Hello folks,

We hope you are enjoying your reading week. This is a great time for you to relax, recharge, catch up on your work for the semester, and even more importantly, keep thinking about your evolving ideas, emerging or existing businesses, and your future as an entrepreneur as the Hub transitions into its hybrid programming for the rest of the term.  We have a slew of speakers and mentors who will be doing events and office hours in the Hub from next week, alongside the Incubator coaches you have been getting messages from.

Small Business Week in Ontario

This week, October 20-26, is also Small Business Week in Ontario.  Many of our partners have events in Ottawa this week including , , and .  You will probably have noticed links to messages from the , , and a host of other folks chatting about the support for entrepreneurs and small business owners in Ontario and initiatives we want you to be aware of, including the , the , the , and the . Our team is also supporting the committee organizing the which returns to the Shaw Centre in Ottawa on November 28-29, 2024. New speakers have been announced and the .

Upcoming Events

Now that you have made it to Reading Week, The Innovation Hub Team is facilitating a larger number of speakers and events for the students and founders in our incubator programs to attend.   There is a lot going on in the Hub and even more in Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem throughout the months of October and November so think about your goals, focus on what you need to explore and accomplish, and let us know what we can do to help.  You don’t need to attend everything but fit as much as you can into your schedule and remember to keep up with the online videos and questions on Brightspace, in your downtime between classes and assignments. We try to keep a curated list of activities on our events page but there is a lot more happening in Ottawa so keep an eyes on our site, on our , and on the sites of any community partners you want to follow.

Ongoing Community Events

Last night, some of our coaches attended the Ottawa Board of Trade’s keynote and fireside chat with Pierre ClĂ©roux, Chief Economist with the BDC.  The topic: Preparing for the Future: Leveraging AI Technologies for Growth and Productivity where the findings from BDC’s latest , which surveyed over 1,200 Canadian business owners was unveiled.  Today, we join the Mayor’s Breakfast for an interview with Erik Hoffman, President – Music at Live Nation as well as OBOT’s Business After 5 event at Burovision on Sparks Street and A Ton of Demos at the Prescott on Preston. Sprott will be hosting the next OBOT Business After 5 event on campus in the Nicol Building Foyer on Wednesday November 27, a great opportunity to bring more members of the Ottawa Business community to campus to chat about our students and founders, and about the opportunities for Sprott to engage with them in the future.

Come into the Hub and chat about the monthly events that we attend where you can join us.  A growing number of students and founders have been accompanying us to Tech Tuesday in Kanata on the first Tuesday of each month, to AI Tinkerers and A Ton of Demos where student founders and community members can get involved with entrepreneurs looking for help on a host of new projects, and to TiE Ottawa events where speakers have been engaging us in a host of new topics and discussions.  The Hub will also be covering the cost for 30 students to attend TiECon Canada 2024 – Disruptive Entrepreneurship – AI & Emerging Technology on November 8^th in Richcraft Hall on campus.  Register as soon as you can so that we can confirm the list of folks we are taking.  We still have 16 seats left.  If we run out, you can also cover the cost on your own. .

Funding Opportunities

In addition to facilitating discussions about raising Capital and facilitating opportunities for our students and founders to connect with Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists when they have exhausted their bootstrapping options,  The Hub is also encouraging students and incorporated founders to apply for Nicol Internships and Non-Dilutive Grant Funding respectively.  While funding is not guaranteed, these are additional opportunities for you to get funding to help take your businesses and ventures to the next level.  Come into the hub and learn more about these opportunities.  Applications for both are open over the next two weeks.  We are also exploring information sessions for other grant opportunities, and discussions with our partners at Gowling WLG, IPON, ISED and CIPO about supporting those of you with IP which could be patentable.  Look out for more information about that soon.

Upcoming Innovation Hub Events

Enjoy your week.

The post October 24 update for Student Founders appeared first on Innovation Hub.

Join student founders, mentors and advisors from the ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Innovation Hub and the University of Ottawa Entrepreneurship Hub at an Ottawa 67s game on Friday, November 3rd.

20 student founders from each school will be selected to participate in this event. A private room has been reserved for participants to meet and network prior to the game. Complete the form below in order to be considered to attend the event.

** A maximum of 20 places are available. Confirmed attendees will be notified prior to the event and will be encouraged to arrive 45 minutes prior to the game for networking.

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Future-Thinking and Forward Looking: Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program on Supporting Indigenous Entrepreneurs on their Startup Journey 

CU Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program (IEP) is a four-to-five-week leadership program developed by CU Future EDge and the Innovation Hub at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University.

Not only does IEP provide training on leadership development, finance, and project management, amongst other business skills, but it also plans to provide support for Indigenous entrepreneurs after the program has completed.

IEP Director Richard Tuck is a MĂ©tis serial entrepreneur who has helped launch around 150-200 organizations, from environmental non-profits to multinational tech companies.

“The Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program looks at social entrepreneurship through an Indigenous lens through talking to Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous community members and entrepreneurs,” said Richard.

“We are combining Indigenous ways of knowing and being with the new entrepreneurial process.”

Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program and the New Entrepreneurial Process

According to Richard, the new entrepreneurial process which is featured in the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program is more efficient. Instead of relying on a business plan, new business owners are advised to invest small amounts of money into their companies as a tester.

“This process increases the chance of success while decreasing the amount invested in things that fail,” said Tuck.

Some of the Indigenous entrepreneurs who have joined IEP are first-time business owners.

They are often inspired by their families or Indigenous heritage to launch their start-ups, like Daphne March, founder of the , an Indigenous wellness retreat. Others help fill a gap in the industry, such as Tye Galley and Cody Lystiuk who launched , a First Nation logistics company dealing in emergency shipments.

For them, this is the more sustainable, cost-effective way forward for their start-ups, ensuring a higher success rate.

Future-Thinking and Forward Looking: IEP Embraces the Seventh Generation Principle

According to Richard, who was the 2021 Sprott Alumni Good Business Award winner and a 2001 graduate of ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Bachelor of International Business program, CU Future EDge’s IEP and ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Innovation Hub are both impressive because they are “future thinking.”

Their vision of entrepreneurship looks to the future and this aligns with the decision-making process in some Indigenous communities called the Seventh Generation Principle. According to this principle, people should consider the impacts decisions made in the present will have on the next seven generations.

Barbara Dumont-Hill was the Elder-in-Residence at the final presentations where the IEP’s Indigenous entrepreneurs presented their businesses after the program’s conclusion. She led the attendees in a prayer which mentioned the importance of the Seventh Generation Principle.

“We would learn what people from seven generations past knew. This was knowledge that would help us sustain and care about the seven generations to come. Today, there is a worry and a sadness in our hearts that there might not be resources for the next seven generations,” she said.

CU Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program thus focuses on sustainability, with sessions on environmental entrepreneurship and innovation. The program is sponsored by Eco Canada, which works with and for environmental professionals in regards to job creation and wage funding.

In that sense, the program has helped Indigenous entrepreneurs like Jordan Dooley, the founder of Vearthy which sells sustainable textiles, learn more about the intersection between business and environmentalism.

CU Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program Provides a Support System for Indigenous Entrepreneurs

Cohort based programs are difficult for Indigenous entrepreneurs who do not have the luxury of devoting a majority of their time to the five-week process since many of them have full time jobs and are single parents.

“There are a bunch of barriers to completing a program like this. The Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program navigates that arena so that we can get Indigenous entrepreneurs the resources and ability to make it to the next stage of their business process,” said Richard.

The program allows participants to have access to mentorship and coaching via ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Innovation Hub for up to four months after the program’s completion. They are also awarded a  professional certificate in Indigenous entrepreneurship from CU Future EDge.

IEP’s goal is to build a community network and internal support system where Indigenous entrepreneurs can learn from each other and grow their businesses together.

The post Future-Thinking and Forward Looking: Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program on Supporting Indigenous Entrepreneurs on their Startup Journey appeared first on Innovation Hub.

By

For , holds a lot of personal significance. It is a sacred word that not only honors her Indigenous culture as a Mi’kmaq woman, but honors her father as it was an Indigenous greeting he used often, in the spirit of love, safety, and human connection.

In a similar spirit, Daphne founded the four-star accommodation R&R House in George’s Brook, Central Newfoundland, and the , a healing and wellness retreat project.

“My ultimate dream was to open a ShaMaSha center, using the knowledge of my culture, of my experience. I want to use what I have learned from the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program to create a holistic healing place where people go to feel safe. I hope to inspire others in my community through my leadership as a businesswoman,” she said.

Relearning Her Mi’kmaq Culture and Reconnecting with her Indigenous Roots

The ShaMaSha Center hosts gatherings or workshops that teach yoga, mindfulness, and nutrition, as well as healing retreats in the great Newfoundland outdoors and life coaching sessions with Daphne. All the programs offered as part of ShaMaSha highlight Indigenous practices, our connection to Mother Earth, and the importance of reconnecting with the land in Newfoundland and Labrador.

However, Daphne had to relearn and reconnect with her Indigenous culture. “It’s only now that I can sit in front of you and say I’m a Mi’kmaq woman,” she said. Daphne references a bit of Canadian history that contributed to her loss of cultural identity as a child.

“When I was growing up, we didn’t really talk about our culture. In 1949, when Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada, the father of the confederation Joey Smallwood was asked by the government of Canada if there were any Indians in Newfoundland. He said, “No,” and my dad and ancestors were not allowed to practice their culture.”

However, her experience with addiction, as well as her travels abroad, made her realize the strength of Indigenous communities and healing practices.

Launching Her Business and Learning from Future EDge’s Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program

Daphne’s entrepreneurial side comes from being born into her family business, March’s Store in Gillams, Newfoundland, as well as her years as a barber and her past experience opening up a retail business.

She had $200,000 to invest into building up the ShaMaSha center and had promotional support from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. However, the pandemic made her step back and rethink her business plan.

“Because the ShaMaSha center is attached to my dad and my culture, I was leading with my heart because I wanted to preserve my culture for the next generation. The one-piece I was missing was the backend of my business, the financial side. The Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program with ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University has empowered me by confirming that I do have a business that’s sustainable and financially viable,” she said.

She benefitted from her one-on-one meetings with Richard Tuck, the program’s director and a Métis entrepreneur himself.

“I learned how to pitch my business through one-liners and cut my pitch down to three minutes. Richard had amazing speakers every week that I learned a lot from. I needed to see that my business could be successful and that’s what the program has given me.”

As for her future plans, Daphne mentions her hopes to have a documentary filmed to showcase “the story of the Mi’kmaq people and how powerful our recovery is and how resilient we are.”

The post Indigenous Entrepreneur Daphne March on Health and Healing through ShaMaSha, Her Wellness Retreat appeared first on Innovation Hub.

Throughout our Changemaker pilot program in the fall of 2021, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University students were enabled to think outside the box and utilize their unique set of skills to pursue and apply towards their passions. Here is what a group of 4 Aerospace Engineering Students put together throughout the semester during our Changemaker program:

, , , and are a group of ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Aerospace Engineering students who over the course of a semester came together to conceptualize a software that allows for decreased wildfire response times. Their solution was developed out of their shared passion for the outdoors and desire to preserve it. The wildfire software uses data provided by Wildfire Canada which predicts the future movement of wildfires. In doing so, the appropriate authorities will know which regions to protect and proactively allocate resources for them. This software would provide both response teams and residents with advanced warning and allow for timely evacuation.

Authors: Brendan McGann & Alexander Zelenski

Graphics: Alexander Zelenski

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ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s Sprott School of Business and Innovation Hub are working with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) together to develop an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem to support the growth and success of LGBTQ2S+ owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

Canadian LGBTQ2S+ businesses are creating over 22 billion dollars in economic impact annually, and supporting over 435,000 jobs across the country. However, 1 in 5 LGBTQ2S+ owned businesses report experiencing challenges in starting or scaling their business due to being part of the LGBTQ2S+ community. (Source: CGLCC)

Through this partnership, Sprott and CGLCC will co-create curricula that include experiential learning, new venture development and case studies. It will also provide business students the opportunity to participate in professional development and networking events organized by CGLCC.

Joint initiatives are already underway. Currently, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Innovation Hub is working with CGLCC to deliver a business incubation program for ventures founded by LGBTQ2S+ entrepreneurs, as well as inclusive business training for student entrepreneurs at the university.

Sprott and CGLCC also plan to engage in collaborative research to generate new knowledge about the impact and opportunity for diverse business, as well as produce reliable data related to the state of LGBTQ2S+ entrepreneurship and business in Canada.

Last spring, Sprott researchers conducted a in collaboration with CGLCC to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on LGBTQ2S+ businesses and entrepreneurs. Commissioned by Lightspeed, the research found that businesses located in gay villages saw a disproportionate number of closures compared to the rest of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and that Canada is lagging behind the US in providing support for LGBTQ2S+ businesses. The research also identified a need to increase intersectionality within the sector as women entrepreneurs and business owners were found to be significantly underrepresented among LGBTQ2S+ businesses.

ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce

 is a coalition of LGBT+ businesses, government liaisons, corporate members and community partners advocating for change to make a more inclusive Canadian economy possible.

The post ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Sprott School of Business & Innovation Hub partner with LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce to advance inclusive entrepreneurship appeared first on Innovation Hub.

Coming from two different fields and stages in their academic careers, Ritika Bhatia a master’s student in computer science and Abigail Meloche, a first-year economics student, joined forces to develop PowHerStem: a digital platform that provides information to girls aged 11 to 19 about different careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Beyond sharing opportunities, the platform crucially connects students with role models with the goal of encouraging more females to choose STEM career paths.

Ritika Bhatia, MCS

“At its core, the platform is designed to create a micro-community and to be used as an engagement tool where young women can channel their passions and be inspired,” explains Bhatia.

The project was brought to life through ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s new Innovation Hub’s Changemaker Challenge. Students from all fields were provided the opportunity to think outside the box and utilize their unique set of skills to help solve a real-world challenge guided by the . Bhatia and Meloche chose goal five: gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Paired for their common interest, Bhatia’s focus is on coding and the technical aspects of building the platform, whereas Meloche is taking the lead in networking, reaching out to the community and building partnerships.

“When I attended my first mathematics course at university, I was one of three girls,” explains Meloche. “I noticed there was less female representation in post-secondary than in high school and wondered if that was the case across all STEM fields.”

Abigail Meloche, B.Econ

Using an economics lens, Meloche and Bhatia sought to uncover why women and girls aren’t pursuing careers in the STEM fields, despite the salary premium.

What they found was an abundance of talent, constrained by the overarching issue—a lack of visible representation and access to female role models at a young age.

As an international student from India, Bhatia is close to completing her studies and says that more representation in STEM would have been beneficial throughout her educational journey.

“I really wished I had role models at the beginning of my education, because now as master’s student I see how many amazing women there are in STEM but until you are in the field, you aren’t aware of that,” she explains. “I feel more confident now and hope this project brings more visible representation.”

“There are extraordinary women in STEM. We’re just starting to see them,” adds Meloche. “There’s a lack of confidence and certainty going into these fields due to that lack of representation. If you can’t see yourself represented, it’s difficult to have the confidence to make that big career decision. Having this extra support and encouragement at a young age would have been really helpful.”

Bhatia and Meloche are now working towards the implementation of their ideas. Next steps include securing resources, partners and funding—all areas where ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Innovation Hub can help.

“We want to help students from all corners of ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ learn about issues, connect them with partners from the private sector or community organizations, and give them a set of tools they can use to transform their ideas into tangible solutions,” says Innovation Hub director Harry Sharma. “We want to instill a culture of innovation across the university.”

Spanning over a semester, the Changemaker Challenge is open to all ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University students. This experiential learning environment provides the real-life tools and skills to stand in front of the work and prove the value of individual ideas.

“This has been a really inspiring experience,” says Meloche. “If it weren’t for the Changemaker Challenge, Ritika and I would probably have never met. I’ve learned so much from her and as a first-year student, this experience gave me a great sense of community.”

—

By Alysha A. Cunningham

The post Student-Designed Digital Platform Aims to Inspire Girls to Enter STEM appeared first on Innovation Hub.

Throughout our first Changemaker pilot program, students were enabled to think outside the box and utilize their unique set of skills to pursue their passions. To see what a few of the students put together throughout the semester, here are a few of our Changemaker 1 success stories:

Kashyap Achar – Clover

The first up is who is a 4th-year computer science student whose passion lies with innovation and entrepreneurship. He is constantly looking to engage in creative and out-of-the-box ways of thinking. During the Changemaker program, Kashyap’s takeaway was how the program allowed students to take an idea and see where it could best be used and implemented, and ultimately understand how it impacts people. Check out Kashyap’s project below:

Ritika Bhatia & Abigail Meloche – PowHERStem

Next is and , both from different disciplines and stages in their academics came together with a common goal of wanting to help women in STEM fields. Through the Changemaker program, they found themselves enabled to pursue their passions and use their skills in new and exciting ways. Check out their project below:

Nicole Gluzman & Ezhil Isaac – Saving our oceans, one river at a time

Lastly, and are students who are passionate about innovative and out-of-the-box thinking. Throughout the Changemaker program they both stepped out of their comfort zone to develop a multifaceted solution that addressed not 1, but 2 UN SDG’s. The “Saving Our Oceans, One River at a Time” program involves engagements of various stakeholder groups as well as working with already existing programs to target the issue of inadequate waste management. Check out their project below:

Authors: Brendan McGann & Alexander Zelenski

Graphics: Alexander Zelenski

The post Changemaker 1 Student Success Stories | Fall 2021 appeared first on Innovation Hub.

The Innovation Hub at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University is delighted to announce the appointment of Robert Hocking as its inaugural Entrepreneur-in-Residence. A serial entrepreneur and consultant for international brands, Robert brings expertise in brand strategy, customer acquisition, and global scale-up to the role, which provides coaching and mentoring to ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ students interested in innovation and new venture creation.

 

Robert started his career in advertising and launched his own agency in 1995. Over the following eight years, Robert expanded the business into a group of four integrated agencies specializing in advertising, public relations, digital and environmental design. He was recognized as one of Ottawa’s top executives under the age of 40.

After selling his interest in the business, he joined Ogilvy and Mather as Vice-President, Strategy, dividing his time between Toronto, Chicago, and New York, after which he joined its sister firm of Young & Rubicam. In 2007, he joined the preeminent retail and brand design company Fitch Worldwide in London as Chief Development Officer. His career led him to launch a retail and brand consultancy in partnership with Philip Ventures in the Netherlands, and an e-commerce company in the UK before returning to Canada.

In addition to his work as a business and brand consultant, Robert has worked in higher education as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School and as a guest lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, Leeds University, Delft University of Technology, University College London and the London School of Economics. In 2019, he co-published a book entitled, “The Store (What Is It Good For?) And the Future of Retail Experience.”

ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ students who are interested in scheduling a coaching session with Robert may do so by contacting the Innovation Hub at innovationhub@carleton.ca .

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ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s Innovation Hub and the Alterna Social Ventures Institute at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Sprott School of Business are excited to announce the appointment of Bhawani Singh Shekhawat, CEO of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, as Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.

In this role, Bhawani will draw upon his extensive experience in entrepreneurship and social innovation to provide coaching, mentorship, and learning opportunities to ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University students interested in social entrepreneurship.

Bhawani is the CEO of the , which runs the world’s largest and perhaps most celebrated school meals program. It currently serves over 1.8 million school children in over 19,000 schools across India, amounting to over 2 billion meals annually. In the U.K., Akshaya Patra runs a holiday lunch program to provide meals to food-insecure children in greater London during school holidays, as well as a program that provides daily meals to more than 3,000 homeless adults in London. The work of the Akshaya Patra directly contributes to reducing food insecurity among children, addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. In 2019, the Akshaya Patra Foundation received the prestigious.

Prior to his work with Akshaya Patra, Bhawani led large multinational, multicultural, and multidisciplinary teams in global corporations. He held senior management positions with Nielsen in emerging markets and led the consumer business in Central, South, and Western Europe. Subsequently, he led the global marketing science and best practice areas for Reckitt Benckiser and the strategic planning function at Coca-Cola. During his time with these companies, he was responsible for strategic initiatives including mergers and acquisitions and legacy planning.

He currently serves on the advisory board of Adhyayan Asia and HaikuJam (UK) where he consults and advises the corporate board of directors. He is also associated with Erehwon Consulting where he helps businesses and leadership realize and unlock their orbit-shifting potential.

Bhawani is passionate about people, innovation-driven growth, and the challenges that leadership brings to any given situation. He divides his time between teaching at leading business schools and advising and mentoring business leaders and entrepreneurs.

ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ students who are interested in attending a workshop or scheduling a coaching session with Bhawani will be able to do so through the Innovation Hub. More information will be forthcoming; in the meantime, students can contact Bhawani by email at innovationhub@carleton.ca .

This position is supported with funding from the Innovation Hub and the Alterna Social Ventures Institute.

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