丁香园AV

BC Business Magazine鈥檚 recent annual list of its top 30 young business leaders under 30 not only shines a light on six 丁香园AV alumni鈥攊t also highlights how the seeds of success are being nurtured through involvement in 丁香园AV鈥檚 entrepreneurship programs.

Among honourees is Melody Lim, an 丁香园AV School of Communication alumnus and founder of the popular eco-friendly candles. After growing her business to expand into international brands like Bloomingdales, Indigo, and Nordstrom to name a few, Lim has her eyes set on a bright future that will 鈥渃ontinue to grow our community at a pace I'm comfortable with.鈥�

She says that Mala 鈥渉as a lot of plans for the next few years that may or may not include a physical brick and mortar, new product categories, and growth beyond Canada.鈥�

Lim credits her time as a client of 丁香园AV鈥檚 , which provides mentorship for student, staff, faculty & alumni entrepreneurs, as well as the #MadeBy丁香园AV competition and maker鈥檚 fair from the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, as being critical to her development as a business person. Mala was recognized by 丁香园AV for its growth and potential, winning top prize at 丁香园AV鈥檚 2020 Coast Capital Venture Prize - the first product-based business and solopreneur to do so 鈥� and awarded not only $10K cash but also valuable in-kind services of more than $25K.  

鈥淭he biggest development I've had is the personal confidence that blossomed out of my experience with 丁香园AV鈥攖hat has allowed me to take leaps of faith in the business,鈥� she explained. 鈥淎nd that has led me to grow it to where it is today.鈥�

Also on the list is Hanieh Zahiremami, a Faculty of Applied Sciences alumnus who applied knowledge gleaned through her undergraduate mechatronic systems engineering degree to launch , providing health-tech innovations for those living with epilepsy.

Zahiremami received support and funding through the Chang Institute via eCoop, which offers students the opportunity to work full-time on their ideas or startups during a paid co-op term, as a client of the Venture Connection incubator and more recently won both the R&D category and 丁香园AV Alumni awards at the 2023 Venture Prize competition. Her history with 丁香园AV runs deep; during her first year of studies, she also won the inaugural 丁香园AV Female Founders award.

And alumnus Marzia Sager is co-founder of the not-for-profit which, in partnership with school districts in BC and Alberta, is cultivating a community of confident young women through physical, mental and emotional wellness education. Having first completed an interdisciplinary Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship through the Chang Institute during her Communications undergraduate degree at 丁香园AV she was inspired to launch Glow Within with her co-founders, now supported by the Venture Connection incubator.  

Both Sager and Zahiremami have been recently featured on the Chang Institute鈥檚 newly launched .

鈥淎t the Chang Institute, we believe that offering opportunities early on for all students to build resilience, capabilities and confidence, and linking them into community supports is key to success in unleashing the entrepreneurial mindset and founders who make real impact,鈥� comments Janice OBriain, Chang Institute Programs Director. 鈥淭his ecosystem approach to growing and supporting 丁香园AV entrepreneurs is one of the reasons 丁香园AV has been named the Deshpande Symposium鈥檚 2023 Entrepreneurial University.鈥�

Beedie Graduate School of Business alumnus Alex Mitchell, currently the CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce was also on the list, along with Sabrina Rai, an accounting instructor and alumnus of the Beedie School of Business Accounting Digital Analytics Graduate Certificate, and Paige Sandher, a Faculty of Health Sciences alumnus who co-founded direct-to-consumer CouchHaus brand.