BUS 338 builds on the principles learned in BUS 238. Work with real start-ups and community partners to help identify areas of improvement in their businesses through marketing, research, customer discovery, business strategy, and more!
An introduction to the theory and practice of the management of technological innovation. The internal firm capabilities for creating and sustaining innovative firms are explored in detail, from the creation of ideas through to the commercialization of new products and services. Proficiency is gained in identifying sources of innovative value, implementing processes to capture it, and creating strategies for commercialization.
I found the courses to be very hands-on and provide useful projects. The ability to work with real companies in 338 was valuable. They were all very inspiring. The aspect of guest speakers who were passionate as well helped. BUS Alumni
I found the courses to be very hands-on and provide useful projects. The ability to work with real companies in 338 was valuable. They were all very inspiring. The aspect of guest speakers who were passionate as well helped.
Professors from BUS 338 are often industry professionals, with experience in successful entrepreneurial ventures to help guide and mentor your entrepreneurial journey.
Amyn Somani
Amyn Somani is accomplished management executive, company founder, board member and senior business consultant. His work has driven innovation and growth across many industries. He actively works with small start-ups through to some of the largest and most accomplished companies in Canada. What Amyn loves most in his work is helping entrepreneurs and management teams better envision their dreams and turn those dreams into reality.
He works closely with business owners and management teams on their strategic plans and operational management initiatives. Amyn also leads client engagements where a team of multi-disciplinary consultants are involved; seamlessly bringing developing a client’s business vision into actionable plans and assisting in the implementation
Here are some of our past profs that taught BUS338!
Douglas really enjoys working with product-focused companies and sharing his experiences bending metal, writing code, building boards, and optimizing manufacturing. He also knows first-hand what happens when you let the magic smoke out of a component on the lab bench.
Douglas is a Mentor-in-Residence at SFU so that he can share his experience with student entrepreneurs and help them build successful companies.
When Douglas is not mentoring, he is the Founder and CEO of Dark Water Tek, a consultancy that provides guidance to clients in product commercialization – particularly products that incorporate hardware as a key element.
Prior to founding Dark Water Tek, Douglas held the roles of CEO at Nyce Control, President of Spectrum Signal Processing, and Executive Vice President of Vecima Networks Inc. Douglas joined Vecima in its early days, and played several key roles in helping scale the company to success at 921 staff and top line revenue of C$120M.
Areas of specialization:
Leadership development
Embedded systems
Product management
Learn more about Joanna here!
Dave Thomas is a Senior Partner with Rocket Builders. He was the General Manager of the Canadian Financing Forum, matching North American Corporate and VC investors with serious entrepreneurs looking to build world-class technology companies from 2003 to 2010. He is an executive, business consultant and advisor for a number of technology companies and manages the Rocket Builders ‘Market Readiness Program’. Recent positions and projects include; Mentor in Residence at Simon Fraser University Venture Connection and a guest lecturer at the New Ventures BC program.
Thomas has worked with a series of start-ups over the past decade and was a member of the management team for four venture backed tech companies. He is currently an advisor to companies, an entrepreneur, an angel investor and a shareholder in angel seed funds. He has an MBA from UBC and was a member of the coaching staff for Canada’s Olympic Sailing Team on four occasions. An enthusiastic sailor, Thomas is a partner in two sailing schools, one at Jericho in Vancouver and a second initiated in 2010 in Shenzhen China.
Post-course, many students have enjoyed working with their start-ups and reported continuing their working relationships! This had lead to students obtaining jobs pre-graduation. The opportunities for networking and advancing in your career through this class are boundless.
Some students continue on the entrepreneurial path and enroll for the Certificate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship – interested in taking more hands-on courses like BUS 338 to complete their breadth and upper elective requirements.
Other students may choose to explore the extracurricular opportunities post-course, such as SFU’s internal business incubator – Coast Capital Savings’ Venture Connection.
Certificate of Entrepreneurship courses definitely give you a better chance to learn how to be a better collaborator, a team player and show you where your assumptions lie and how to challenge them. 6th Year, BUS & SIAT Joint Major
Certificate of Entrepreneurship courses definitely give you a better chance to learn how to be a better collaborator, a team player and show you where your assumptions lie and how to challenge them.
I think the entrepreneurial mindset is transformational in the sense of how to understand and look at the world. You can’t just build one business model canvas, you have to look at different customers and understand how we are creating value for all partners. Being able to map out the whole innovation process, it’s not just theoretical, it’s been super practical and these ideas have guided what we’ve been able to createApplied Sciences Alumni
I think the entrepreneurial mindset is transformational in the sense of how to understand and look at the world. You can’t just build one business model canvas, you have to look at different customers and understand how we are creating value for all partners. Being able to map out the whole innovation process, it’s not just theoretical, it’s been super practical and these ideas have guided what we’ve been able to create
To find out what semester, date, time, and who’s teaching BUS 338, check out the SFU course outlines here.
Charles Chang Certificate for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Open to students in any faculty at Simon Fraser University, the Charles Chang Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship develops future entrepreneurs using the power of learning by doing. As students taking the Certificate learn and apply market-based approaches to innovation and venture development, they also cultivate connections between peers, […]
Technology Entrepreneurship @ SFU Tech e@SFU at a Glance The 2023-24 cohort started in Fall 2023. Check here again in Summer 2024 for next year’s cohort application! Would you like to: • Build a high-impact startup from the ground up? • Work collaboratively on real-world problems with students from other faculties?• Speak with real customers and work on creative solutions. Join this […]