News

Inspiring the Transformative Synergy of Entrepreneurship: Opportunity Fest 2023

Dec 8, 2023

The entrepreneurial spirit continues to thrive at Simon Fraser University, as seen at Opportunity Fest, which brought over 250 community members together on November 23, 2023 at SFU’s Surrey campus. SFU’s largest showcase of student entrepreneurial projects is hosted annually by Beedie School of Business’ Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship. This year  it was held in-person for the first time since 2019, filling the SFU-Surrey mezzanine to capacity in celebration of interdisciplinary and intergenerational innovation. […]

More...

SFU’s leadership in impactful entrepreneurship recognized with international award

Jun 8, 2023

Simon Fraser University is being recognized with the 2023 Deshpande Symposium Award for The Entrepreneurial University, in recognition of its leadership in entrepreneurial programming and innovation support. The award, accepted June 6 by Director of Entrepreneurship Sarah Lubik on behalf of SFU, is given to a university that demonstrates excellence in curriculum innovation and student engagement in entrepreneurship. The award is announced annually during the Deshpande Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, held this year […]

More...

SFU named Canada’s top university for innovation in global WURI rankings

May 18, 2023

Simon Fraser University is Canada’s top university for innovation and industrial application, as well as number two in the world for entrepreneurial spirit, according to the 2023 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI). It is the third consecutive year that SFU has ranked as the top university in Canada in the overall innovation category, as well as for the entrepreneurial spirit and industrial application categories. SFU moved up globally among innovative universities to 13th in the world—up […]

More...

MOT MBA graduates make aerial intelligence accessible with drone software start-up

Mar 16, 2023

For Bill Lakeland and Peter Szymczak, SFU Beedie’s MOT MBA program proved to be exactly what they were looking for—a place where they could network with other business-minded individuals and gain valuable knowledge on the marketplace. They met in the program and co-founded Spexi Geospatial, a SaaS start-up that’s shaking up the geospatial data industry with an innovative software platform that uses drone technology to make aerial intelligence more accessible. The geospatial data industry has […]

More...

SFU Beedie represented among The Globe and Mail’s 2023 Changemakers

Mar 3, 2023

SFU Beedie congratulates two of its own, Pat Chaisang and Leejoo Hwang, for being named to The Globe and Mail’s 2023 Changemakers list. The annual list recognizes 50 emerging Canadian business leaders who are making a positive impact on their industries and communities. The list, which covers a wide range of industries and sectors from tech to healthcare to finance, showcases individuals who are innovative, socially conscious, and committed to driving positive change in their […]

More...

Chasing opportunity: Pandemic opens doors for BBA student entrepreneur to co-found health tech start-up

Sep 6, 2022

Michelle De la O’s entrepreneurship journey started with bad news. A travel enthusiast, she had been excited to go on two student exchanges during her undergraduate degree—one in France and one in Italy. But those plans were quashed when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and international travel came to a halt. With student exchanges no longer available, De la O looked for other options to enrich her experience at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. Eventually, […]

More...

SFU Beedie alumnus turned cookie entrepreneur saw sweet opportunity in pandemic

Aug 9, 2022

When Jessica Nguyen graduated from SFU Beedie in 2020, she had a marketing job lined up at a tech start-up and was ready to join the workforce. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Like many others, Nguyen lost her job offer—companies were no longer hiring. As it turns out, the pandemic may have been the best thing to happen to Nguyen and her brother, Andy. The two of them are now co-founders of a wildly […]

More...

SFU remains Canada’s top university for innovation, rises to number one worldwide for entrepreneurial spirit in global ranking

Jun 17, 2022

Simon Fraser University has ranked once more as Canada’s number one university for innovation and has moved up to number one in the world for entrepreneurial spirit, according to the World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI) 2022 rankings. The WURI rankings measure how universities contribute to society and highlight creative and innovative approaches to university research and education by evaluating university programs for innovativeness, implementability and impact. “I am so proud of the creativity and […]

More...

Over 300 celebrate youth innovation and unlock their potential at Opportunity Fest 2022

Apr 20, 2022

Opportunity Fest 2022 (OppFest) is Simon Fraser University’s largest showcase of entrepreneurial projects. Hosted by the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship at SFU’s Beedie School of Business and made possible by Prospera Credit Union, this year’s hybrid celebration brought together over 300 students, industry professionals, junior innovators, volunteers and spectators. The showcase grew to a national scope, with participants dialling in from Atlantic Canada and guest mentors tuning in from Ontario. OppFest brings together ambitious young leaders from elementary and high school programs PowerPlay and YELL through to […]

More...

SFU entrepreneurs named Changemakers by The Globe and Mail for innovative startups in tech and sustainability

Feb 25, 2022

Two SFU alumni have been named in The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine‘s 2022 Changemakers, an annual list of emerging leaders transforming business today. Rene Blanco and Sumreen Rattan, entrepreneurs from The Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, are two of 50 Canada-wide award recipients comprised of entrepreneurs, academics and executives who are striving to find innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. Both Blanco and Rattan developed their startups through SFU’s Coast […]

More...