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. […]

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Physiotherapist and business owner takes her venture to the next level with EMBA program

Feb 27, 2023

Andrea Mendoza, a physiotherapist and business owner, knew that in order to take her business to the next level, she needed to gain a better understanding of the financial and business aspects of running and expanding her clinic. That’s when she decided to enrol in the Executive MBA program at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. Mendoza entered the field of physiotherapy with a focus on pediatrics, working with children and teens with sports […]

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SFU Beedie alumnus empowers high-school students through educational non-profit

Jul 13, 2022

Growing up, Claire Connop recognized that society places a taboo on many topics around female physical and mental health. We typically don’t talk openly about these topics and our school systems tend to provide little education for girls and young women going through pivotal life changes. She decided to do something about it. Together with co-founders she met in her BUS 477 course at SFU Beedie, Connop co-founded the Glow Within Foundation, a Vancouver-based non-profit […]

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From spinal cord research to circular plastics: Mitacs i2I Skills Training finale celebrates scientist innovators

May 27, 2022

Janis Kan, neuroscience PhD candidate at Queen’s University, has taken home top honours at the 2022 Mitacs Invention to Innovation (i2I) Skills Training Final Pitch Competition. Kan, co-founder of Dynamiris, which aims to aid clinicians in the early identification of neurological issues, was named the winner and received a $5,000 prize from SFU Innovates and customized mentoring in her regional ecosystem. Dr. Christopher Mueller, professor and founding member of the Queen’s Cancer Research Institute in […]

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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 […]

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SFU Beedie entrepreneurship programs to expand with federal funding support

Jul 26, 2019

Two key SFU initiatives, one focusing on entrepreneurship and another advancing clean technology research, will benefit from nearly $3 million in federal funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD). Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection is receiving more than $1.9 million to expand its youth entrepreneurship program to underrepresented faculties, and engage with industries so that student innovators can work to solve industry challenges in key areas, such as health, sustainability, and creative technologies. The funds […]

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Trail-blazing innovation in clean tech sparks start-up

Jun 10, 2019

Growing up in Metro Vancouver, Ben Britton dreamed of one day starting his own business. But he never imagined he would realize his dream by making a breakthrough in renewable energy while working on his SFU PhD project. This month Britton, the co-founder and chief strategy officer of start-up Ionomr Innovations Inc., graduates with a PhD in chemistry and a wealth of experience in business commercialization garnered during his SFU journey. Ionomr, a clean-tech, advanced […]

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SFU team wins first prize in The Oxford Global Challenge

May 4, 2017

An interdisciplinary team of SFU undergraduates has won first place overall in The Oxford Global Challenge, an international competition for students to explore and present ideas around social and environmental change. The global finals of the competition took place in Oxford, UK, on April 30 and May 1, 2017.

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Naqib Azad leaves legacy of social entrepreneurship at the Beedie School of Business

Jun 7, 2016

When Naqib Azad graduates from the BBA program at SFU’s Beedie School of Business today, he leaves behind a legacy in empowering students to benefit society through social entrepreneurship.

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Enactus SFU students win big at National Exposition

May 12, 2016

Beedie School of Business students’ dedication to social innovation paid off at the Enactus National Exposition, as Enactus SFU took home the Capital One Financial Education Challenge award and reached the semi finals of the overall competition.

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