With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/813780
BEEDIE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: A CULTURE OF INNOVATION Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business is a school with a vision: We develop innovative and socially responsible business leaders with a global perspective through education, inspired by research and grounded in practice. In pursuit of this goal, the Beedie School supports the University's creation of a thriving ecosystem of complementary initiatives that are designed to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. These values are integral to both the undergraduate and graduate programs offered through the School and integrate interdisciplinary programs and early-stage venture incubators. Launched in 2008, the Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection is Western Canada's first university business incubator program, supporting the SFU community as they explore entrepreneurship. Over 4,000 have participated in our program activities and business development services have been provided for more than 150 venture teams. Each year, the program also hosts the Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize competition, to celebrate the best ventures coming out of the university. This year's winners were Orello Hearing Technologies, an undergraduate-run company that is seeking to disrupt the global hearing aid market, with a low-cost product that provides an affordable alternative to traditional technologies. Last year's opening of the Charles Chang Innovation Centre created a physical resource that reflects Beedie's commitment to innovation, providing state-of-the-art facilities at a new downtown Vancouver location. The Innovation Centre houses RADIUS (RADIcal Ideas, Useful to Society) a social innovation lab and venture incubator, supporting early-stage businesses with a social purpose. Through its programs, students have the opportunity to develop ventures, while also making a positive impact on their communities. Successful RADIUS ventures to date include Coast Protein, which makes sustainable nutritional products derived from insect protein, and Zero Waste Market, Canada's first grocery store to offer 100% package-free produce. The Innovation Centre was made possible through a $10 million donation from alumnus and local entrepreneur Charles Chang, who founded plant-based nutrition company Vega. This transformational gift also established the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship providing opportunities for SFU students across the university, to access innovative and entrepreneurial programs. The Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization also seeks to encourage innovation across academic disciplines, training scientists and engineers with the skills they need to commercialize their inventions. In a fast-changing world where technology is impacting every facet of life and work, the Beedie School of Business is committed to ensuring is students have the skills to become the innovative leaders of tomorrow. beedie.sfu.ca