Social entrepreneurship has a multitude of definitions and surrounding opinions. In my experience, there is one thing that everyone can agree on: social entrepreneurship is becoming more and more prominent in the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ startup community.
In my two co-op terms as the Conrad Centre's Communications and Marketing Assistant, I have been fortunate enough to meet a number of social entrepreneurs that are taking the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ ecosystem by storm.
Doing well and doing good
More and more young innovators at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ are focusingÌýon solving social and environmental problems, and finding ways to make money doing it. I'm constantly impressed by the depth and variety of problems that À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ entrepreneurs are trying to solve.
Spencer Kelly and AleksÌýPoldma (pictured right)Ìýare recent EngineeringÌýgraduates who co-foundedÌý, an apparel company that puts a significant portion of its profits towardsÌýclean water initiatives in Africa. They have made great progress since their Enterprise Co-opÌý(E Co-op) term and recently broughtÌýBET 300 student Tawny Tram onto their team for marketing support in preparation for a crowdfunding campaign.
JonathanÌýRivardÌýfounded Ìýduring the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and TechnologyÌý(MBET) program and won theÌý2013 Conrad Entrepreneur of the Year awardÌýdespite competition from technology startups.ÌýJonathan is looking forward to expanding his company's services forÌýphilanthropic fundersÌýto five to ten more regions in Canada in CANGO's second year.
Tara ScanlanÌýcame to MBETÌýto go from world traveller to change-maker. Tara was joined by classmateÌýZoeÌýShareÌýto develop ULLO, an ethical fashion company, for their commercialization practicumÌýand BET 604: New Venture Creation projects.
Trending: student entrepreneurs tackle food issues
One of the Conrad Centre's most successfulÌýundergraduate entrepreneurs isÌýEmily Peat, a Civil EngineeringÌýstudent who founded and built local organic food delivery companyÌýÌýacross two Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) terms. Emily has won several pitch competitions and has been a mentor for many E Co-op students. Her companyÌýwasÌýacquired by Eat Green OrganicsÌýin spring 2014, allowing her to expand her serviceÌýinto the Kitchener-À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ market.
Food-related ventures have been particularly popular among student entrepreneurs, even those in EngineeringÌýlike Emily. For example, recent Architecture graduates Victoria Suen and Carrie ChengÌýlaunched (pun intended) on an E Co-op term in winter 2014, to grow and supply local food in Cambridge.
Right: Victoria Suen and Carrie Cheng, Co-Founders, Rocket.
Even more recently, Mechanical Engineering studentÌýBjorn Dawson startedÌýÌýon an E Co-op termÌýin spring 2014. At the Velocity Fund Finals in July, won $25,000 for Grobo'sÌýapp-controlled, in-home automated gardening system that will allow people of any skill level to grow their own food at home.Ìý(Full disclosure: I'm on the Grobo team.)
Looking to explore entrepreneurship at UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ?
A brand new, online introductory course is being offered to help À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ students explore entrepreneurship and what it means to be entrepreneurial.ÌýBET 100: Essentials of Entrepreneurial BehaviourÌýis full for fall 2014, but keep an eye out for it to become available for winter 2015!
Also rolling out this fall is the Entrepreneurship Option in Engineering; Engineering students will be able to build venture creation or corporate entrepreneurship into their degree.
If you already have an idea, I highly recommend BET 300: Foundations of Venture Creation. Besides the course content that will help guide you through the development of your business, the networking opportunity presents huge value. Want to meet other ambitious and driven people? Take this course. (Grobo'sÌýteam met in this course!)
Right:ÌýChris Thiele, Hannah Furlong and Bjorn Dawson, Co-Founders, Grobo.
Students can also specifically learn about social entrepreneurship in : Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship.
What I am the most excited about is the St. Paul's GreenHouse program and their new social innovation fund. In the fall, I will live alongside other budding social innovators working on projects related to creating positive social and environmental change. Certain projects will be eligible for $5,000 based on their progress during their term living in theÌýGreenHouse community. Winter and spring 2015 applications are available now.
If you're graduating too soon to explore these options, you can also consider theÌýMaster of Business, Entrepreneurship and TechnologyÌý (MBET) program. MBET students take one year to build their business while earning a graduate level business degree. Information sessions begin in September.
About Hannah
Hannah Furlong is a fourth yearÌýEnvironment and Business studentÌýat the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ and the Conrad Centre's Communications and Marketing Assistant.
Hannah is passionate about the "doing well and doing good" philosophy and has explored several ventures. Most recently, she became a co-founder ofÌý, leading marketing and research.
You can find Hannah on Twitter Ìýand .