Undergraduates in Atlantic Canada get a head start on their business journeys | SaltWire

The average age of a startup founder in the United States and Canada is 45 years old—but maybe not for much longer.

New university programming in Atlantic Canada is working to lower that number by bringing younger entrepreneurs and innovative ideas to the region.

At the forefront of that programming is Dal Innovates, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub at Dalhousie University. Since launching in 2020, it has become an essential network for students and university researchers looking to turn their ideas into successful ventures.

Based at Dalhousie University, Dal Innovates supports entrepreneurship across Atlantic Canada and works closely with a network of program partners within Dalhousie and beyond to create opportunities for students when, and where, they need it.

Over the years, much of the programming focus has fallen on graduate students and postdocs looking to commercialize their research-based innovations. But now, fuelled by student interest, Dal Innovates is growing a range of programs for enterprising undergraduates—and it’s seeing an impact.

“We’re in the process of building out that platform to complement what we’ve done with the graduate student and research side,” says Jeff Larsen, Dalhousie’s assistant vice-president of innovation and entrepreneurship.

“So far, there’s been a 300 per cent increase in applications for these programs.”

One of the popular programs hosted by Dal Innovates is Collide, a six-week introduction to entrepreneurship that runs twice a year, giving students an insight into innovation strategies.

This year, the program had more than 200 applicants, and of those applicants, over 90 students were invited to participate and went on to finish the program—a record high. Students came from five Atlantic Canadian universities, from departments like computer science, management, science, engineering, the arts and social sciences and more.

Dal Innovates also introduced the new Collide Camp, a more intensive weekend workshop for students passionate about developing their business ideas. The camp welcomed 33 students to a two-day weekend workshop this March.

During the camp, students spent time working on their businesses and networking with members of Halifax’s robust business support network. They also heard from local entrepreneurs like Lara Cusson of Café Lara, Emily Seaman of Kohr Method and Canberk Bal of Haligone.

Mentors from the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED), Centre for Women and Business (CWB), Nova Scotia Works, Tribe Network, and Volta Effect all came together to speak with students about opportunities to grow their ventures or startups.

Toni Agbaje-Ojo is a budding entrepreneur from Toronto who is majoring in political science at Dal. The 19-year-old has not only taken advantage of Dal Innovates programming like Collide and Collide Camp but is also pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation.

“I love workshops and networking, so it was a great opportunity to learn about things like project management and sandboxes,” says Agbaje-Ojo.

Inspired by his experience with Collide, Agbaje-Ojo encourages other students to take advantage of the opportunities and support that Dal Innovates provides.

“I love working on ideas and projects. I’m a very hands-on person,” says Agbaje-Ojo, describing the entrepreneurial qualities that Collide helped nurture. “One of my core values is volunteering and service to others—I want to do projects and work that benefit other people.”

Sultana Ahmed is another student who joined the six-week Collide program as part of the fall cohort, in concert with her duties as an intern working alongside Collide program manager Rachel Morgan.

“The best thing about the Collide cohort were the activities,” says Ahmed, citing topics that encouraged students to think critically about ways their ideas could help solve problems on the local—and global—scale. “We had lectures as well, but we had activities almost every week—it was very interactive, practical and hands-on.”

Ahmed began her entrepreneurial journey studying business management at Manchester College in England but decided to move to Canada. She enrolled in Newfoundland’s Memorial University.

Because Dal Innovates programming is open to all students in Atlantic Canada, Ahmed had the opportunity to explore her digital marketing startup idea and take it to the next level.

“I’m at the stage now where I’m transitioning to building a boutique marketing agency, and I’m looking at starting that business here in Nova Scotia,” says Ahmed. “Collide was a great opportunity to expand my learning and meet other people interested in entrepreneurship—there’s a very nice ecosystem right now in Halifax for entrepreneurs.”

This summer, Dal Innovates is also building on its Lab2Market Launch accelerator program, previously reserved for graduate students and researchers, by adding a cohort targeting undergraduates and students with non-research-based ideas. Successful applicants will receive $15,000.00 to work full-time through the intensive program. Following the expansion, the program received over 100 applicants with only 20 spots available.

This programming works in concert with what is a growing network of undergraduate supports at Dalhousie University including five faculty-linked innovation sandboxes, product-innovation focused Emera ideaHUB, and MindFrame Connect, which is reimagining the mentor/mentee experience.

On the academic side, Dalhousie University has also begun offering a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation, available to undergraduate students in five majors from agriculture to humanities. Participants in the minor learn how to solve problems and bring new ideas forward in experiential, multi-disciplinary ways.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship are a broad set of skills that can help you make an impact,” says Larsen. “Our priority is to provide students and researchers with access to innovation and entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and attitudes, and the mindset to translate new ideas into real-world impact.”

“We’re pleased that students have more opportunities than ever to learn this knowledge and eagerly anticipate the impacts on career readiness and business growth.”

For more information on undergraduate programs for entrepreneurial development through Dal Innovates, please visit dalinnovates.ca/programs/explore/.

The work of Dal Innovates is made possible with support from the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Mitacs.