The Innovation Sprint Fall 2023: Empowering Students through Real-World Problem Solving
In 2020, the Innovation Sprint began offering students a chance to gain practical work experience by teaming up with local companies and social enterprises. Here's how the Innovation Sprint works:
- Problem mentors share a problem they want help solving within their business.
- A team of four students from various backgrounds tackles the problem with the support of IIE coaches and facilitators.
- The student team works together over five weeks to develop a viable solution.
- Throughout the process, a mentor from the company helps guide and support them through the ideation process.
All About The Sprint
The Innovation Sprint lasts five weeks, offering students a unique opportunity to transform their approach to tackling business challenges by utilizing the power of innovation and creativity. Throughout the program, participants are given essential tools and skills to pinpoint fundamental problems, engage in customer discovery, foster innovative thinking through focused and expansive methods, generate compelling value propositions, and refine their storytelling and pitching abilities.
Our Donors
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our generous supporters, RBC and the Cathy and Bruce Williams Fund, for their invaluable assistance in enabling us to facilitate this program and grant our students a $600 stipend to participate in the Innovation Sprint. Our primary objective is to eliminate obstacles to student learning, ensuring that everyone has an equitable opportunity to thrive and acquire knowledge within our community.
Goals of the Innovation Sprint Program
The Innovation Sprint focuses on delivering hands-on guidance and mentorship to its students. In the Innovation Sprint program, students are paired with a business and have the opportunity to facilitate these connections with founders or critical decision-makers within those businesses who serve as Problem Mentors. The goals of the Innovation Sprint are as follows,
- Foster hands-on support: Providing students with practical guidance and mentorship to enhance their learning experience.
- Facilitate connections: Connecting students with founders and decision-makers in the business to broaden their learning experience.
- Solve real business challenges: The Innovation Sprint experience encourages students to solve real challenges and develop innovative solutions.
- Enhance professional growth: Helping students in the Innovation Sprint build essential skills and knowledge that benefit their careers.
- Empowering students to pitch solutions: Enable students to confidently present their findings and propose solutions to their Problem Mentors, showcasing their problem-solving ability.
Student Testimonies
“I learned to step out of my comfort zone by participating in the MRU Innovation Sprint. I was a PR student about to graduate at the time, tackling a part-time job and a full course load. The compensation I received from Sprint alleviated a portion of my financial needs. My fondest moment was building relationships with students outside of my own program. I was able to learn soft and hard skills, which supported my background in communications. If you’re able to manage your professional, academic and personal commitments, I highly suggest joining the Sprint! You’re compensated for your efforts and can gain experience by working with colleagues and local businesses.” - Abigail Caballero, MRU Alumni, Innovation Sprint Graduate and CEO of Pasensya Mahal Co.
“It makes me feel more confident that everything I’m studying, what I’m learning from work and even from talking to people in the real world actually is relevant to what I want to do.” - Eric, MRU Student, Innovation Sprint Graduate.
“No matter your program, look into the Innovation Sprint. The Innovation Sprint is always interested in people from different majors.” - Braden Nistash, MRU Student, Innovation Sprint Graduate.
The Final Businesses
This Fall, 2023, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is partnering with three amazing local businesses.
Starting with 10 Adventures (10Adventures: Find Your Next Adventure) – 10 Adventures simplifies and personalizes travel experiences, ensuring a stress-free adventure with the help of a dedicated team and local expertise, handling all the logistics of travelling so travellers can enjoy their adventures.
Slow Burn Books (slowburnbooksyyc.ca) is Calgary’s premier romance bookstore that offers various romance genres and community events, including author talks and book clubs. Slow Burn Books aims to create an inclusive space for like-minded readers and indie authors.
AdmitONE (admitone.com) is a ticketing company that offers innovative solutions for event organizers and ticket buyers alike. With a commitment to simplifying the ticketing process and enhancing the overall event experience, AdmitOne provides a user-friendly platform for event creators to seamlessly manage ticket sales, promotions, and attendee data. Their cutting-edge technology ensures secure, paperless ticketing options and efficient access control at events of all sizes, from concerts and sporting events to conferences and festivals.
Fresh Routes https://freshroutes.ca/ is a Calgary-based mobile grocery store that aims to increase access to fresh and affordable produce. Founded on the mission to promote food equity, Fresh Routes operates a fleet of repurposed transit buses converted into mobile markets, bringing fruits, vegetables, and other essential grocery items directly to a variety of communities in Calgary. Their unique Mobile Grocery Stores bring healthy, fresh, and affordable food into neighbourhoods facing barriers — allowing choice, maintaining dignity, and building community. They aim to ensure everyone has access to nutritious food and empower our community with the knowledge and resources to make healthy choices and live a healthy life!
Join Us!
Join the Innovation Sprint and be part of an incredible journey where you will gain hands-on experience, connect with real businesses, and enhance your professional skills while solving real-world challenges—applications for the Winter 2024 Innovation Sprint end on November 26th at Midnight. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity! For more information and to join, please check out our Innovation Sprint Page.