Burnaby business to support student ventures
Vaune Kolber, manager, Venture Connection, 778.782.8728; vkolber@sfu.ca
Irene Barr, president, Business Centre Solutions, 604.420.6322; Irene@businesscentresolutions.com
Matias Marquez, Buyatab.com, 604.288.1438; mmarquez@buyatab.com
SFU Venture Connection will receive a $200,000 gift of in-kind services from Burnaby’s Business Centre Solutions (BCS) while student ventures will be showcased at the BCS offices on Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 5 – 7 p.m.
The gift will provide SFU student businesses with office space and services over the next five years.
“We are excited about our partnership with Simon Fraser University. The students are hard working, energetic and a great fit for our business. We eagerly anticipate the growth and prosperity of these student businesses,” says BCS President Irene Barr.
"Support from the business community, as shown by BCS through this gift, enables SFU to create unique opportunities for its student entrepreneurs,” says Mario Pinto, SFU vice-president, research. “We are committed to increasing our links to the broader community through partnerships such as this, that enhance the student experience and create social and economic value for our region."
The first student venture to receive a BCS award, Buyatab.com, is a leader in digital gift giving. Its product – ‘tabs’ – are digital gift certificates that are bought on their Merchant Partners websites and can be emailed to recipients or printed by the purchaser.
Founded by SFU business student Matis Marquez and partner Ross St. George, Buyatab.com has been operating for two years and has successfully partnered with more than 100 merchants across Canada. A third generation proprietary technology, including a full mobile and social suite of integrated products, is now under development.
Other student ventures to be showcased at the event:
• MetroLeap Media Inc. is a leading provider of entertainment content within the music and video game Internet market. Its flagship site, www.metrolyrics.com, is the most trafficked lyrics site worldwide and the 4th largest music website, reaching more than 40 million unique monthly visitors. Milun Tesovic, an SFU business student, was named Simon Fraser University’s first Student Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 and went on to win the regional and national Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) competitions. Milun also won the Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 competing against 27 different countries and their top student entrepreneurs. (Milun Tesovic, milun.tesovic@metroleap.com)
• Hiretheworld.com, makes it easy and inexpensive for new to mid-sized businesses to find, employ, manage and pay an on-demand geographically dispersed workforce. Employers can hire a single freelancer for a specific job or a crowd of competitive freelancers for a creative job. Created by Terry and Doug Beech and Arash Afrooze, Hiretheworld is a simple and cost-effective way to grow a business. Terry and Arash are SFU alumni. (Terry Beech, terry@hiretheworld.com)