Published 2007-11-21.
Time to read: 1 minutes.
A few months ago the Canadian Consulate in Silicon Valley asked me if I would be interested in working with Canadian entrepreneurs. I was happy to oblige. Since then the Canadian National Research Council has been using me to provide guidance to young entrepreneurs.
I was asked by Ean Jackson, an instructor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC to sit on a “Dragon Panel” to evaluate student projects. The 4th year undergraduate business students enrolled in the New Ventures Planning Program share the course with 4th year Engineering students at SFU.
One of the “Suits” is teamed up with three “Geeks” enrolled in the Engineering program. The Geeks come up with a technology idea and the Suits and Geeks work together to create a business plan. That business is entered into the Ken Spencer Business plan competition at SFU where cash prizes are offered.
Today (November 21, 2007) is the final class. The 14 Suits will pitch their business ideas to a panel of “investors”. I am acting in the role of a prospective investor; each of the “investors” will grade the pitch. Sounds like fun! I'm looking forward to hearing the presentations this afternoon.