Dog treats & geometric jewelry shine at annual SFU product competition
The 2021 #MadeBySFU competition was a celebration of SFU product entrepreneurs and a reminder of the importance of supporting local businesses. The ninth annual competition attracted attendees shopping the SFU students, staff, and alumni competitors shops selling preservative-free dog treats, crochet bags, 3D printed jewelry, unique artwork pieces, and more.
The top prizes included Entrepreneurial Mindset awards from the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, purchase orders from the SFU Spirit Shop as well as shelf space in its brick-and-mortar locations under the #MadeBySFU brand. Other prizes were awarded from the SFU Alumni Association, SFU Innovates and Foliage Filipino.
Dog treat brand, Drooler Treats was one of the purchase order winners and a recipient of the Entrepreneurial Mindset award for its freeze-dried, mess-free and perfectly bite-sized dog treats. Founder Chandani Parmar is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Having our product on the store shelves allows our treats to be in a new market,” says Parmar. “Our future plans are to create new products supporting other local businesses and creating some sort of initiative giving back to sheltered and wild animals in need.”
3D printed jewelry company StudioXplor also secured a purchase order as well as winning the Innovation and Partnerships award. Maker Naghmi Shireen is an alumnus of the School of Interactive Arts and Technology.
“Winning the purchase order and award gives us a platform to validate our vision & introduce our product line. Having our product on the shelves will give us a boost with major opportunities to improve our quality.” says Shireen.
Katelyn James PNW received a purchase order as well. Katelyn showcases her passion for photography through prints of breathtaking landscapes and flora of the pacific northwest.
“It will be the second shop my products are in, but definitely the largest order,” says James. “In the next year I am looking to consign my cards in more local stores, as well as participate in more local markets. I've really enjoyed the few markets I've been in and I'd love to be able to attend more!”
The #MadeBySFU marketplace day, usually held in person at SFU-Surrey, is the competition finale where the public can meet the makers and shop competitor products. Last year due to COVID-19 restrictions the competition organizer, SFU’s Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection, re-imagined the day into an engaging online shopping experience and reprised the same online format this year.
“It’s a wonderful way to celebrate SFU makers – the online marketplace is as close to a craft fair as we’ve been able to get in the last 18 months. It’s been so very important to continue providing opportunities to engage with the community for our SFU entrepreneurs during the pandemic,” says Janice OBriain, director, Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection. “In addition to being the engaged university, SFU is also acknowledged for its entrepreneurial spirit [currently ranked No.1 in Canada, and No. 3 globally, WURI rankings], in part by how the university supports and celebrates its diverse innovation community through programs like #MadeBySFU."
In addition to serving to celebrate SFU makers and identify new product lines for SFU’s Spirit Shop, #MadeBySFU also provides a pipeline to SFU’s early-stage incubator at Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection. Previous winners that received follow-on support from Venture Connection include Mala the Brand.
Winners of the 2021 #MadeBySFU competition are:
SFU Spirit Shop Purchase Orders: Drooler Treats, StudioXplor and Katelyn James PNW
The Entrepreneurial Mindset Award: Drooler Treats and Floresti
The Innovation & Partnership Award: StudioXplor
The Engaged Alumni Award: Seedling Art Co.
Finding Your Roots Award: Javia Leung
Top Fan Favourite Award: Drooler Treats
Fan Favourite First Runner-up: Seedling Art Co.
Fan Favourite Second Runner-up: Floresti
About #MadeBySFU
As a collaborative initiative between Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection and SFU Spirit Shop, #MadeBySFU was created in 2013 to celebrate product entrepreneurs. The 2021 final competition event was held in an online marketplace on Oct 28 2021.