Pandemic opens doors for student entrepreneur Michelle De la O’s entrepreneurship journey started with bad news. A travel enthusiast, she had been excited to go on two student exchanges during her undergraduate degree—one in France and one in Italy. But those plans were quashed when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and international travel came to a halt. With student exchanges no […] Read More
Bakers find sweet opportunity in the pandemic When Jessica Nguyen graduated from SFU Beedie in 2020, she had a marketing job lined up at a tech start-up and was ready to join the workforce. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Like many others, Nguyen lost her job offer—companies were no longer hiring. As it turns out, the pandemic may have been the […] Read More
SFU Entrepreneur raises $23m for crypto startup Kaito Cunningham has co-founded a cryptocurrency start-up, Utopia Labs, to build the financial back-office software tools needed to handle basic operations for DAOs, crypto-native organizations and startups. Read More
Entrepreneurs Celebrating Indigenous Heritage From origin stories to potlatches and powwows to family songs, Indigenous traditions in North America are rich in diversity and history. But the loss of this culture and knowledge is accelerating with the passing of Elders. One entrepreneur is trying to change that. Read More
Winners of OppFest 2022 🎉 Over 300 Celebrate Youth Innovation and Unlock their Potential at this Year’s Opportunity Fest 2022 Opportunity Fest 2022 (OppFest) is Simon Fraser University’s largest showcase of entrepreneurial projects. Hosted by the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship at SFU’s Beedie School of Business and made possible by Prospera Credit Union, this year’s first hybrid celebration brought […] Read More
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation September 30th marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is […] Read More
Moment Energy Wins $100K to Power the Future Four SFU mechatronics alumni from the Charles Chang Institute of Entrepreneurship have won the 2021 National Impact Investor Challenge with their cleantech startup, Moment Energy. The $100,000 investment prize was awarded on June 17, 2021 at the virtual finale. The challenge, hosted by Spring Activator, is a 10-week program that brings together investors looking for purpose-driven entrepreneurs. […] Read More
An Entrepreneur’s 11-Year Journey to Graduation After 11 years, Alexandre Paré’s graduation from Simon Fraser University’s French and business programs marks the end to a difficult, but rewarding journey. He suffered a life-altering car accident, started a successful business and marched on to complete his degree. More than anything, Paré hopes he will continue his late grandfather’s entrepreneurial legacy and to […] Read More
Textile Sustainability – A Student Project Turned Published Book Last fall, while wrestling with the challenges surrounding textile sustainability, 15 students in IAT 330 realized where they could make a difference. The interdisciplinary and experiential class, part of SFU’s Make Change Studio program in the Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, enabled this team of undergraduate students to propose an innovative solution to a real-world problem. “The wicked problem […] Read More
Affordable Renewable Energy to Remote Communities Four SFU alumni entrepreneurs are giving used electric vehicle batteries a second life by converting them to clean-energy storage units that can help remote communities inexpensively transition to renewable energy. The increasing global demand for electric vehicles means more electric vehicle batteries will be disposed in the landfill unless they are repurposed. Entrepreneurs Sumreen Rattan, […] Read More