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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
M AY
2 0 24 Ta n y a G o e h r i n g
MICHELLE SKLAR
HEAD OF VENTURE GROWTH STRATEGY
AND ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE,
ENTREPRENEURSHIP@UBC
A
fter 25 years of building and scaling
companies, Michelle Sklar is in her element
as head of venture growth strategy at
entrepreneurship@
UBC.
The business incubator accelerator inspires
the entrepreneurial thinking of students, faculty
and recent alumni at the University of British
Columbia, where Sklar earned a bachelor's degree
in sociology.
Part of her work is to lead networking and
learning events, helping internationally diverse
business owners make vital connections in person
and online. "Your network is so crucial to your
ability to build anything," she says. "You need a
really rich and vibrant ecosystem to help these
transformational entrepreneurs get their impact out
into the world."
Sklar wears a second hat at e@
UBC, serving
as the entrepreneur in residence. Her experience in
founding and scaling retail, tech, direct-to-sales and
marketing/communications companies has proven
valuable in supporting business owners. She
believes in the power of storytelling in business;
those seeking her advice benefit from hearing her
anecdotes as well as her guidance on building and
growing ventures and her specialty in public rela-
tions, marketing and communications.
Sklar also lends her knowledge and
experience as a board member with the Vancouver
Entrepreneurs Forum. She serves as the events
director, offering opportunities for innovators
across the region to come together. There's
crossover between the e@
UBC and VEF
communities, with Sklar, ever the connector, as
one of several common denominators.
COMMUNIT Y BUILDER
WOTY
W I N N E R
"You need
a really rich
and vibrant
ecosystem
to help these
transformational
entrepreneurs get
their impact out
into the world."
