Alyson Bruce

Black Founders Network celebrates a year of Black excellence in entrepreneurship

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 20:11:21 +0000

Black Founders Network celebrates a year of Black excellence in entrepreneurship

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 11/01/2022 - 16:11

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Olugbenga Olubanjo, an alumnus and founder of clean energy startup Reeddi, delivers a presentation during a recent event in U of T's Convocation Hall (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)

Alyson Bruce

Topic

Our Community

Black Founders Network

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

U of T Entrepreneurship

Alumni

Entrepreneurship

Startups

More than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, students and community supporters gathered at the University of Toronto recently to mark the first anniversary of the Black Founders Network (BFN) and celebrate the achievements of its inaugural BFN Accelerate cohort of entrepreneurs.

“What brought me to the BFN was the community of like-minded founders all working to build amazing things,” said Olugbenga Olubanjo, founder of Reeddi, one of eleven startups to complete the BFN Accelerate’s four-month bootcamp.

“The community is designed to help us grow, find solutions to challenges and meet our desired outcomes. What I loved most was learning from the experts who were engaged with us through BFN Accelerate.”

Members of the BFN Accelerate 2022 cohort pose for a photo outside Convocation Hall (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)

Reeddi took home the top Venture Award prize from the event, with funding awards also going to startups Fyyne, HDAX Therapeutics, Woo Your Boo, and Elev.

Part of the response to the recommendations in the final report of U of T’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force, the BFN works to create an inclusive community for Black entrepreneurs from ideation to scaleup – and support them as they launch, fund and scale impactful businesses. Since launching, the BFN has hosted and supported more than 30 events, engaged with over 50 mentors and advisers, and received support from more than 20 community and corporate organizations – including new corporate donor KPMG, which announced at the event that it will be funding grants to early-stage Black founders.

Efosa Obano is the founder and program manager at the Black Founders Network (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the community support BFN has received in its first year,” said BFN program manager Efosa Obano. “Everything we have achieved together in such a short time validates the need for what we are building.

“It’s only year one and I’m very excited for what is to come.”

Here are six BFN Accelerate startups to watch:

AfterData AI

Co-founded by U of T alumnus Anu Oladele, Afterdata AI enables organizations to understand their own data by helping them access, connect and explore existing datasets in easy and interactive ways. The AI startup recently raised $250,000 in funding from a U.S. based venture capital firm.

Aworie

Founded by U of T alumna and social entrepreneur Rae Massop, Aworie provides convenient, affordable and accessible mental health services for marginalized Canadians. With quickly growing revenues, the health-care startup recently crossed the 500-customer mark.

Blair + Jack

Dr. Bimpe Ayeni, a board-certified plastic surgeon and U of T lecturer in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, co-founded Blair + Jack to address common skincare problems experienced by men and simplify the process of having physician-formulated skincare delivered without a prescription. The startup recently won the Ella Express Pitch Contest and got onto the shelves of Black Owned Toronto at Scarborough Town Centre.

NobelHub

Co-founded by U of T alumni Melisa Ellis, Malcolm Wright and Chevon Riley, NobelHub connects startups and existing businesses with the most essential services they need to grow and scale their ventures. Initially focused on the Black community, it is a one-stop-shop that offers services such as legal, accounting, marketing, technology development and business planning.

NORM

Launched by U of T alumnus Chevon Riley, NORM provides natural cosmetics to individuals seeking an alternative to synthetic products with questionable ingredients. The organic skincare startup wants customers to know exactly what they put on their body, so it handcrafts its almond balm with only natural ingredients, tailoring its formula for those with dry or sensitive skin. NORM recently won the UTSC Hub Pitch Competition with a $5,000 Prize.

Yuko AI

Founded by Jean Marie Uwabeza, Yuko AI provides an accurate and efficient AI-powered software solution to help dermatology clinics communicate, triage and manage skin health issues more effectively online. The SaaS startup took home the Next AI Top Startup Award at Startupfest in Montreal this past July.

Meet the full BFN Accelerate 2022 cohort

U of T Entrepreneurship partners with Desjardins on startup prize

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 14:33:07 +0000

U of T Entrepreneurship partners with Desjardins on startup prize

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 10/19/2022 - 10:33

Cutline

(Photo by Luis Alvarez/Getty Images)

Alyson Bruce

Topic

Our Community

Entrepreneurship Week

Industry Partnerships

Entrepreneurship

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Startups

One of the the biggest challenges for a student entrepreneur when building a company is capital – it costs money to develop a prototype, pay for professional services such as legal support and then market a product or services to customers.

Enter the Desjardins Startup Prize.

“This award will mean the University of Toronto’s best and brightest innovators will be able to secure funding for their startup without giving up any equity in their business,” said Jon French, director, U of T Entrepreneurship (UTE). “More than $100,000 in non-dilutive prize money will be awarded.”

The competition is open to all teams with at least one full-time U of T student or recent grad and the prize will be awarded during Entrepreneurship Week, which runs from March 6 to March 10, 2023.

“Entrepreneurship Week is the university’s annual celebration of innovation, featuring events across the three campuses – and the perfect place for competitors to showcase their startups,” French said.

Finalists will be divided into early-stage and late-stage categories based on criteria including funding to date and current revenue. They will each have five minutes to pitch to a panel of investors, entrepreneurs and other business leaders before being asked questions in a format reminicent of CBC’s Dragons’ Den. The prize money will be divided between the two categories, with the top three finishers in the early-stage category sharing $30,000 and those in the late-stage category sharing $70,000.

“The engagement in entrepreneurial activity at U of T is increasing rapidly,” French said. “There are almost 500 teams annually that are building innovative solutions to the world’s problems and this support from Desjardins gives them the critical resources they need to grow and succeed.”

The Desjardins Startup Prize is part of a larger, three-year commitment as a lead partner for UTE that will also feature a financial literacy workshop for founders and the Desjardins Speaker Series – inspirational thought leadership events covering topics relevant to the UTE community.

“Entrepreneurs are vital to Canada’s socioeconomic development. They create jobs and new opportunities, they develop innovative solutions to our challenges while serving the needs of our communities,” said Guy Cormier, president and CEO of Desjardins Group.

“Supporting entrepreneurs means investing into the vitality of our communities. That’s why we’re so proud to partner with the University of Toronto to support entrepreneurs and bring their dream one step closer to reality.”

Learn more about industry partnerships at U of T

U of T Entrepreneurship's Jon French on the new RBC Innovation Challenge – and what students need to know

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:25:37 +0000

U of T Entrepreneurship's Jon French on the new RBC Innovation Challenge – and what students need to know

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/27/2022 - 09:25

Cutline

With “Tech for a Greener Future” as its inaugural theme, the RBC Innovation Challenge asks students to develop new ways to use data and technology to help Canada reach its 2050 net-zero targets (photo by University of Toronto)

Alyson Bruce

Topic

Our Community

U of T Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Graduate Students

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

ONRamp

Sustainability

Undergraduate Students

The University of Toronto and RBC have partnered to launch the RBC Innovation Challenge, the latest joint initiative to bolster innovation and entrepreneurship efforts on campus and beyond.

The annual, university-wide competition is open to all U of T students and invites multi-disciplinary teams to focus on technology projects with the potential for global impact.

For its inaugural year, the theme is “Tech for a Greener Future” and asks students how technology and data can be used to help Canada reach its 2050 net-zero targets. The challenge, to be officially launched with an event on Oct. 11, will run until Jan. 26 and consists of three phases: “Discover,” which gives students an opportunity to get inspired, form teams and register them by the Nov. 13 deadline; “Develop,” when they will create an initial version of their product or service; and “Deliver,” when the teams will present to a panel of expert judges.

Writer Alyson Bruce recently sat down with Jon French, director, U of T Entrepreneurship (UTE), to learn more about the challenge and the opportunity it presents for student entrepreneurs.

How did the idea for the challenge come about?

We can start with the obvious – the science is clear. Human activity is having a devastating impact on our planet and many experts say the climate crisis is the single-most important threat facing our society. Plus, U of T has always been a leader when it comes to creating innovative solutions to global problems, going back to the discovery of insulin in 1921. This is just another opportunity to use our technology and expertise to help generate positive societal and economic impact.

At the same time, U of T is proud to be one of Canada’s leading public institutions committed to the goal of reaching net zero by 2050. We have robust, collaborative initiatives across our innovation ecosystem, including the School of Cities, BioZone, the Mass Timber Institute, the Munk School of Global Studies and Public Policy’s Environmental Governance Lab, the Adams Sustainability Celebration and one of the university’s most ambitious strategic initiatives, the Climate Positive Energy strategic initiative, which is a delivery partner for this year’s challenge.

U of T Entrepreneurship makes an ideal launching pad for the challenge because we see enormous potential for some of the projects created over the next few months to have commercial application. Our vibrant startup ecosystem has produced 107 ventures in cleantech alone and they have raised $496 million in research funding and are advancing research in converting CO2 into renewable fuels and materials, decarbonization technologies, hydrogen, and renewable energy such as solar.

What is RBC’s role?

An initiative like this needs a committed partner and we are lucky to be working with RBC who have been a long-time supporter of U of T’s innovation ecosystem. This is the latest in a series of RBC-supported activities, ranging from startup pitch competitions, research fellowships, and ONRamp our co-working and collaboration space on the St. George campus. As one of the world’s largest banks by market capitalization, RBC has an important role to play in the journey to net-zero and have demonstrated a commitment to action through the RBC Climate Blueprint. With more than 10,000 employees working across different technical roles, they are also keenly interested in how tech can be used for positive societal and economic impact.

Ultimately, this is about learning, networking and developing entrepreneurial / intrapreneurial skills while having fun in a way that could make a big difference.

How will the challenge work?

Any current U of T student at any level, in any academic discipline, is eligible to participate. The projects created during the challenge will either be brand new or less than six months old – meaning this is not for startups that are already well established. Teams of three to six students can be formed in myriad ways – through curricular or co-curricular initiatives (including course work, capstones, etc.), via the U of T Entrepreneurship accelerator network and also out of facilitated meetups and ideation clinics. Once established, teams will have roughly two months to develop their projects, with support along the way from RBC domain experts, faculty advisers, targeted workshops – all culminating in a pitch competition for prizes on Jan. 26.

The strongest teams will likely be multi-disciplinary and representative of our diverse student body because multiple perspectives lead to more effective and inclusive solutions to the world’s greatest problems. Teams are encouraged to focus on tech-enabled projects that are relevant to individual Canadians, small and medium businesses or large companies and government. We are hoping to see a broad range of projects in areas such as: measuring, reporting and lowering carbon emissions; clean and renewable energy; food security; responsible investment; transportation; clean water, sustainable manufacturing materials and planetary health, to name a few.

Why should students participate?

It’s a great opportunity for students to work on an impactful project over an extended period of time and not only learn from some of the top innovators, researchers and climate experts in the world, but also build a network of peers who are passionate about similar pursuits.

There is also $100,000 in prizes for the top teams, including a $35,000 first-place prize and a $10,000 People’s Choice Award. The top team will also get to present their project – and represent U of T – at an upcoming global climate conference or summit, with consideration given to carbon offsets.

We anticipate that some of these projects will also be turned into startups that are supported by the U of T Entrepreneurship community, which consists of more than 10 accelerators across the three campuses. For finalist project teams that incorporate and pursue venture creation, there is another $10,000 available in the form of startup service vouchers to offset the cost of professional services such as legal and intellectual property protection, marketing, financial/accounting and more.

The university’s Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) is also committed to working with eligible teams hoping to commercialize their project output, while RBC is also exploring ways to support U of T talent and the team members and projects that emerge from the challenge.

First 11 startups in Black Founders Network program introduced at U of T event

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:35:55 +0000

First 11 startups in Black Founders Network program introduced at U of T event

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 06/24/2022 - 10:35

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Professor Rhonda McEwen, a member of the Black Founders Network leadership council, speaks during a recent kick-off event at ONRamp for the BFN Accelerate program (photo by Duane Cole)

Alyson Bruce

Topic

Our Community

Black Founders Network

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

The inaugural cohort of a University of Toronto program to support Black entrepreneurs was introduced last week at an in-person event on the St. George campus.

The kick-off event – hosted by the Black Founders Network (BFN) and U of T Entrepreneurship – welcomed 11 early-stage startups to BFN Accelerate, a three-month, cohort-based accelerator that’s open to companies from the U of T community with at least one Black-identifying founder.

It was the first large scale event in more than two years to be hosted at ONRamp, the university’s co-working and collaboration space for startups.

“Selecting the cohort was difficult, with many exciting startups being built in our community,” said Efosa Obano, program manager of the Black Founders Network.

“It will hopefully be the first of many, and we are really inspired by this special group. We are also grateful to the BFN community of mentors, advisers and investors who will be helping us take them to the next level.”

The Black Founders Network, introduced by U of T Entrepreneurship last fall, aims to celebrate Black excellence in entrepreneurship and is built on a foundation of community support and allyship. Its mission is to create a community of Black entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey – from ideation to scaleup – and support them as they launch, fund and scale impactful businesses.

BFN Accelerate is the first of the network’s three main pillars (Core, Accelerate and Scale) to be set in motion.

From left to right: Anu Oladele, Rae Massop and Bimpe Ayeni (photos by Duane Cole)

“This is a major step forward in our execution of the Black Founders Network – part of a larger institutional response to the recommendations in the Anti-Black Racism Taskforce’s final report,” said Jon French, director of U of T Entrepreneurship.

The inaugural 2022 BFN Accelerate cohort comprises a variety of early-stage companies bringing innovative solutions to industries ranging from clean tech and drug discovery to beauty and wellness.

Led by U of T alumnus Anu Oladele, AfterData AI enables organizations to better understand their own data by helping them to access, connect and explore existing data sets in easy and interactive ways. Oladele, who completed his master's degree in information systems at U of T, worked in data architecture and enterprise information management for a decade before launching his company.

Another startup in the cohort, Aworie Health, was founded by U of T alumna and social entrepreneur Rae Massop, who holds a master’s degree in social work from the university. Her company provides convenient, affordable, and accessible mental health services for marginalized Canadians.

Dr. Bimpe Ayeni, a board-certified plastic surgeon and U of T lecturer in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, founded Blair + Jack with her husband Ade Ajayi. The skincare startup, which formulates its products to address common skincare problems experienced by men, aims to simplify the process of having physician-formulated skincare delivered without a prescription.

"I didn't understand the magnitude of this program until seeing everything that happened at last week's launch event: brilliant people, solid networks, generous humans. I'm thankful to the BFN community for making all of this happen,” said Ayeni.

Over the next three months, Oladele, Massop, Ayeni and their eight fellow cohort members will undergo a first-of-its-kind program that is tailored to the lived experience of the most successful Black entrepreneurs. The key outcomes of which include increased effectiveness of each startup in meeting their customers’ needs, a boost in user growth, more revenue generation and new key-value chain partnerships.

The BFN Accelerate Selection Committee from left to right: Jon French, Elsie Amoako, Craig Wellington, Efosa Obano, Gwyn Chapman and Ruth Mengitsu (photo courtesy of Efosa Obano)

Designed to complement other accelerator programs and opportunities within the U of T Entrepreneurship community across the three campuses, BFN Accelerate provides Black-led startups with access to a network of peers and mentors, resources, education and support with venture funding.

More than 70 Black-led startups were part of the initial applicant pool, which included a competitive selection process featuring in-person presentation and interviews led by the BFN selection committee. In the end, 11 successful applicants were chosen to join the inaugural cohort with a commitment from the larger BFN community to support all applicants however possible.

The launch event, which doubled as the orientation session for the cohort, concluded when founders presented their business pitches to an audience of BFN supporters, investors, community partners and mentors.

The three-month program will culminate with a Venture Demo Day in the fall when the 11 startups will share their progress and pitch once again to an audience of investors, business leaders and university leaders.

Rhonda McEwen, the outgoing U of T Mississauga vice-principal, academic and dean who was recently appointed president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, is a member of the leadership council which governs the BFN.

She shared words of encouragement and support to the cohort after they showcased their businesses.

“It is an honour to serve on the inaugural BFN Leadership Council, along with UTSC Principal Wisdom Tettey,” McEwen said at the event. “As you begin your journeys through BFN Accelerate, you will have the highest levels of leadership at the university doing our best to support you.”

View the 2022 BFN Accelerate cohort

Seven takeaways from U of T Entrepreneurship Week 2022

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 15:46:24 +0000

Seven takeaways from U of T Entrepreneurship Week 2022

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 03/14/2022 - 11:46

Cutline

(photo by Jeff Beardall)

Alyson Bruce

Topic

Our Community

Black Founders Network

Entrepreneurship Week

Alumni

Entrepreneurship

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Music

Health Innovation Hub

The University of Toronto recently hosted its sixth annual Entrepreneurship Week, a four-day showcase of the university’s vast and vibrant entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem.

Featuring over 15 sessions – startup showcases, pitch competitions, keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions and more – the event shone a bright light on the breadth and depth of the university’s entrepreneurship community.

Here are some of the top insights for current and prospective entrepreneurs from this year’s U of T Entrepreneurship Week:

Get rich quick? Not likely

In one of the standout moments of the week, sprinting legend and business leader Donovan Bailey shared his insights on the parallels between sport and business.

“I think the greatest misnomer is that you can get rich overnight. You can’t. You also can’t become an Olympic sprinter overnight. The first thing I tell entrepreneurs is the same thing I tell CEOs and young athletes: if you don’t put the work in, you’re not going to get the results.”

Hard work, passion, discipline and focus were among the characteristics that Bailey credits for his success as both an athlete and a businessperson.

In a candid fireside chat with Rita Trichur, a senior business writer for the Globe and Mail, Bailey shared his lessons in overcoming adversity – “win or learn” – and said that failing isn’t a word he likes to use.

Reinforcing the principle of community, Bailey encouraged young entrepreneurs not to be shy and to seek out successful people in their industry to provide mentorship.

“There are such incredible successful people out there who are willing to share the knowledge.”

Toronto is a hotbed for startups

U of T was named the fastest-rising global institution for startup founders in the 2021 PitchBook rankings – jumping six places. And the university remains the number one university in Canada for research-based startups and is among the top 10 university-managed incubators globally.

“I like to think that the U of T and the City of Toronto embody some of Donovan Bailey’s commitment to excellence and, to use a technical term, swagger,” said U of T President Meric Gertler during his introduction of Bailey at the UTE Speaker Series.

In total, entrepreneurs associated with U of T have launched more than 600 venture-backed companies, raised funding in surplus of $2 billion and created more than 9,000 jobs in the last decade.

“The U of T is an anchor of the city’s achievement in creating an innovation ecosystem with 10-plus accelerators and entrepreneurial hubs across the U of T’s three campuses,” said John Tory, Toronto’s mayor, in his opening remarks at the speaker series.

“These talented entrepreneurs are fostering meaningful economic and social impact, and this is one of the reasons why global investors are flocking to Toronto and international conferences like Collision want to be hosted by our inclusive and innovative ecosystem.”

In fact, Toronto-based and U of T-affiliated startups Waabi, Ada, Deep Genomics, Xanadu and Cohere each raised over $100 million in funding from investors last year.

Lifting communities through entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is often thought of as a solo journey. But several of last week’s sessions made it clear that community, support systems and networks are the differentiating factor in the success story for many entrepreneurs.

For Jonathon Redbird, entrepreneurship is all about providing solutions that benefit your entire community – not just the bottom line.

Speaking at the session Two-Eyed Seeing in Entrepreneurship, Redbird and Christina Tachtampa of Redbird Circle Inc. focused on how Indigenous Knowledge applies to the fields of entrepreneurship and business education given the Indigenous Peoples’ long history as innovators and entrepreneurs.

Slowing down, adding value to your community and thinking about entrepreneurship in a way that considers the self, community and our connection to the spirit of the land, were some of the key takeaways from this session which provided a refreshing perspective on startup culture.

Support for Black entrepreneurs grows

Community was a topic raised throughout the week – most notably in relation to the two new programs launched to support Black entrepreneurs, the Nobellum Innovator Program and the Black Founders Network (BFN) Accelerate program.

Built by and for the Black community, BFN was launched in the fall of 2021 to support Black founders, create more Black-led business and celebrate Black Excellence.

At the UTE Speaker Series, Efosa Obano, program manager of the Black Founders Network, announced that applications are now open for the first BFN Accelerate cohort, which will accept eight to 10 Black-led startups to participate in its three-month program this summer.

Following a classic cohort-based model, BFN Accelerate will help Black-led startups from the U of T community develop solutions to meet customers’ needs, launch a minimum-viable product, generate revenue, secure funding and explore value chain and distribution partnerships.

Moving the needle on gender diversity

More than half the winners of the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE) Startup Prize pitch competition that took place at Entrepreneurship Week were startups led and co-founded by women entrepreneurs.

In recent years, there’s been a perceivable shift in the startup playing field, which has historically been dominated by men. In part, this can be attributed to the greater emphasis placed on creating new opportunities for women-identifying entrepreneurs.

ICUBE at U of T Mississauga and the Health Innovation Hub (H2i) are two U of T’s accelerators dedicating space to women-identifying entrepreneurs with inspiring speaker series such as Fireside at FemSTEM and a stage to showcase ventures at the Pitch with a Twist business competition and FemSTEM Pitch Competition, which is taking place on March 24.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Pitch with a Twist (part of Entrepreneurship Week), provides a community of strong female founders with a platform to showcase their ventures, network with top companies and win cash prizes.

For, Justine Abigail Yu, the founder of Living Hyphen – taking up space meant creating one.

During the panel discussion at Pitch with a Twist, Yu shared her motivation behind launching her startup. “In 2015, there wasn’t a lot of representation across media including the arts and literature space in Canada,” she said.

Recognizing this, she set out to create a space by and for bi-racialized writers and artists to share their stories and work by launching a magazine and podcast with a mission to “reshape the mainstream.”

In a fireside conversation hosted by H2i, Sandy Skotnicki, a U of T alumna and the founding director of Bay Dermatology Centre, spoke about opportunities to innovate in the field of dermatology and reflected on her successful 20-plus year career advocating for changes to patient care and diagnosis.

Skotnicki’s advice to women entrepreneurs? “If you have something you’re strongly passionate about, think big, start bigger, don’t be afraid to do that.”

Innovation in the arts

What does entrepreneurship look like in the arts?

Similar to the approach taken by the creators of RedBird Circle, entrepreneurship in the arts is about more than generating revenue and raising venture capital.

U of T artist and researcher Adrian Berry explained the approach as follows: “Recognizing a challenge and figuring out how to respond in an innovative way – but also in a thoughtful way. We try to innovate in a way in which we can improve our lives and thrive and keep making art.”

Berry and Hayley Janes took the stage at Entrepreneurship Week in a new session hosted by the Toronto Music Entrepreneurship Exchange. The research duo spoke to their individual research projects – both of which address the same challenge: precariousness in the arts sector.

“Toronto art workers and art organizations were vulnerable prior to the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after – in this post-pandemic world – due to limited resources, years of sector-wide financial precarity, societal inequalities, the list goes on and on,” Berry said.

The panel discussion was moderated by Ely Lyonblum, strategic research development officer in the Faculty of Music at U of T. In addition to Berry and Janes, the session featured Faculty of Music alumni Adam Fainman and Renee Fajardo, who shared their unique perspectives on entrepreneurship and innovation in art and its role in cultural design.

Fainman, whose innovation in beatboxing technology led to new collaborative opportunities across music genres, and Fajardo, whose project aims to cater opera to a 21^st-century audience, exemplify how innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset can make an impact in the arts.

Making time for mental wellness

Mental health is health. And entrepreneurs, like everyone, can benefit from prioritizing self-care and mindfulness to cope with the stress of work and life.

Beginning with a guided meditation led by registered psychotherapist Soroosh Vafapoor, H2i hosted a stress management and mental health session to close of Entrepreneurship Week on a more relaxed note.

The session provided advice for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, featuring a panel of U of T alumni that included: Harold Wodlinger, chief technology officer at ViTAA Medical; Michael Floros, founder and CEO at Cohesys; and Wendy Naimark, chief technology officer at Ripple Therapeutics.

Moderated by Professor Paul Santerre, director of H2i, the intimate session also provided professional insights on mental health best practices from Vafapoor. Entrepreneur or not, the tips offered by the panelists provided actionable tactics to mitigate stress and make time for mental health.

Wodlinger touted mastering the art of delegation to “spread the stress,” rather than carrying it all on our own.

Creating balance between work and home is also key.

“Make rules for yourself, define barriers and stick to them,” said Wodlinger.

One way to do this: add appointments to your calendar. Whether it’s penciling in time to focus on a project distraction-free or reserving a block of time for daily meditation, scheduling appointments with yourself can help you take back control of your day.

Vafapoor, meanwhile, recommends leaning toward self-compassion and kindness to cope with stress. “Be aware of what narratives arrive at your mental doorstep and challenge their authenticity and reality,” he said.

He also suggested that movement could help to decompress the mind – not necessarily “working out” but moving the body in the ways that feel good, whether that’s dancing, yoga or another form of mindful movement.

Five things to look forward to at Entrepreneurship Week 2022

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 22:02:45 +0000

Five things to look forward to at Entrepreneurship Week 2022 Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 02/24/2022 - 17:02

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Music

Health Innovation Hub

Indigenous

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The University of Toronto is preparing for its sixth annual Entrepreneurship Week, a four-day showcase of U of T’s diverse and extensive entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem.

Taking place from March 7 to 10, U of T Entrepreneurship Week features 15-plus events – startup showcases, pitch competitions, keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions and more – delivered through an easily accessible virtual platform.

Events are free and open to all: students, entrepreneurs, alumni, mentors, business leaders, investors and anyone else who is looking to be inspired by startups, their founders and one of the most dynamic research-based startup ecosystems in the world.

Here are some of the key events and themes for the upcoming edition of U of T’s annual celebration of all things entrepreneurial.

A fireside chat with an Olympic legend

Among this year’s most anticipated events is a fireside conversation with Canadian Olympic icon and entrepreneur Donovan Bailey.

One of the greatest sprinters of all time, Bailey has secured a place in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame as a track and field legend, held three world records (currently holder of the 50-metre record), two Olympic gold medals and was named Track & Field News sprinter of the decade for his stellar 10-year career.

Bailey has since shifted his competitive focus from sport to business as the CEO of Bailey Inc. He has spent more than 25 years building successful business ventures across the globe in real estate, restaurant, and health and wellness industries.

On March 9 at 12 p.m., attendees can tune in for the keynote event From the Track to the Boardroom, a fireside conversation with Bailey that will be moderated by Rita Trichur, business writer for The Globe and Mail. The talk will focus on the parallels between competing in sports and business.

Student startups compete for funding and prizes

With over $60,000 in prizes up for grabs, 11 student startup teams in two categories – early-stage and later-stage – prepare to compete in the U of T Entrepreneurship (UTE) Startup Prize pitch competition. The pitches will be judged by a panel of investors and successful founders.

This year’s competition includes finalists from a range of fields – health and wellness, biotech, AI, consumer packaged goods, information and communications technology and cleantech. Kicking off day one of Entrepreneurship Week on March 7 at 2 p.m., the business pitch competition will recognize, reward and accelerate U of T’s most innovative startups.

Back for its third year, Pitch with a Twist features an all-women lineup of contestants and judges to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. The annual event hosted by U of T Mississauga accelerator ICUBE focuses on early-stage ventures from a variety of sectors pitching their business ideas for cash prizes and in-kind support.

Last year’s Pitch with a Twist winners included Elsie Amoako, founder of Mommy Monitor, Joella Almeida, co-founder of MedEssist and Nancy Hamdy and Linta Mustafa, co-founders of Axonaly.

Tune in at 5:30 p.m. to watch founders of U of T startups pitch for top prizes and to show your support for women-identifying entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship Week by the numbers

0 – Cost, in dollars, to attend U of T Entrepreneurship Week

1 – U of T’s rank in research-based startups among Canadian universities

6 – Positions U of T has moved up in PitchBook’s annual rankings of global universities for startup founders

11 – Startups vying for the UTE Startup Prize at the annual pitch competition

16 – Events featured during Entrepreneurship Week

60 – Startups, accelerators and partners participating in the True Blue Expo

200 – Entrepreneurship-related courses offered at U of T

600 – Startups created by U of T entrepreneurs over the past decade

9,000 – Jobs created by U of T startups

15,000 – Size, in square feet, of ONRamp, U of T’s collaboration and co-working space for startups

20,000 – Total prizes, in dollars, at Pitch with a Twist to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8

60,000 – Total prizes, in dollars, at the UTE Startup Prize pitch competition

2 billion – Investment, in dollars, raised by U of T startups over the past decade

EDI in entrepreneurship: Supporting underrepresented founders

Following the launch of the Black Founders Network and the Nobellum Innovator Program in partnership with U of T, several events on this year’s Entrepreneurship Week roster will prioritize the need for equity, diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship.

Nobellum, a non-profit social and technology venture founded by U of T alumna Melisa Ellis is joining forces with U of T to help launch at least 100 Black-owned startups by 2025. The Nobellum Innovator Program open house at Entrepreneurship Week will provide a forum to discuss the program’s initiatives and invite innovators to join, while Nobellum’s Meet the Founders session will introduce prospective entrepreneurs to the founders behind its vision.

In addition, Two-eyed Seeing in Entrepreneurship with Jonathon Redbird and Christina Tachtampa will focus on how Indigenous Knowledge applies to the fields of entrepreneurship and business education. Presented by ICUBE and The BRIDGE in partnership with RedBird Circle Inc., this session will introduce students to duality in entrepreneurship and education and invite them to shift their perspectives about the concepts of self, community and connection to the spirit of the land.

Returning to Entrepreneurship Week, the highly attended conversation series, Fireside at FemSTEM invites special guest speaker, Sandy Skotnicki to share her experience as a distinguished entrepreneur in the health-care space. Skotnicki is the founding director of the Bay Dermatology Centre, an assistant professor in the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the author of Beyond Soap: The Real Truth About What You Are Doing to Your Skin and How to Fix It for a Beautiful, Healthy Glow. Widely regarded as the “go-to” dermatologist in Canada for ingredient reactions and safety, she regularly provides commentary and contributes to medical journals, media outlets and speaks on reactions to chemicals in the skincare industry.

The convergence of arts and entrepreneurship

New this year, Toronto Music Entrepreneurship Exchange (ToMEE) is hosting a dynamic panel discussion about innovation in music performance and research.

An all-alumni panel from the Faculty of Music, including Adrian Berry, Hayley Janes, Adam Fainman and Renee Fajardo, will discuss topics such as collaboration and reciprocity in creative cities, beatboxing research and technology, and opera for a 21^st-century audience.

Innovations in Music Performance and Research is the inaugural Faculty of Music event to take place during Entrepreneurship Week and is scheduled for 3 p.m. on March 8.

Finding balance: Mental health session for entrepreneurs

Back by popular demand, H2i’s Stress Management and Mental Wellness Session for entrepreneurs will close off Entrepreneurship Week with an address by keynote speaker Soroosh Vafapoor, community wellness co-ordinator for Trinity College and a registered psychotherapist.

This keynote presentation will be followed by a candid panel discussion with entrepreneurs – including Harold Wodlinger, CTO of ViTAA Medical, Michael Floros, COO of Cohesys and Wendy Naimark, CTO of Ripple Therapeutics – who will discuss their experience managing stress and maintaining work-life balance.

Entrepreneur or not, the event promises to deliver helpful tips and tricks to disconnect, find balance, manage stress and seek out support in a safe and welcoming space.

Six takeaways from U of T Entrepreneurship Week 2021

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:40:02 +0000

Six takeaways from U of T Entrepreneurship Week 2021

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/19/2021 - 11:40

Cutline

U of T Entrepreneurship week was held virtually this year, with events scheduled from March 8 to 11 (image by David Lee)

Topic

Health Innovation Hub

The University of Toronto recently hosted its fifth annual Entrepreneurship Week – a four-day online event that showcased the talent and innovations sprouting from the university’s vast startup ecosystem.

Mindful of “Zoom fatigue” following a full year of online meetings and events, this year’s program intentionally included fewer and shorter sessions that focused on a range of topics from representation to skill-building and mental health.

Here are some of the top takeaways for prospective entrepreneurs from this year’s U of T Entrepreneurship Week:

Being an entrepreneur is hard, but being a woman entrepreneur can be harder

U of T Mississauga’s ICUBR accelerator hosted a pitch competition focused on women-led startups that coincided with International Women’s Day.

To kick off the event and in celebration of International Women’s Day, the Pitch with a Twist competition provided a community of strong female founders with a platform to showcase their ventures, network with top companies and win cash prizes.

Funding is one of the biggest barriers to women in the startup journey. “The industries where we see a higher representation of women, such as culture-making, education and health care, tend to be devalued,” said Kasey Dunn, a program co-ordinator at the U of T Mississauga entrepreneurial hub ICUBE. “As a result, women pitching innovations in these sectors are often overlooked in favour of high-tech innovations, which, in parallel with the industry itself, are more commonly presented by men. We want to level the playing field.”

With one-third of the event’s programming focused on supporting and showcasing women entrepreneurs, other sessions explored such topics as barriers for women in business, Black leadership and resilience strategies.

Startups need to protect their intangible assets

Michael Helander, co-founder of OTI Lumionics, said it’s important to secure the IP behind a startup.

We are moving into a knowledge economy, where intellectual property is becoming an increasingly important driver of economic prosperity. In his opening remarks at the RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Ross Romano, Ontario’s minister of colleges and universities, stressed the need for IP protection for local startups.

“We know that the intangible assets that are coming out of our research are changing everyday lives – these are discoveries that are so invaluable, these are assets that are growing our economy and it’s important that they translate into positive impacts for our province,” Romano said.

Real-world examples of the positive impact of IP protection were front and centre in the stories from founders of U of T’s fastest-growing companies in the inaugural Scaleup Showcase.

For instance, Michael Helander, the co-founder of OTI Lumionics, emphasized the importance of being proactive about protecting IP. He said securing the intangible assets of OTI Lumionics, which develops advanced materials for next-generation organic LED displays using quantum simulations, machine learning and pilot production testing, has helped keep the venture competitive.

Entrepreneurs shouldn’t shrug off self-care

Balance in life is incredibly important – a fact that is frequently overlooked by entrepreneurs who often pour themeselves into their startups.

In a session hosted by U of T’s Health Innovation Hub (H2i), Liam O’Leary, professional development coach and graduate program co-ordinator at the School of Graduate Studies, spoke to the significance of mental health awareness for entrepreneurs. O’Leary suggested the creation of: temporal boundaries, such as a day or time you will sign off from work; physical boundaries, such as a dedicated space for work that’s away from other activities to avoid spilling over into your downtime; and cognitive boundaries, such as keeping work thoughts at bay by writing them down as they pop into your mind.

Session panelist Yasaman Soudagar, co-founder and CEO of Neurescence, stressed the need for leadership to engage in honest, vulnerable conversations with staff to build a culture of awareness and empathy in the workplace. This practice leads to greater trust, morale and better mental health outcomes for the entire team, Soudagar said.

Finally, Linnea Aasen-Johnston, a clinical business consultant for BESPOKE Business Solutions, noted that entrepreneurs are busy people, and that prioritization is key. That means getting comfortable with letting go of lower-priority items, she said.

Your career doesn’t have to be linear

Derrick Rossi, a U of T alumnus and co-founder of COVID-19 vaccine-maker Moderna, started three different PhDs before he completed his first one.

A central theme throughout the week was the notion that a non-linear career trajectory is not only realistic, but will create better entrepreneurs.

In one of the standout moments from the week, serial entrepreneur, U of T alumnus and co-founder of the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna Therapeutics Derrick Rossi gave his take on building less traditional career paths. Rossi, who started three different PhDs before completing his first, travelled the world to research at world-class universities including Stanford University and Harvard University, as well as co-founding five therapeutic companies.

“Travel the world. Do cool science. Work with smart people. Maybe start a family. Non-linear is OK,” Rossi said.

Mike Murchison, co-founder of AI customer support firm Ada, shared his experience studying in four different departments at U of T before landing on the right one. After studying cognitive science and psychology and gaining real-world experience working in a call centre, Murchison co-founded Ada to provide companies with a new front-line technology for customer experience, allowing businesses to provide personalized experiences at scale. Ada now has almost 200 employees and several large-scale companies such as Zoom, Shopify and Telus as customers.

Representation matters

Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, highlighted a new Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program, which aims to build career pathways for Indigenous youth.

Stressing the need to nurture participation from under-represented communities in entrepreneurial programming, senior U of T leaders spoke about the importance of representation in business. Christine Allen, associate vice-president and vice-provost, strategic initiatives, emphasized U of T’s commitment to identifying these barriers and providing access to resources so that everyone with a business idea has access to the supports needed to move forward.

Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, highlighted U of T Mississauga’s new Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program, which aims to build career pathways for Indigenous youth by working to eliminate barriers, facilitate partnerships and mentorships. Applications to the program are open to self-identifying Indigenous startups and will close on March 16.

At The Hub’s Celebrating Leaders event, Naki Osutei, Fennella Bruce and Daphne Magna discussed journeys that sparked transformational change within the ventures they lead. Their key advice to racialized entrepreneurs is that who they are equates to the strength that they bring to their venture. They highlighted the need to commit to lifelong learning by taking advantage of workshops and resources from the library and city resources – and to believe in one’s own ideas.

The future looks bright for Toronto’s next generation of entrepreneurs

The soon-to-be-built Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will accelerate innovation in Toronto and Canada by creating the country’s largest university-based innovation node (rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI)

Building on a long history of innovation, which is being celebrated this year with of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin at U of T, the university has acted as the launhpad for more than 500 new ventures launched over the past decade that have secured upwards of $1.5 billion in investment.

There is much more to come. Construction is underway for U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre, a 750,000-square-foot innovation complex in the heart of downtown Toronto.

This story was originally published at StartUp Here Toronto