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PAUL JOSEPH MARCH 2016 BCBUSINESS 39 Doing Well by Doing Good THREE MBA GRADS WHO ARE FINDING SUCCESS BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE b y J e s s i c a B a r r e t t more, employers are coming to us and saying, 'We want your entrepreneurial thinkers.'" At SFU's Beedie School of Business, Michael Johnson, director of the management of tech- nology MBA program, says a majority of stu- dents come from a technology background and are looking for an entrepreneurial top-up. As the oldest technology MBA in Western Canada, the program, established in 2000, has been revamped to draw on its rich pool of alumni. In addition to its "tech-flavoured" approach to core MBA concepts like finance and strategic planning, each cohort in the part-time pro- gram takes an experiential field trip to tech hubs such as Silicon Valley or Seattle. There, they tour companies and analyze real-life busi- ness cases at companies such as Apple, Google and Salesforce, which are increasingly popu- lated with past grads. Having an inside track to alumni in the field gives students an edge and keeps the program current, says Johnson. "They can help us with respect to what's hap- pening right now." Meanwhile, SFU is also casting an eye toward jumpstarting another branch of the tech sector in Vancouver with its graduate certificate program in science and technology commercialization. Open to PhD and post- doctoral science and engineering grads from both SFU and UBC, the yearlong course is meant to nurture more resource-intensive tech industries like biotech by introducing stu- dents to concepts such as patenting, market research and financing. Across the Strait of Georgia, UVic's Gustavson School of Business has piloted a specialized master's degree in partnership with the school's faculty of engineering and investment firm, Wesley Clover. Dubbed entrepreneurship@UVic, each cohort is a team of just three or four students who earn a master in engineering combined with a busi- ness diploma. In addition to their studies, stu- dents build their own tech company under the mentorship of Wesley Clover. At the end of the program, students have the chance to launch the company with Wesley Clover's support or disband. Meanwhile, students in all faculties at UVic have access to its Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs—a pre-incubator program geared to creating multidisciplinary teams by offering mentoring, coaching and, in some cases, seed funding for startup ventures. Whether the goal is taking a product from lab to market or taking a startup to the next level, B.C.'s business schools are aiming to pro- duce more grads like Wang who can bridge the entrepreneurial/managerial divide. • 2016 MBA guide he concept of corporate social responsibility is now entrenched in the business world. And while some leaders still see "doing good" as a way of offsetting the negative impact of their business, for a growing number of entre- preneurs, making the world a better place is their business. We caught up with three recent grads to find out how they're using their MBA to build a positive legacy. W T BUSINESS OF ACTIVITY Claudia Sjoberg, founder of Atlantis Programs and Pedalheads