By Emily Knight
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.
The five teams are working with Goodlawyer, Nomodic Modular Structures, Communo, The Upside and Inspired Go. Students are working directly with a mentor from the startups once a week to learn the ins and outs of the industry.
On Wednesday, November 25, the teams will present their innovative ideas to the companies at a private virtual wrap up event. These ideas will bring a fresh take on current challenges, but most importantly, this experience will be transformational in equipping the students with the skills necessary to be an asset to forward-thinking companies in their future careers. For many sprinting students, this is their first entrepreneurial experience and is pushing them to think and work beyond their comfort zones.
This is the third Innovation Sprint the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal has hosted. The program has seen phenomenal results for the 60 students who have gone through the Sprint, including professional networks built, co-founder relationships formed and jobs landed!
This program was made possible by the generous support of the RBC Foundation.
If you are a startup who wants to support the entrepreneurial education of the next generation, email Sam Begelfor at sbegelfor@mtroyal.ca to learn more about getting involved in the Innovation Sprint.