful conversations to get to know the vendors and their businesses on a more personal level. When we put our money towards local and women-owned businesses, we鈥檙e directly supporting individuals in our community and encouraging them to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Female Founders Street Market, we hope to see you again next year!

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On Tuesday, March 12 at 12:00pm to 1:00pm the Innovation Hub held a Women Founder Roundtable, the second in a series of roundtables where 杏吧原创 student founders and entrepreneurs from equity seeking groups, underrepresented populations and racialized communities, can talk about their experience as entrepreneurs, explore resources available to them in the community and contribute to the development of new programs in the Hub. Staff members Taylor and Alecs facilitated the discussion with a small group of women founders and started the conversation by asking questions about how smaller businesses can be supported by the Hub.

In this roundtable session we had the opportunity to hear directly from women founders who voiced their experience, roadblocks, and advice for overcoming obstacles. Some founders mentioned the challenge of having to navigate the new venture creation process while not having  family members or mentors that already have a business to look up to, and others expressed interest in having the Hub help fellow student founders to build their confidence and develop specific skills as they continue their start up journey.

, the Executive Director for , shared that franchising or buying an existing business is also a good option for people who don鈥檛 want to start something from scratch. While this is not necessarily for students, franchising allows founders to get investments and financing more easily because it鈥檚 easier to receive investment when you have something more established. She also spoke about BEKH鈥檚 Black entrepreneurship ecosystem map, which was made to map connections electronically. She left the women founders with some advice, saying, 鈥淚n order to build and grow your business you need connections鈥� if you have no connections you have no way of showing your capabilities”.

One of the founders offered insight about how some students who want to start their own business may struggle with creativity and being innovative. She suggested that students could view starting a business in a different way, 鈥淔rame it as skill building [and gaining experience] instead of pressure to start a new business鈥�. Another founder chimed in, saying 鈥淚t鈥檚 about knowing where to start and how to start it鈥� a lot of people lack confidence in [my program] biotechnology, and they lack the business skills鈥�. She suggested that the Hub continues to make this space a place where students think 鈥渢his is somewhere I can grow my idea鈥� because it will open the door for women in STEM to feel more comfortable and want to start a science-related business.

Director of the Innovation Hub, John Nelson shared that there are three coaches in the Hub that focus on leadership and women in business, and encouraged attendees to look into the , which is available for women-led businesses even if the founders don鈥檛 bank with Scotiabank. Nelson closed the Women Founder Roundtable with encouraging more women founders to join one of the programs at the Innovation Hub. He said, 鈥淲e鈥檇 like to support anyone on campus that鈥檚 looking to start or scale a business, if we鈥檙e missing key things for you or your friends to come out please let us know鈥�.

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Looking for a cheap night out? These 杏吧原创 students have an app for that…

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Want to run your own business during Summer 2024?

Join the , designed to teach youth between the ages of 15 and 29, the practical skills for starting up a successful business during the summer break. If accepted, you will receive up to $3,000, hands-on coaching and interactive workshops for starting and running your own business this summer. Apply today to build your business, leverage the start-up money, and find your community!

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On Wednesday, February 28, 2024 the Innovation Hub hosted a Black Business Roundtable, the first in a series of roundtables where 杏吧原创 student founders and entrepreneurs from equity seeking groups, underrepresented populations and racialized communities, can talk about their experience as entrepreneurs, explore resources available to them in the community and contribute to the development of new programs in the Hub. These important conversations are being facilitated by the Hub with the purpose of asking the 杏吧原创 community 鈥淲hat do you need from us?鈥� and 鈥淗ow can we better serve you?鈥�. The Black Business Roundtable began with a brief networking period where attendees mingled and enjoyed refreshments before gathering to introduce themselves by answering the question 鈥渨hat makes you, you?鈥�. The room was filled with Innovation Hub staff and mentors, student founders and entrepreneurs, and members from the 杏吧原创 community and Ottawa鈥檚 entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Director of the Innovation Hub, John Nelson, started the event by sharing some of the opportunities that the Hub has to offer students and asked everyone to think about their 鈥榳hy鈥� as entrepreneurs. 鈥淵ou need to figure out what problems you want to solve and what value you鈥檒l be bringing to the community鈥�. He then opened the floor to attendees to join in on a powerful discussion about how the Hub can improve the way it supports Black entrepreneurs and Business-owners on campus. Many people at the roundtable were actively engaged in conversation and asked thought-provoking questions throughout the discussion. Some of the Hub鈥檚 dedicated mentors were able to answer business-related questions with their expert advice.

Mentor Olasupo Fagbemiro provided some of his business advice to founders in the early stages, saying 鈥淲hen getting started, think about what services you have to offer and what skills can you sell? […] what makes you unique that people can exchange value for?鈥�. From his experience being a Black entrepreneur, Ola mentioned some of the challenges that he had: 鈥淧eople often diminished my capacity because of my background鈥� so I needed to be creative鈥�. He decided to forge his own unique path when he first started by providing his services for free to build a base.

Mentor  emphasized the importance of talking to others, and encouraged everyone to network and form connections in order to be successful in their endeavors. 鈥淵ou have to be willing to connect with people, and not just online […] a level of connection is required [when doing business]鈥�. He brought up the opportunities available in the Ottawa ecosystem such as the Innovation Hub, 鈥淵ou have community here, mentors and centers where you can bring your ideas forward鈥�. At the same time, Jeffrey reminded the group that entrepreneurs don鈥檛 have to limit themselves to the Ottawa area, 鈥淚n this age of digital marketing and digital media, it鈥檚 very conceivable [to work with people around the world]鈥�.

Nelson encouraged everyone to get comfortable with selling themselves, and shift to thinking about their businesses through the lens of what they need to win in the space that they are operating in.  He urged students from underrepresented populations to come into the Hub to give feedback and make suggestions about how the Hub can help them in the future. The roundtable concluded with an open invitation for attendees to return, and a special invitation for the women entrepreneurs present to join the Hub鈥檚 Women Founder Roundtable, which will take place on March 12, 2024 at 12:00pm to 1:00pm in the Innovation Hub.

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Check out the Lunch & Learn with CEO and Co-Founder of Noibu, Robert Boukine

On February 16, 2024 the Innovation Hub hosted an exciting Lunch and Learn with鈥�, CEO and Co-Founder of Noibu, an eCommerce error monitoring platform powering the world鈥檚 best eCommerce experiences. Last year, Noibu had a 954% growth rate according to Ottawa Business Journal and placed #8 out of 425 companies on the list of Canada鈥檚 Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail. Having tremendous growth and success, the Hub was eager to give 杏吧原创 students the opportunity to hear from Robert himself about his experience of being a CEO for the past 6 years and 鈥檚 journey of charting new territory while continuing to grow rapidly. 

The Lunch and Learn session took place inside the Innovation Hub and the discussion was facilitated by the Hub鈥檚 very own Launch program facilitator Julie Cho. The session was filled with valuable insights and the two major themes were problem solving and resiliency. 

Regarding problem-solving, Robert shared his discovery to check the legitimacy of a problem before coming up with a solution. He realized that customers didn鈥檛 have a process to find bugs on their website, so he built a product to do that work. Noibu alerts people when there is a bug on their e-commerce site and sends them a weekly report with the steps to reproduce it. Noibu transformed from a service to an automated software and is now a product that works for everyone. 

In case you missed it, some key takeaways from Robert Boukine are: 

• Personal determination from him and his cofounders made their company work听
• He recognizes the risk and privilege of bootstrapping and is glad he began his company that way. Noibu received no outside investments until they had consistent revenue.听听
• Robert emphasizes that you must 鈥減ick who you鈥檙e going to sell to鈥�听
• His advice for positions of leadership is to hold your team accountable to deliver things. He does this through consistent meetings and clear deliverables.听听

On the theme of resiliency, Robert talked about the challenges he had between each step of scaling his company. In sales, he struggled with how to best reach out to potential clients and get them in meetings. His tried-and-true advice is to build a sales funnel and track numbers at each stage to determine the most effective messaging. 

If you don鈥檛 want to miss out on another Lunch and Learn, make sure you check out our Events & Community Networking page and follow us on Instagram to stay up-to-date on everything happening at the Hub! 

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Check out the recap of our fall 2023 pitch nights!

On December 5th, 6th, and 7^th the Innovation Hub welcomed our hard-working student founders in the Hatch, Changemaker, and Launch incubator programs to pitch their brilliant business ideas. After weekly workshops with their program facilitators and spending hours refining all areas of their businesses, participants took to the stage to share their ideas with a panel of judges and an audience full of members from the 杏吧原创 and Ottawa community. Listening to everyone’s pitches was inspiring and ideas ranged from utilizing AI and virtual reality, to embracing ecologically conscious solutions, to the creation of their own web platforms and mobile apps, and much more!

We’d like to thank the various judges who took time out of their busy schedules to listen to our students’ pitches, ask thought-provoking questions, and offer crucial feedback that will help them on their path towards success. A huge thank you to the Hatch judges, Justin Urquhart, Alberto Aguillar, Sean Joe-Ezigbo, and Taylor Fess, the Changemaker judges Calvin Tong and Emilia De Jesus Peixoto, and the Launch judges Calvin Tong, Aaron English, and Roozer Samuvel Natterjee. Additionally, the pitch nights couldn’t have run smoothly without our MCs Mitchell Collins and Dredan Quenneville, and behind the scenes planning from Director of the Innovation Hub John Nelson and Operations Coordinator Jonah Eng.

Starting, running, or scaling your business as a student entrepreneur takes time and effort and having a support system makes it easier to take the next step in the right direction. The Innovation Hub serves as a dedicated space on campus to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among students, connecting them to like-minded individuals as well as key players in the Ottawa ecosystem. We can’t wait to welcome a new cohort of student founders to each of our incubator programs in the upcoming winter term!

Interested in joining one of the Hub’s programs? Registration for Winter 2024 programs is open on our website, we encourage curious students to check out our programs and register today!

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With support from the Innovation Hub, 杏吧原创 successfully hosted this year鈥檚 Crunch hackathon in the Nicol Building. The Crunch is a three-day event where students from Algonquin College, University of Ottawa, and 杏吧原创 compete and collaborate to pitch a business idea for a chance to win a cash prize. Individuals can join on their own or in a group to address challenges within any industry, including categories such as health innovation, social impact, and emerging technologies.

Groups spent the weekend working on their pitches and prototypes, getting valuable advice from mentors and workshops. At the end of the weekend, the participants presented their ideas and business plans to a panel of judges. Pitches covered ideas in a wide range of industries, addressing gaps in various markets. The winning group pitched a smart garbage sorting system that uses artificial intelligence to separate waste for recycling.

The Crunch this year drew in students with diverse interests from business to engineering and the arts. Participants gained new skills from the weekend and had the chance for some valuable networking. Ansh, a 杏吧原创 student, said he was glad to participate in the Crunch because, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a great experience to work as a team and gain new ideas to innovate.鈥�

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