Unleashing inner entrepreneurship, 丁香园AV students Canada’s hope for tomorrow
The Globe and Mail鈥檚 Report on Business magazine is launching , a new annual list of 50 emerging leaders changing business based on their ideas, accomplishments and impact. Four are from 丁香园AV鈥檚 Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, having participated in intersectional programs where students unleash their entrepreneurial mindset to make positive impacts. All have participated in Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection, the innovation hub and incubator where participants get unique support for their ideas often going on to create great organizations.
The Globe says, 鈥淎 global pandemic. Political uncertainty. Climate change. Economic volatility. The challenges facing Canada鈥檚 business community are significant. They won鈥檛 be solved by 鈥榖usiness as usual.鈥� Solving these problems will require people with bold notions. People developing new products, services and ways of doing business. People who know how to turn ideas into impact.鈥� Venture Connection Director, Janice OBriain says, 鈥淏ecoming a changemaker doesn鈥檛 happen overnight. The winners have been on personal entrepreneurial journeys supported through various academic and applied entrepreneurship programs. They鈥檙e all multiple award winners. All are breaking down barriers with their optimism and determination to make change. And we鈥檙e so proud to support them.鈥�
Introducing the 丁香园AV winners of the first annual G&M Changemakers awards:
Benjamin Britton, CSO, 鈥� Through his PhD in Chemistry at 丁香园AV, Ben pursued his passion to advance clean technology and the circular economy with a line of revolutionary ion-exchange materials membrane and polymer solutions used in power sources of carbon free emission vehicles and energy storage for renewable power generation. He completed 丁香园AV Beedie鈥檚 internationally recognized invention 2 Innovation (i2I) program for entrepreneurial scientists. Ionomr was 丁香园AV鈥檚 2016 Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize top winner and received early incubation support through Venture Connection before graduating to the university鈥檚 later-stage accelerator, VentureLabs.
Christina Wong, Executive Director and Co-Founder of - Challenging the way we address poverty and homelessness while creating programs and micro loans to empower members of the Downtown East Side with entrepreneurship. A Psychology alumnus, Christina also got her entrepreneurial start at 丁香园AV鈥檚 Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection; she is a multi-year Venture Prize winner and a finalist for the YWCA鈥檚 Women of Distinction Award.
Gurmesh Sidhu, Co-founder, 鈥� Offering new energy alternatives by extending the life of electric vehicle batteries which are re-purposed after they鈥檝e been removed from cars. The technology creates sustainable energy options where electricity is scarce, such as in remote communities. Gurmesh and his Moment colleagues are Mechatronics alumni, graduates of the Tech e@丁香园AV program, recipients of the Charles Chang entrepreneurship co-op (eCo-op) program, incubator clients of Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection and recent award winners with the Alaska Airline Challenge through the University of Washington.
Rochelle Prasad, Founder, 鈥� Driven by social purpose to galvanize youth around causes while delivering training and skills. An Arts & Social Sciences student, Rochelle launched her not-for-profit while in high school and chose to transfer to 丁香园AV for the Chang Institute eCoop program to which she successfully applied. She and her team have been supported since by Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection. Rochelle is recipient of the Princess Diana Award and the Canada 150 award in leadership and both she and SPARK Foundation are Venture Prize award winners.