Blog
Empowering Change: Jessica's Journey with CybHER and the Impact of connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs
Jessica shared her transformative journey highlighting the impact of programs like connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs in shaping her vision and impact with CybHER.
May 08, 2024
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Meet the 2024 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition Winners!
April 03, 2024
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Meet the talented student finalists gearing up for the 2024 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition and delve into their innovative business ventures.
March 13, 2024
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The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship wraps up its Winter 2024 LaunchPad Lab program
March 11, 2024
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Meet the 2024 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition Competitors!
March 07, 2024
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Zahra's Journey to Success at the Side Hustle Science Fair
March 04, 2024
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As we celebrate the recent graduation of the Winter 2024 cohort at The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, it's evident that innovation remains a powerful force in solving real-world challenges. This semester, students once again took center stage, applying innovative thinking and tools to address complex business problems.
February 14, 2024
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Sunny Parmar’s HealthTech Challenge Journey
February 01, 2024
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In January this year, we welcomed a new group of students and mentors for another round of this program, and are looking forward to highlighting more inspiring stories like this one from this experience! For more information about the Innovation Sprint, check out our blog post from Fall 2023 as well as the program page.
January 22, 2024
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Mason Weakley's inspiring journey toward social change and inclusivity with connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs
January 16, 2024
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Celebrating the fall 2023 session of LaunchPad Lab!
December 12, 2023
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Fall 2023 Innovation Sprint Graduation!
November 16, 2023
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LaunchPad Lab kicks off again for our Fall 2023 cohort!
October 18, 2023
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Innovation Sprint kicks off again for our Fall 2023 cohort!
October 17, 2023
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The inaugural HealthTech Challenge at Mount Royal University (MRU), hosted by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, recently concluded, showcasing the exceptional potential of three cross-disciplinary student teams in driving cutting-edge advancements in health technology.
June 14, 2023
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Meet the 2023 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition Winners!
April 05, 2023
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Meet the 2023 JMH LaunchPad Finalists!
March 16, 2023
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The Innovation Sprint gives MRU students the incredible opportunity to work with real YYC startups to solve real problems
January 31, 2023
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For 8 weeks this fall, 7 Mount Royal students demonstrated all three of these entrepreneurial characteristics during our bi-annual LaunchPad Labs program.
January 11, 2023
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Meet the 2022 JMH LaunchPad Finalists!
March 28, 2022
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This year LaunchPad will be hosted digitally. Mount Royal students, staff and alumni can email innovate@mtroyal.ca for tickets and the public can watch via a live stream starting at 6:00pm on Monday April 12. Livesteam: http://bit.ly/2021launchpadlivestream
March 29, 2021
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Hundreds of students have ideas for businesses, social enterprises, and non-profits in Alberta every year. 11 Albertan post-secondaries, including Mount Royal University have teamed up with Platform Calgary to help more of those ideas move forward!
February 08, 2021
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Over the last four weeks, 20 Mount Royal students have been taking part in a one-of-a-kind Innovation Sprint. Matched in teams of four multidisciplinary students and with a local startup, the students have been working to create an innovative solution following a Design Sprint process.
November 18, 2020
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The Slate Innovation Lab is the heart of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University. This past February, a brand new mural was unveiled in the space.
October 29, 2020
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After five weeks of an intensive summer program, 20 MRU students are returning to school after a transformational work-integrated learning experience and with a newfound appreciation for what it takes to be a social entrepreneur.
September 15, 2020
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The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University partners with the Trico Charitable Foundation to tackle social and environmental problems submitted by Calgary’s network of social innovation leaders.
August 04, 2020
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The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University partnered with ATB’s Innovation team to bring 20 Mount Royal students through a one-month design sprint.
May 01, 2020
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Announcing the 2020 ONBOARD Finalists from Mount Royal's Science and Technology Faculty
February 07, 2020
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Today, November 19th, 2019, is the first official Women's Entrepreneurship Day in Alberta. Last week, at the inaugural Women's Entrepreneurship Day Summit, the Alberta Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women, Leela Aheer, officially declared the celebration as the first of its kind in Canada.
November 19, 2019
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Last week, on Thursday, November 7th, 2019, Mount Royal University hosted the 2019 Calgary Regional GSEA Competition and heard from five student founders. Representing Mount Royal was Arielle Fitgerald, a Health, Community, and Education student and Co-Founder of Mooch; Riley George, Computer Information Systems Student and Founder of Yeti Minature; and Ryan Doel, Computer Information Systems Student and Founder of Paintabbotics.
November 19, 2019
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"According to a study, 13.6% of all startups led by students enrolled in a B.Sc program across the world were started by Canadian students; putting Canada first over countries like India and the United States. [...] From Calgary, Alberta, Mount Royal University is definitely playing its part in contributing to this statistic." - OneClass
March 25, 2019
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Meet the 2019 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition Participants.
March 15, 2019
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Grit. As we all start to pay tribute to the difficult, mostly up-hill battle that is starting a new business, this buzzword is taking the entrepreneurship narrative by storm. In this narrative we talk about failing fast and learning from failure, but what does grit really look like?
December 03, 2018
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If you ask most of us what we were doing in our spare time as a junior high and high school student, the answer would likely sound like a whole lot of nothing. Ask Tarandeep Singh Kainth on the other hand, and you will hear the impassioned stories of a serial entrepreneur, complete with failure, life lessons, and unwavering dedication.
November 27, 2018
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If you have ever taken an entrepreneurship course or sat across from a mentor to share a new idea, you are guaranteed to have heard the word validation dozens of times...
June 26, 2018
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Babies learn more in their first three years than in any other period of life. This rapid learning happens because babies are master scientists . . .
May 03, 2018
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$70,000 LauchPad Startup Announcement
March 20, 2018
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It was November, a few weeks before my 30th birthday, and I was starting a new job. When I walked through the software company's doors for the first time, I found a group of about 30 employees listening to the tail end of a passionate speech by the CEO who was standing in front of a 15-foot banner that read "WHATEVER IT TAKES!"...
February 13, 2018
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So… I have tough news. It turns out that you may be the problem, not your ideas. . .
December 05, 2017
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Was a key message delivered by Dr. Simon Raby at a policy breakfast recently hosted by NAIT in Edmonton. Dr. Raby's talk delivered evidence from his recent provincial study on the drivers of growth for Alberta Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). . .
December 04, 2017
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While in his last year of high school, Ryan Wenger, a young and curious individual noticed that his high school's bookstore located under the stairs lacked the potential to be a hub for true community. . .
November 20, 2017
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One word and I bet you are dozing off, moaning in agony, or tensing up with fear. But why? Why is the thought of networking so off-putting to so many of us?
November 15, 2017
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Imagine your perfect job after graduating. Now imagine the hundreds or thousands of other people who would also consider it a perfect job. How are you going to stand out and have a chance at landing that dream job?
November 07, 2017
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One of the first big important questions you were likely asked as a kid was "what do you want to be when you grow up?". . .
October 25, 2017
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It's common for entrepreneurs to feel stretched thin by all the demands on their time. But there's good news; there are several things you can do to stay sane while entrepreneuring . . .
October 03, 2017
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Over the last couple of months, personal values have been at the forefront of my self reflection. I have been wrestling with which of these values I want to intentionally practice and be known for . . .
September 28, 2017
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I can firmly remember my mother saying, "Better luck next time", with the feeling of complete failure closing in on me. I was six, and I had lost my first foot race. . .
September 12, 2017
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I had a coffee or beer this week with five different entrepreneurs who reached out to me to talk through a challenge they were having. I didn't have many answers, but that's not what they were searching for. . .
June 27, 2017
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This is the time of year that I get asked by graduating students about the types of jobs they should pursue. . .
May 24, 2017
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Join us on April 5 2017 for our 5th annual JMH Pitch Competition where 7 of Mount Royal University's most entrepreneurial students compete for their share of over $70,000 in cash and prizes.
March 28, 2017
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When I was 10 years old, I considered myself an amateur chemist. I had received a chemistry set for my birthday and couldn't wait to mix different chemicals together in an effort to rival my first vinegar and baking soda experiment. . .
March 28, 2017
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A few years ago, I was asked to coach a group of entrepreneurs who were getting ready for a Startup Calgary pitch event. . .
March 21, 2017
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I was reading Fast Company and came across an article that reminded me about the "picks and shovels strategy". . .
March 14, 2017
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As an English major, with a minor in Indigenous Studies, I had spent very little time in the Bissett School of Business, never venturing to the upper floors.
March 07, 2017
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ust before my mother passed away a few years ago, I published a book of her short stories called Window Gazing. . .
March 01, 2017
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When I was the CEO of a tech startup, there were two employees that took up more of my mental energy than they should have. At the time, I blamed them for "not getting it". I now blame myself. . .
February 15, 2017
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I recently found myself as a fly on the wall of a conversation involving a very intelligent Canadian who happens to be a household name. He delivered as expected but one comment had me scratching my head. . .
February 01, 2017
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There's a remarkable project underway as part of Enactus Mount Royal. Stoke's mission is to reduce the 4 million deaths each year attributable to the air pollution of cooking indoors with solid fuels (e.g., over a wood fire). . .
January 25, 2017
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I've become a huge fan of reflection as a fundamental tool in learning. However, as I reflect on 2016 at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, it's not the lessons that stand out, but rather the people that I'm thankful to have shared the year with. . .
December 14, 2016
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In every entrepreneurship program in every university, there are thousands of students struggling to come up with an idea for a new venture. Most will look for opportunities to solve problems in their own life. . .
November 17, 2016
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Quinn Wilton is a fourth year Bachelor of Arts student currently on the path to launching his first venture, a brewing company. While in an entrepreneurship class, Wilton was asked to come up with thirty ideas and research the top two. . .
November 14, 2016
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For any individual, tackling one of the world's largest sources of waste can be a daunting task, let alone while simultaneously working towards your Bachelor's Degree. For Emily Bartlett and Ozzy Lang, giving up or making excuses was not an option. The problem: coffee cup waste. . .
November 14, 2016
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Paul Shumlich, a fourth year Bachelor of Business Administration student, burst on the scene by building a small greenhouse at the university. Driven by his passion for sustainability, Shumlich's progress and determination has been nothing short of amazing. . .
November 14, 2016
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We see it all the time. Two (or three or four) friends come up with an idea and based on the fact that they were both present when the lightbulb went off, they become equal partners in turning the idea into a business. . .
November 08, 2016
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The other day after a client asked me "where the f*#k is the lettuce" I had a sudden realization. If you're not doing it right, you're doing it wrong. I wasn't delivering on the value proposition that was originally promised to our customers. . .
October 26, 2016
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At 28, I was driven, ambitious, naive, and had a healthy dose of arrogance. With some good experience building revolutionary software products, I thought I was well on my way to my goal of being a CEO. . .
October 18, 2016
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One of the best parts of my job is watching young people find their groove and graduate as remarkable young adults. Last month we said goodbye to one of those students who we convinced to hang around the university for an extra year working for the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Institute for Community Prosperity. . .
October 11, 2016
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There's a common misconception around Entrepreneurship. I've heard it defined in so many ways, and too often I'll hear that an entrepreneur is simply someone that runs a business. My stomach churns every time I hear this. . .
October 04, 2016
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It's no secret that there are organizations that are not meritocracies. Places where advancement and reward are not directly tied to merit but heavily influenced by factors such as age, gender, length of service, popularity, and even political savviness. I find these environments frustrating. . .
September 27, 2016
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In the last few weeks I had the opportunity to meet two highly successful individuals - call them Barney and Fred. Barney left me inspired and thankful for the chance to spend a small amount of time with him. . .
September 20, 2016
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In 2009, my wife and I had the great fortune of spending four months in Rome with nothing to do but eat, drink and explore. After a couple of weeks of jaw-dropping sightseeing, I was struck at how easy it was to simply walk past iconic buildings and sculptures without even noticing them. . .
September 06, 2016
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The pilot announced it was going to be one of the coldest nights in Nairobi. On my flight to Kenya, locals sitting next to me prepared to layer on their clothes as we landed. . .
August 30, 2016
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We've all heard the statement "Choose your friends wisely". For me, my first exposure to it was through an article sent to me by my Dad in High School. The article alluded to the concept that you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with...
August 23, 2016
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When we all wake up in the morning, we have a full tank of gas. Well, that's not exactly true, but go with me for a bit. As you go through the day, there are activities that deplete your tank and activities that fill it up.
August 16, 2016
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Over the last two months, I have had the good fortune to embark on a backpacking trip through Europe with a friend. We traveled through the U.K., France, Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, Italy and Spain and any time we were in a big city, we. . .
August 02, 2016
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A while ago I had the pleasure of attending one of ATB Boostr's pitch events. A couple of our students and alumni were pitching their companies for crowdfunding support from the crowd of 300.
July 27, 2016
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What do Google, Apple, and Facebook have in common? None of them were "first movers" in their core market. With Google, they weren't even a second mover (you old guys will remember Infoseek and AltaVista). . .
July 12, 2016
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When RIM/BlackBerry was going through its first growth spurt, we were hiring hundreds of new employees and I was tasked with bringing in talented product managers. One candidate named David went through the gauntlet of being interviewed by 4 or 5 of us and got a thumbs up . . .
July 05, 2016
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I recently had the opportunity to hear Peter Diamandis, author of Abundance, speak to an enthralled group of 1200 Calgarians. His remarkable talk left me convinced that he's one of the most important thinkers and doers of our time...
June 28, 2016
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When you turn 25, you will look back and realize that you just spent 5 years and over 10,000 hours getting really good at something (assuming 40 hours/week investment of time). If you believe Malcolm Gladwell, this level of investment in practicing a skill makes you world-class or certainly a lot better than your peers...
June 21, 2016
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One of my biggest challenges as Program Coordinator at the Institute, is supporting those who love this whole thing we call Innovation and Entrepreneurship, but don't have an idea yet. . .
May 31, 2016
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I hear this statement a lot, "You can't teach entrepreneurship". I hear it from donors. I hear it from successful entrepreneurs...
May 24, 2016
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Over the last 8 months, I've had the pleasure to work with a couple of young entrepreneurs, Ozzy Lang and Emily Bartlett. They started their journey full of passion about the massive amount of waste that coffee cups contributed to our landfill...
May 19, 2016
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I was going into my last year at MRU and registered for my first ever block week class. The class was Venture Launch instructed by Evan Hu...
May 10, 2016
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I can still remember the day that I was sitting in my high school Biology class eavesdropping on other student's conversations about their university plans, and feeling lost because I still hadn't figured out "what I wanted to do"...
May 03, 2016
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Entrepreneur: "I'm looking for $250K to get my new startup off the ground." Potential investor: "What will you use my money for?"...
April 26, 2016
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In today's society "Entrepreneur" is a highly valued title. This idea of taking risks and being a visionary. From an outside perspective, it looks hard to become an entrepreneur.
April 19, 2016
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Every so often I talk to a budding entrepreneur who believes entrepreneurship is a get rich quick scheme. My harsh advice to them is that they are not going to make it as an entrepreneur. Sure, there are the anomalies, but you, my friend, are not going to be one of them...
April 11, 2016
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Most forward-thinking universities have a entrepreneurship pitch competition. They are often tied to a business plan class, involve teams of 4 or 5 students, and have little to do with the really hard work of actually launching a venture...
April 07, 2016
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Join us on April 5 2016 for our 4th annual JMH Pitch Competition where 7 of Mount Royal University's most entrepreneurial students compete for their share of over $60,000 in cash and prizes.
March 24, 2016
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Being a computer scientist in a room filled with entrepreneurs is a fascinating experience. The role of a programmer is often to look at a task and break it down into the smallest of subtasks and ensure that everything works together like clockwork...
March 22, 2016
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The year was 1990. The Oilers were Stanley Cup champions, Vanilla Ice was a thing, my little brother almost got the lead in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (seriously), and the world wide web had yet to launch....
March 15, 2016
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I had just quit an executive position at a startup for all the right reasons (mismatched values, lack of faith in and respect for the founder) and for the first time in my adult life, I was unemployed...
March 08, 2016
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People travel from around the world to become one of the rare, but legendary unicorns that embody the Silicon Valley dream. Nestled in the Northern California Bay area is an environment that can be described as a shaken beehive
March 01, 2016
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"Follow your passion" may be the single most anxiety-inducing phrase. Let's face it, most of us don't know what our passion is and the claim that every 20 year old can...
February 22, 2016
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Spoiler alert: What made you successful in university may not work in your career.
February 16, 2016
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I have access to some pretty cool people. Between my role at Mount Royal University, my involvement in the Calgary startup community, and as a member of the A100, I get to meet dozens of young and not-so-young entrepreneurs. Many are actually wantrepreneurs...
February 08, 2016
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A comedian once pointed out that the advertisements on the outside of a bus are for nice things like a new Ford F150 or a house in a idyllic neighbourhood, while the advertising inside the bus is for debt consolidation services or help lines....
February 01, 2016
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Imagine yourself having an awesome idea for a new venture. It could be one that you have been dreaming about for a while, or you might even be working on one as you read this...
January 27, 2016
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I recently had an opportunity to attend a day and a half mentoring workshop with some incredible people that put my relatively minor achievements in perspective.
January 18, 2016
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I continuously find myself asking, why do so many female coaches place emphasis on the most basic concepts of self help, confidence, goal setting, motivation, and the list goes on...
January 12, 2016
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One of the most potent memories I have from training for Ironman Canada back in 2012, was the phrase my cycling coach would shout whenever the ride started to get difficult...
January 04, 2016
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Students creating smartphone apps get a lot of flack for not doing "real" entrepreneurship. And there's definitely some things that you don't have to deal with for an App versus a physical product - channels, cost of goods, supply chain…
December 08, 2015
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There's a concept that every product manager understands called the whole product. It's easily explained with an example. The iPhone is more than just the physical hardware...
November 24, 2015
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Every so often, an innovation comes along that completely disrupts the way some piece of the world has always worked. It shouldn't be a surprise that these innovations face aggressive resistance by those who have a vested interest in the status quo...
November 10, 2015
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There's this notion in education that failure is bad. Students are given strict guidelines and course outlines to be followed in order to ensure they can obtain a good grade.
October 07, 2015
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Ray DePaul discusses his interview with Google and the valuable lessons he learned from the experience.
September 30, 2015
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Third year Bachelor of Business Administration student Rudi Schiebel entered the doors of Mount Royal University with no idea that he would one day fall in love with the world of Entrepreneurship.
September 23, 2015
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If you are an entrepreneur that is creating something of value for consumers, businesses, or the world, you my bold friend, are at the centre of the universe.
September 14, 2015
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In the early 2000's when I was running the BlackBerry Product Planning group at Research in Motion, I headed out on a tour of some of our biggest clients. My mission was to share our vision of the "wireless wallet".
September 04, 2015
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Meet the competitors for the 2015 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition!
April 02, 2015
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Director Ray DePaul shares how the Institute empowers student entrepreneurs to pursue their passions.
March 10, 2015
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Innovation and Entrepreneurship alumni Alistair Shipley shares his story about life after graduation.
February 19, 2015
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Wondering if Innovation and Entrepreneurship is for you? Institute Director Ray DePaul has the answer.
December 17, 2014
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