Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2022 Annual Report by Institute For Innovation and Entrepreneurship

2022 ANNUAL REPORT

Letter from the Executive Director In 2022, we proudly celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. I’m often asked by my peers at other post-secondary institutions about our “secret sauce”. I believe it lies in why we do what we do as well as how we do it. Our “why” is rooted in knowing that developing innovative and entrepreneurial talent will have a huge impact on our province. It is not about hoping for one magical innovation, patent or invention. It is about developing graduates who are capable of innovating and contributing over and over again. So how do we do that? You have to care deeply about the students you are working with. You have to put in the time and so do they. Whether it is our student or community programs, they are intensive with thoughtful coaching at the core. While this sounds obvious, it is actually quite rare. In a rush to scale, many others take shortcuts and fail. While we always look for ways to scale our impact, we never do it at the expense of this core value proposition. In this hybrid virtual and inperson year, we were still able to engage 615 students and provide $155,000 in paid work integrated learning (WIL) opportunities. For our undergraduate students, these opportunities were rooted in both entrepreneur/founder experiences as well as innovation experiences. Our marquee LaunchPad program continues to be an aspirational

goal for our most ambitious student entrepreneurs. We had the opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition in person and in style! 300 people came out to support our student entrepreneurs. While winning pitch competitions is an imperfect measure of success, we were proud that after taking home their share of $70,000 in prizes, these same students went on to win an additional $32,500 in other regional and national pitch competitions. In its second year, the Innovation Sprint provided 40 students with a paid opportunity to work with startups on an innovation challenge. Some students were so taken by the experience, that they declared a concentration or minor in innovation and entrepreneurship. It’s a great reminder that young people are open to new paths and opportunities, they just need to be exposed to them. As part of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we are proud to report that our student programs supported 58% women and 67% Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. At our JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition, of the $70,000 in awards, women took home $55,000 and indigenous students were awarded $35,000. It was a huge year for our business growth programs focused on

supporting the growth ambitions of Alberta’s small and medium-sized businesses. Under the leadership of Dr. Simon Raby, the Institute was able to secure $3.3M in donations and grants. Over the next three years, our programs will support 105 companies, create 525 jobs, generate $105M in economic growth and provide 105 paid student internships. We are entering this year excited to have a tremendous impact on students and the community. We are fortunate to have more dedicated resources in the classroom, in cocurricular activities, and in our community programs. Much like the talent we develop, MRU innovation and entrepreneurship is having an oversized impact on the future prosperity of Alberta. None of this would be possible without the generous donations by David and Leslie Bissett, the RBC Foundation, TD Bank, Cathy and Bruce Williams, JMH & Co, connectFirst Credit Union and MRU alumni. Grant support is greatly appreciated by Alberta Innovates and Prairies Economic Development Canada. We are thankful for all of those that contributed to our 10 years of extraordinary impact. It turns out we are just getting started! Ray DePaul

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the Executive Director

Delivering High Impact Talent

Delivering Entrepreneurial Experiences 5 2.1 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition 5 2.2 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition Donors 9 2.3 LaunchPad Lab 10 2.4 LaunchPad Founders Fund 11 2.5 LaunchPad Alumni of the Year Award 12 2.6 Alumni-funded Student Award 13 2.7 Competing in the Community 14

Delivering Innovation Experiences 18 3.1 Innovation Sprint 18 3.2 connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs 20 3.3 InnovateU 21 3.4 Innovation Hackathon- BounceBackYYC 22 3.5 Community Events 23

Contributing to the Innovation Ecosystem 25 4.1 Growth Compass 25 4.2 Trico Changemaker Studio 26 4.3 Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub 26 4.4 Growth Catalyst 27

Resources 32 5.1 Donors 32 5.2 Team 33 5.3 Student Contributors 35 5.4 Faculty 36 5.4 Community Support 37

Mount Royal University, an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus, is located on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations. The City of Calgary is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Delivering High Impact Talent

The mission of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is to support the development of the high-impact talent that is essential to the continued economic prosperity of Alberta. This is accomplished by delivering transformative community-engaged learning experiences. In a world of wicked problems, diverse innovators and entrepreneurs are needed to solve the diverse challenges we navigate every day. We are proud to support innovators and entrepreneurs from across programs and identities.

High impact talent is more than a buzzword. We believe that talent that brings an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset has a massive impact on the organizations they create or join. We also believe that developing this caliber of talent requires opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. The Institute is focused on designing and delivering those opportunities and supporting students on their journey to being the most sought after talent in the province.

Our program participants were given an option to voluntarily provide identity-based data in an anonymized format. Based on the responses received, we calculated a current percentage participation in our programs by individuals who self-identified as members of the following equitydeserving groups: 2SLGBTQIA+

15%

Students Experiencing Disabilities Women 23%

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour)

58%

68%

Percentage IMPACT

622 hours of 325 community mentoring Members engaged

615 students engaged

85 students in paid WIL experiences totalling $155,000

38 companies engaged

Delivering Entrepreneurial Experiences

2.1 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition After two years of online events, Alberta’s largest and most inspiring student entrepreneur event, the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition, was back- bigger and better than ever. Approximately 300 students, alumni, and community members joined us to celebrate eight students from across campus, pitching for their share of $70,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. In celebration of the 10th anniversary, 37 of the 72 LaunchPad alumni from all years were in attendance to support the competitors. The evening featured an all-alumni judging panel, including Carille Mendoza (2016), Rudi Schiebel (2015), Ormhel Manuel (2017), Ryan Wenger (2017), and Aislinn Grant (2013.) Executive Director, Ray DePaul, shared his insights from the last ten years of the competition and the experiences of the many student entrepreneurs he has supported. He shared the value of perseverance, a willingness to experiment and be wrong, the need for diverse innovators to solve the diverse set of problems challenging our world, and the impact entrepreneurs can make on the companies shaping our future. Competing in the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition is one of the highest achievements MRU student entrepreneurs can accomplish. In the weeks, months, and sometimes years before the event, they receive training for pitch preparation, personalized advanced mentorship, and peer-to-peer support. The funding, alumni and community support these entrepreneurs receive as part of the competition help set them up to launch and build their idea and entrepreneurial futures.

IMPACT

$70,000 awarded to student entrepreneurs

300 attendees (+37 previous winners)

164 hours of Founder-focused mentoring

8 founders

7 student owned companies

2022 Participants Recent Alumni, Bachelor of Communication - Broadcast Media Studies

Jordan Brendan Alexander Brodie Criius Gaming Corporation Criius Gaming Corporation

Criius Gaming is bringing a new level of media professionalism to Canadian esports. Alex and Jordan facilitate esports events, broadcasts, brand deals, and more, giving players a platform to show off their skills, and fans fresh and engaging content.

4th year Bachelor of Science – General Science Memoir Candles creates memory-triggering scents like spa day, breakfast cereal, ice wine and more. With refills available for each scent, you don’t need to choose between beautiful candles and sustainability. $10,000 JMH & Co. Award

Crystal Wai Memoir Candles

3rd year Bachelor of Computer Information Systems OK Blankets sells unique, Indigenous-made star blankets with a deep-rooted history. Dale’s beautiful handmade designs are a meaningful gift to show respect and gratitude to the recipient while embracing reconciliation. $10,000 connectFirst Social Impact Award $15,000 Grant Award

Dale Swampy Osaw Kihew - OK Blankets

4th year Bachelor of Arts – Psychology HYAT CO. is an inclusive brand that creates beautiful, innovative and affordable hijabs. Dina is on a mission to educate people on misconceptions about hijabis and use her business to share tips, tricks, knowledge, and style. $10,000 JMH & Co. Award

Dina Ibrahim HYAT Co. 4th year Bachelor of Business Administration – International Business At Maskwa Back Country Foods, Erin has been making delicious dehydrated camping meals for those with dietary restrictions and allergies since 2019. By utilizing locally sourced ingredients and traditional indigenous recipes, Erin is making good food available anywhere your adventure takes you. $10,000 JMH & Co. Award

Erin Creegan-Dougherty Maskwa Backcountry Foods 4th year Bachelor of Communication – Information Design It can be hard for children to find athletic wear in non-traditionally available sizes, but Launa is out to change that. Husky Jocks makes athletic clothing for children in all shapes and sizes so they can focus on enjoying the game, not how they feel in ill-fitting clothes. $10,000 JMH & Co. Award $5,000 LaunchPad Alumni Award

Launa Austin Husky Jocks 2nd year Bachelor of Arts – Sociology

Mineral Drip’s workshops teach you how to make trendy jewelry pieces in a matter of hours. Rod has helped hundreds of customers learn a new skill, and walk away with a handmade ring in the process.

Rod Hernandez Mineral Drip

2.2 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition Donors The LaunchPad Program would not be possible without the enthusiasm and generosity of our fantastic donors. JMH & Co., connectFirst Credit Union, Grant Design, and our alumni donors are all critical to creating the LaunchPad experience and impacts.

JMH & Co. is a regional accounting firm with offices in Calgary, Brooks and Medicine Hat who have an oversized impact on their communities. Each year at the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition the Institute has the honor of giving away $40,000 in JMH & Co. awards to Mount Royal founders

connectFirst Credit Union is one of the largest and most successful credit unions in Canada, focused on serving Central and Southern Alberta with 41 retail banking branches. connectFirst supported the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition through the connectFirst Social Impact Award of $10,000.

Aislinn Grant’s branding firm, Grant Design, returned as a donor this year. Grant Design donated $15,000 of in-kind professional branding and design services to the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition. The Institute is especially proud to have Aislinn Grant as a donor and as a JMH LaunchPad alumnus. 9

2.3 LaunchPad Lab Developing the courage to pursue entrepreneurship is challenging, but making time and finding the funding to start can add to the challenge. LaunchPad Lab was created to break down barriers by offering a structured, paid work integrated learning experience that supports the validation and development of an entrepreneurial idea. Throughout 2022, 18 student entrepreneurs from programs across campus participated in two sessions of LaunchPad Lab, supported by coaches Jaime Wood, MRU alumni, Aislinn Grant and Logan Grasby, and Institute staff, Ray DePaul and Sam Begelfor. A 3:1 student-to-coach ratio allows coaches the flexibility to customize the coaching experience to each student and support them individually in reaching their unique goals. Participants use lean tools like customer discovery, defining a value proposition, and solution testing to validate their idea. LaunchPad Lab offers students the opportunity to pursue their idea, pivot their idea, or pause to reflect on next steps. Thanks to the Cathy and Bruce Williams Fund for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, students receive a $1000 stipend to support them on their entrepreneurial journey. This programis also supported by the RBC Foundation. Upon completing LaunchPad Lab, 86% of participants reported feeling more confident in leading their business, 79% felt more confident in presenting their ideas to others, and 100% see a future career in entrepreneurship. 4 participants went on to win $10,000 or more at the 2022 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition, building on the skills and insights they developed during the program.

“LaunchPad Lab gave me the support and structure I needed to start my business. Starting your own business can be a difficult and lonely path but LaunchPad Lab was able to give me support and the proper guidance to help me jumpstart my business. Now I have a community of entrepreneurs and mentors I can turn to and methods to help me develop my business because of LaunchPad Lab.” - Crystal Wai, fourth year, Bachelor of Science “Before the lab I was losing motivation and direction with my business. The mentors from the Lab and the environment in general really drove me forward. I went from creating a physical goal journal to a virtual text messaging system for goals. That idea made a staggering difference and it’s all thanks to LaunchPad Lab” - Rasveen Gill, second year, Bachelor of Science

IMPACT

$18,000 in student stipend

160 mentoring hours

18 student entrepreneurs

21 sessions

5 mentors

2.4 LaunchPad Founders Fund Members of the LaunchPad community from all years and programs can apply for up to $2,500 from the Founders Fund. In addition, students receive personalized coaching and mentorship for early validation of their idea, creating a minimum viable product, solution testing, and more. Founders Fund removes financial barriers to taking their idea to the next stage while providing a roadmap and tools for validating assumptions. Thanks to the generous donation by JMH & Co., each year $20,000 is available in student awards through the Founders Fund. In 10 years, 71 students have removed financial roadblocks with the Founders Fund. This year, 9 student founders accessed the fund. Here are some of their stories:

"The funding and mentorship we received through the Institute were invaluable. It gave us the confidence to apply for and win $10,000 from the NU Community Board Alberta Award, which had a huge impact on our progress." - Miguel Klassen, APPA Box

“The Founders Fund and mentors at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship helped me immensely with my business. The funds allowed me to successfully reach new clients, and learn valuable skills about how to obtain, and retain clients for my business. The funds enabled me to explore new creative opportunities and offerings by granting me access to software I was unable to access otherwise. Overall the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has allowed me to have success with my business venture and learn skills that I would not have otherwise learned in the classroom.” - Ben Laughland, White Spruce Music

IMPACT

9 student recipients

$20,000 in funding

160 mentoring hours

2.5 LaunchPad Alumni of the Year Award Each year, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship gives out the LaunchPad Alumni of the Year award to a graduate of our programs who made a difference in our community. For the 10th anniversary of the Institute, it seemed only fitting to present the award to an alumnus who helped make the Institute what it is today. Jenn MacDonald was one of the first graduates of MRU’s ground-breaking Innovation and Entrepreneurship program that focused on fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. When she graduated in 2014, she took the leap to join a fledgling organization called the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Everything that the Institute now stands for can be traced back to Jenn and her communityfocused approach. Jenn constantly flexed her entrepreneurial mindset. She ran a successful photography business, which added to the empathy she already had for the student entrepreneur. She spent a summer in Ecuador running a student social enterprise program in partnership with Simon Fraser University. She walked the talk and made space for a diverse collection of entrepreneurs and innovators.

Always ambitious, Jenn went off to the University of Waterloo in 2018 and received a Master of Economic Development and Innovation. She returned to Calgary and the Institute to apply her new knowledge for the benefit of our community. One of the many contributions she made was a firstof-its-kind study on the impact of programs such as LaunchPad on a student’s skill development (spoiler: it has a massive impact.) In 2020, Jenn took an Innovation Specialist position at the University of Calgary. Even in her absence, she continues to have a tremendous impact on the MRU community, including championing alumni donations toward LaunchPad. As a sign of the respect she has earned in the broader community, she was elected a Fellow of the Calgary Innovation Coalition. On this 10th anniversary of LaunchPad, we celebrate Jenn for the incredible impact she has on our greatest asset — our community.

Jenn MacDonald, LaunchPad Alumni of the Year 12

2.6 Alumni-funded Student Award In its second year, the LaunchPad Alumni award is a $5000 award, funded by 18 of our alumni and community members, led by alumna and longtime Institute employee, Jennifer MacDonald. This award is presented to the student entrepreneur that demonstrates grit, passion, and a viable business. Along with the award, students become part of a village of supportive alumni, receiving mentorship and other resources from the donors. This year, the award was presented to Launa Austin, a 4th-year Information Design student and CEO of Husky Jocks. Launa noticed that her son was having trouble finding athletic wear in the traditionally offered sizes, an issue many children struggle with. Husky Jocks is a size-inclusive line of children's sportswear that looks the same as standard baseball gear, so kids can focus on the game and not what they are wearing. In 2022, Launa will begin her Master of Information Design and Strategy at Northwestern University.

“I was honoured and humbled to receive the LaunchPad Alumni Award. Besides providing me with extra funds to support my entrepreneurial journey, it also provided me with something more valuable: increased confidence. Winning this award made me feel that I had the support of many members of the alumni who had stood on the same stage or shared similar dreams and goals. This award provided me the ability to not only follow in their footsteps, but forge a new path for my future”. - Launa Austin, Husky Jocks

Alumni Award Donors •

Aislinn Grant

•

Brett Miller

•

Priyash Bista

•

Alistair Shipley

•

Diana Grant-Richmond

•

Renato Niro

•

Andrew Browne

•

Dustin Paisley

•

Rudi Schiebel

•

Aneil Rajaram

•

Emily Knight

•

Tim Lipp

•

Anonymous

•

Jennifer MacDonald

•

Zachary Hartley

•

Austin Lang

•

Marc Nzojibwami

2.7 Competing in the Community

NU Community Board Alberta Awards for Outstanding Student Social Entrepreneurs On April 28th, Dale Swampy, founder of Osaw Kihew, was honoured as a finalist and recipient of the $10,000 Jury Prize at the NU Community Board Alberta Awards for Outstanding Student Social Entrepreneurs. The NU Community Board is facilitated by young Canadian leaders for young Canadian leaders, which aims to support emerging social impact leaders. The NU Awards “celebrate social enterprises that are innovative and ingenious blends of the social and the entrepreneurial that fully harness the power of business models to address a gap in society (i.e. an imbalance of power consistently marginalizing one group or individual to cause exclusion, suffering, or dehumanization.)”

Inventure$ Student Pitch Competition After two years away, Inventure$, Calgary’s premiere innovation and entrepreneurship conference, returned with thousands of entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and global thought leaders in attendance. Erin Creegan-Dougherty of Maskwa Backcountry Foods competed against 23 other student entrepreneurs from across Western Canada, winning the semi-finals, and narrowly missing out on the chance to compete for the top three.

EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) In July, Erin Creegan-Dougherty joined seven other student entrepreneurs from undergrad to Ph.D. level, in competing in the EO GSEA Canadian National Championship in Halifax. Erin is the seventh Mount Royal student to be given the honoured title of Calgary’s EO Student Entrepreneur of the Year and the second to place at the national level after winning the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition. Founder of Maskwa Backcountry Foods, Erin was awarded third place, $15,000, a year of mentorship by prestigious EO Canada Founders, and access to the EO Canada community for two years. Previous MRU winners include Ryan Wenger, founder of Barrow Coffee Roasters, Derek Rucki, founder of TLink, Paul Schumlich, founder of Deepwater Farms, Ozzy Lang, founder of Green Cup, Ryan Doel, founder of Paintabotics, and Tarandeep Kanith Singh, founder of Sharyeo.

Innovation Rodeo Innovation Rodeo, supported by Bow Valley College, runs annually during the Calgary Stampede. This year, Launa Austin, founder of Husky Jocks, competed against five other student entrepreneurs from across Western Canada, to win first in the semi-finals, and second in the finals. Launa wins a total of $7,500 to invest in her business and a 5-week hero training scholarship to Draper University in San Mateo, CA, valued at $12,000 USD.

2.8 Where are they now?

Emily Knight - This year, LaunchPad 2018 competitor and long-time Institute

employee, Emily Knight, joined the Collingwood Foundry (Collingwood, ON) as Community Ambassador. Emily shares her passion for building meaningful and trustbased relationships with great entrepreneurs and the Foundry every day and has been instrumental in diversifying founder-focused events and offerings.

Karina Zapata - Founder of Femme and 2020 LaunchPad winner, Karina Zapata was

a 2021 CBC News Joan Donaldson Scholar and is now a Reporter and Associate Producer at CBC/Radio-Canada. In addition, Karina is the first podcaster in residence for the Mount Royal University Community Podcast Initiative. Karina is currently working on a podcast series about second-generation immigrant children.

Marc Nzojibwami – Co-founder of Mooch, founder of Student Hire, and 2019

LaunchPad winner, Marc is now Commercial Account Executive at OneTrust (formerly Tugboat Logic.) Marc also recently became co-owner of ABL Imaging, a boutique largeformat printing company that provided a few of the special touches that made the 10th anniversary of the JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition extra special.

Michaela Day – After four years with ATB Financial as Manager of Software

Development – API Gateway, Michaela Day, 2016 BCIS grad and LaunchPad winner, joins LA-based SADA Systems Inc. as Manager of Application Development. SADA helps customers boost user experiences through improved data and collaboration using Google Cloud solutions and services.

Rudi Schiebel – Recently featured in Forbes, 2014 LaunchPad winner Rudi Schiebel is the founder and CEO of Habitat Life, an aquaculture and vertical farming company that produces organic cannabis and seafood products. Habitat produces high-quality sustainable cannabis and salmon while having developed a roadmap for sustainably integrating commercial aquaculture and hydroponics.

Zishan Kassam - Head of Product at OpenHouse.ai, 2014/2015 LaunchPad

competitor Zishan is also co-founder of Garden Collective. Garden Collective grows herbs and vegetables for a dozen local restaurants in a 2,200-square-foot enclosed garden on the second story of an office-mall hybrid building. Recently featured in the Washington Post, Garden Collective provides local access to custom-grown herbs and leafy greens, without relying on increasingly strained global supply chains.

Student Profile: Dale Swampy When Dale Swampy joined the Innovation Sprint in his 3rd year of BCIS, he had no idea it would help him impact his community, provide him a job, and help him win $20,000 to support his long-time side hustle. Paired with Fresh Routes, a social enterprise that brings fresh and nutritious food to the people that need it most, Swampy’s team developed a recipe box solution that builds on the success of brands like Hello Fresh. The Fresh Routes box offers culturally diverse, low-cost meals, with discounts for family size, and an option to purchase boxes on a sliding-scale to support families in need. Fresh Routes continues to develop the boxes as they check off many of the requirements their customers are seeking. For Dale, the Sprint checked off many of his requirements as well: “There’s the opportunity to work with capable entrepreneurs. Check. A chance at potential employment. Check. Working with people who apply themselves. They have a business and want our input. That is another check off the list, plus a bonus,” he says. During winter semester, with the support of LaunchPad Lab, Swampy turned his focus to developing his long-time side hustle of sewing and quilting Cree star blankets into a social enterprise. With the support of his coach, Swampy identified that star blankets are increasingly in demand as an alternative to buffalo robes, given at the start of vision quests, presented at Sun Dances, or during significant life milestones. In more modern times, how to make star blankets was taught in residential schools. “Anyone who knows how to make them was either taught in residential school or by someone who attended one,” Swampy says. “As star blankets have been seen as the result of institutionalism, they can be controversial. The mystical, spiritual history behind the star blanket is often overlooked,” Swampy says. After competing in and winning $10,000 in the 10th anniversary JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition in April, Swampy now sells his star blankets at markets, pow wows, and online. “My goal is to honour the past. I hope to help clarify the history of the star blanket with my business. That’s why I see it as a social enterprise,” Swampy says. “The blankets are my way of honouring what happened, of paying respect to everyone who was involved.” In May, Swampy doubled down to win another $10,000 at the Trico Charitable Foundation’s NU Community Board Alberta Awards for Outstanding Student Entrepreneur, alongside co-honourees from Athabasca University and University of Alberta. Looking back, Swamp says “this last year has been remarkable. I am so thankful to the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the donors for having such a positive impact on me and my business.”

Delivering Innovation Experiences

3.1 Innovation Sprint The Innovation Sprint is a work integrated learning experience launched in 2020 to provide students from across campus with meaningful work experience with local companies and social enterprises. Participating companies propose a problem statement to a diverse, multidisciplinary team of 4 students. The team is then guided through a formal 5-week innovation process to define a solution, while supported by a company-provided mentor. The Sprint supports 40 students annually with a stipend of $600 thanks to the Cathy and Bruce Williams Fund for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. These stipends enable students in breaking down financial barriers that may prevent them from participating in extracurricular programs, allowing them to gain meaningful work experience they can build on. This program is also supported by the RBC Foundation. Using anonymized pre and post surveys, students reported an average 35% improvement on seven key skills and attributes, such as thinking of innovative solutions to complex problems, testing ideas and potential solutions with low cost experiments, and

presenting findings through evidencebased storytelling. As evidence of the importance of the skills built during the Sprint, two organizations that were involved created six paid full and parttime positions for students from their teams. Thank you to Buoyancy, Chaordix (Benevity), Chic Geek, Fanoramas, Flahmingo, Fresh Routes, Kettera, Local Laundry, My Normative, and Showpass for volunteering your time to support Mount Royal Students. “Working with the students each week was our favourite part of the Sprint. They all participated in the conversations and were quick to think on their feet, and adapt / expand their thinking with thoughtful, critical analyses. As a result, we walked away from each session seeing that measurable progress had been made.” Sprint Mentor

“I now feel more comfortable with finding innovative solutions to complex problems. I have learned that you need to look at problems again and again & keep on making changes to polish your solution.” – Innovation Sprint Participant “I learned that it is all right to not know everything. It is okay to make mistakes. There are times when you think everything is going well, but you need to step back and re-evaluate to see if there are ways to improve your idea more.” – Innovation Sprint Participant

“My favourite part of the Sprint was seeing the student growth. The participants came a long way thinking about the realities of project development throughout the course of the Sprint. It brought me a lot of enjoyment being able to be a part of that —and I genuinely believe that the critical thinking skills some participants gained will help them in their career development” - Sprint Mentor

IMPACT

$24,000 in student stipend

120 hours of mentoring

40 students from all years and programs

11 company mentors

10 Calgary companies

Student Profile: Bianca Veltri Before the Innovation Sprint, I was unaware of all that the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers. It wasn’t until I met facilitator Anita Kemp at my part-time job that I decided to take on the Innovation Sprint, which changed my degree forever. Over five weeks, my group worked to solve a very unique challenge from local start-up Showpass – how to create an online event booking system that is both community focused and financially sustainable. Weekly mentor meetings with alumna Stephanie Ross were immensely helpful in giving us first-hand exposure to the company problem through the eyes of a critical employee. Workshops with Diana Grant-Richmond, Anita Kemp, and guests like Kerri Harmer, Manager of the Maker Studio, presented new lenses on what had seemed like simple concepts. A personal favourite experience was learning to fall in love with the problem. Our instinct, when presented with a problem, is to immediately jump into solution mode. I learned that deep discovery and loving the problem can truly set a creative person and product apart. As an Accounting and Finance student with a knack for creativity, the Sprint helped me learn that being entrepreneurial isn’t exclusive to only those that have the next big business idea. In learning to use innovation tools, methodologies, and practices, my creativity was ignited and I found a newfound love for entrepreneurship. As a result, I decided to pivot my university career from a very stream-lined focus on quantitative analysis to the creative and ever-changing world that innovation and entrepreneurship offer. Over the summer, I reconnected with my mentor from Showpass and gained an 8-month internship at the company, supporting HR and Operations, with mentorship from the founder. During the first three months of my role, I was instrumental in helping to hire three more Innovation Sprint participants to work at Showpass’ first operated event, the Museum of Failure. I was recently promoted to People and Operations Analyst and plan on staying on in a part-time capacity during winter semester as I complete the final year of my degree.

3.2 connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs connectFirst Social Entrepreneurs is a joint program offered by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Institute for Community Prosperity, with the goal of catalyzing socially conscious students to become innovative and impactful social entrepreneurs. The program combines the Economics of Social Change (co-designed with Momentum) with innovation workshops, and personalized coaching by Manitoba social entrepreneur, Shaun Loney, to support students in ideating and developing a social enterprise. 10 students joined 20 community members for 5 sessions of the Economics of Social Change, which applies an economic lens to social issues. Participants collaborate to gain an understanding of the connections between the local economy, community development, and social changemaking, including topics like local job creation, business models for social change, and income equality. Students engaged with the program received a $500 stipend funded by connectFirst Credit Union.

What The connectFirst Social Entrepreneur Participants are sharing: “This program really showed me those steps and that social innovation is the way to go. I'm definitely more inspired to pursue social entrepreneurship at some point in my career, hopefully soon.” “The program was a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and to learn about social enterprises. The program definitely opened the doors for me on how to approach perceived issues in our society and how I can work alongside others in solving them.” “These workshop series are one of the highlights of my undergraduate journey. Thank you for investing time and effort for students to find their passion in making a change. I am extremely inspired.”

Sessions include: •

Innovation Sprint- Diana Grant-Richmond, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategist, Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Innovation to Action Workshop- Shaun Loney, co-founder of BUILD, Manitoba Green Retrofit and Aki Energy

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Financing Social Change – Danielle Gibbie, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Operation Eyesight

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The Solutions Economy- James Stauch, Director, Institute for Community Prosperity

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Economic Reconciliation- Latasha Calfrobe, Program Manager, Map the System Canada

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The Changing Nature of Business- Barb Davies, Social Impact Lead, Institute for Community Prosperity

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System Change for Community Economies- Jeff Loomis, Executive Director, Momentum

IMPACT

$5,000 in student stipends

20 mentorship hours

17 community practitioners

10 students

7 community facilitators

3.3 InnovateU While there is no shortage of resources for entrepreneurs and innovators, Associate Director Simon Raby and Executive Director Ray DePaul had identified a gap in the ecosystem. Many of the resources were designed for graduate students, advanced entrepreneurs or corporate innovators and fell short of providing a compelling and effective platform for undergraduate students. With over 10 years of experience teaching and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, Mount Royal was uniquely qualified to provide a learning platform specifically for undergraduate students who are early on their innovation and entrepreneurship journey.

Filmed at the Bella Concert Hall at the Taylor Center for the Performing Arts, InnovateU is a 10-part video series spanning topics such as the student lean canvas, customer discovery, problem identification and attractiveness, value proposition, solution testing, and pitching your idea. The series includes video case studies on the development process of MRU student companies and projects Deepwater Farms (Paul Schumlich), Sarjesa (Alexandra Daignault), SwearIt (Elissa Grohne), TLink (Derek Rucki), and FreshRoutes (as part of the Innovation Sprint).

InnovateU is currently used by the LaunchPad Lab, Innovation Sprint, and the BounceBackYYC hackathon. InnovateU will soon be offered open source to other post-secondary institutions in support of making exceptional innovation and entrepreneurship experiential learning opportunities available to more postsecondary students Canada-wide.

Experience Ventures/E2i Positions During winter semester, 9 MRU students from diverse programs stepped out of their comfort zones to support post-doctoral graduates participating in E2i, an Innovate Calgary program, to commercialize their research. By participating in Experience Ventures, a work integrated learning program, students built on their experiences in the innovation

and entrepreneurship minor and Innovation Sprint to make an impact alongside real-world innovators through entrepreneurial thinking. Over an 8 week period, students worked with companies focused on topics such as domestic violence prevention, microwave-based breast imaging technology for monitoring breast cancer, monitoring seismic risk from

fracking activity, non-opioid pain therapies, and software for sustainability assessments and earned $850 for their hard work.

3.4 Innovation Hackathon- BounceBackYYC For the third year, students focused on attracting post-secondary students, young professionals, and young families to live, work, play, and connect in the downtown core as part of the 72-hour BounceBackYYC hackathon. For the first time, the hackathon was fully integrated into the ENTR 2301 curriculum, starting with 100 students in fall semester, and including all 245 students in winter semester. “How should $200 million be spent? This is a challenge we set for this year’s BounceBack YYC students. The issue of downtown revitalization is important for many students. They have chosen Calgary as a place to study and have a range of choices when it comes to building their careers and families,” says Dr. Simon Raby, Associate Director. As part of the Greater Downtown plan, the city of Calgary has committed an initial $200 million of the $1 billion capital investment required to resource the plan. Led by a dedicated Downtown Strategy team, the GDP is a long-term plan that is expected to take ten years to complete.

Leading up to and during the hackathon weekend, students delivered over 600 customer discovery and solution testing interviews with Calgary residents, offering essential insights to the Downtown revitalization challenge. “It’s important to hear from Calgarians about their experiences, including challenges and opportunities, within the current downtown framework,” says Raby. “Valuable feedback and data are essential to implementing future development initiatives that will create a downtown that provides for our future needs.” Teams focused on solutions to issues such as safety in the downtown core, transportation and transit access, supporting a vibrant community, and the often expensive cost of living downtown. 34 mentors and judges supported students in developing their solutions, including representation from organizations such as Alberta Innovates, City of Calgary, Avison Young, Calgary Innovation Coalition, Arts Commons, and Calgary Economic Development.

IMPACT

34 mentors

345 students

6 Calgary Organizations

3.5 Community Events The Institute’s community gatherings are one of the most important programs we offer, as 10 years of community have demonstrated that the connections our students form during their post-secondary years become crucial for building their careers, starting their business, and growing their start-ups to become long-lasting scale-ups. Students, alumni, and community members gather monthly to connect, build community, learn from each other, and build on their skills in a casual, supportive environment. This year, our community gatherings included a mix of events, including casual gatherings, two visits to Calgary-based organizations, and speaker events.

Aspen Properties Community Gathering In November, LaunchPad alumni, co-founder of TLink and Bridgewater Labs, and now Chief Technology Officer of Caret Ltd., Stefan Radeta (BCIS 2018), hosted the Institute at The Ampersand by Aspen Properties. The recently redeveloped Ampersand is home to many of Calgary’s most exciting start-ups, the newly announced Energy Transition Centre, and host of exciting ecosystem events like the Plug and Play Alberta Expo Day. Stefan shared his journey through entrepreneurship to becoming Director of Technology for Aspen Properties and CTO of Caret Ltd., a property management software solution developed by Aspen Properties.

Goodlawyer Community Gathering In May, the Institute was hosted by alumni and Goodlawyer co-founder, Grant Lahring (BBA 2015), at Goodlawyer, an interactive online service that makes it faster and easier for entrepreneurs to find and hire high-quality, low cost legal help. Attendees learned about Goodlawyer’s journey so far, what it’s like to work in an entrepreneurial legal start-up, what career paths are available, and how Grant launched his innovative career at organizations such as Uber Australia and Deepwater Farms.

Fireside Chats This year, the Institute hosted five fireside chats with high impact students and alumni, featuring: • • • • •

Local Laundry co-founder, Dustin Paisley (BBA 2014) Founder of StudentHire and co-founder of Mooch, Marc Nzojibwami (BBA 2018) Co-founder of VegFest Calgary, Andrea Nieman Founder of HYAT Co., Dina Ibrahim (BA 2022) Rowan Dymond (BBA 2022)

Students and alumni learned about what it takes to build a popular clothing brand, start a popular intersectional festival, work with partners to buy cashflowing businesses, and start an innovative career by creating your own opportunities to support cutting-edge local start-ups.

Contributing to the Innovation Ecosystem

4.1 Growth Compass Growth Compass (www.growthcompass.org) is a key initiative of the Institute led by Associate Director, Dr. Simon Raby. It delivers evidence-based insights and intelligence on business growth and scaling. Canada has a serious scale-up gap. While half of all business startups survive up to five years, only 0.1% of established small companies become midsize, and only 2% of established midsize companies become large. Small companies (those less than 100 employees in size) account for 97.9% of all Alberta organizations and employ 9 of every 10 private-sector workers. Between 2014 and 2019, small companies created the majority of jobs (Statistics Canada, 2020). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are essential to employment, wealth and innovation. Key Growth Compass activities and deliverables this year include:

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Industry POV: "Leading to Scale: The Design, Delivery and Impact of SME Leadership Development Programs", Alberta Innovates commissioned report released September 2021

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Industry POV: Partnered with the BDC ViewPoints panel to deliver the Growth Compass Survey - a national study on the drivers of SME growth and the impact of COVID.

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Industry POV: Commissioned by Alberta Innovates to deliver a wayfinding scan and analysis as part of the Find Your Future project which aims to catalog ecosystem players and resources in a meaningful way and convene a conversation on provincial and local navigation and wayfinding processes. Interviewed 80+ stakeholders from Alberta ecosystem support organizations.

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Industry POV: Commissioned by McLeod Law LLP to deliver a Business Innovation and Growth study on Southern Alberta SMEs. First POV will focus on "The Drivers of Digitalization in Entrepreneurial Ventures.”

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Academic: Special Issue proposal accepted by the A-ranked journal - the International Small Business Journal - titled "In Search of the Next Growth Episode: How Firms Catalyze and Sustain Periods of High Growth".

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Visiting researchers: Muhammad Fayz Khan, a PhD student from the University of Molise (Unimol), Italy has joined Growth Compass to further his research "Mapping Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Identification of Major Drivers in Developing and Developed Countries". He intends to find the influences on the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems, specifically the Calgary ecosystem.

4.2 Trico Changemaker Studio The Trico Changemakers Studio is a social innovation, collaboration and learning space at the intersection of campus and community. It brings together community stakeholders, students and faculty from across disciplines, sectors and backgrounds to tackle the complex social and environmental challenges of our time. Created in partnership with the Institute for Community Prosperity, the Trico Changemakers Studio opened its doors in 2018 and has since distinguished itself through innovative and inclusive programming. •

Social Impact Facilitation - design and facilitate co-creative processes for social innovation and systems change.

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Changemaker Community - host an inclusive community of changemakers from across sectors and disciplines.

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Community-Engaged Learning - foster student changemakers through community-engaged learning and meaningful work experiences.

4.3 Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) is a federally funded program created as part of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy investing $5 billion with the goal of doubling the number of women entrepreneurs in Canada by 2025. MRU's Bissett School of Business is proud to be the regional hub for Alberta. Driven by the national WEKH mandate, WEKH Alberta supports women entrepreneurs throughout the province by sharing information and resources, challenging gender stereotypes, bringing awareness to women's entrepreneurial success, and connecting women entrepreneurs to the organizations that serve them. By working with key partners throughout Alberta and across Canada, WEKH is mapping the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem to build a community of practice that is more inclusive and supportive to women entrepreneurs. This past year, the WEKH Alberta team launched a podcast series "Women Redefining Entrepreneurship in Alberta", and published a WEKH report "Disrupting Capital Through the Crowd: A Case Study of Innovation in Rewards-Based Crowdfunding for Women Entrepreneurs". More information about these projects, along with other contributions to the community, can be found at mru.ca/WEKHAlberta.

4.4 Growth Catalyst

“Mount Royal University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has received $3.3 million in funding to support the expansion of their Growth Catalyst” Calgary Herald July 6, 2022

After many years of investing in research and program development, the Institute has received $3.3 million in funding to support the expansion of the Growth Catalyst program plus additional initiatives that will trigger the creation of hundreds of new jobs and deliver millions in economic impact to Alberta over the next few years. Anticipated Impacts include: •

105 businesses supported

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315 leaders transformed

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$105M in economic growth

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525 jobs created

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105 student internships

An initial donation of $500,000 from TD Bank Group set the foundation for complementary funding from both the provincial and federal governments. $1.4 million has been provided by Alberta Innovates Ecosystem Development Partnerships Program, an 27

amount matched through PrairiesCan’s Regional Innovation Ecosystem program. Growth Catalyst (growthcatalyst. ca) is a scale-up program targeting established Alberta businesses with ambitions to become world-leading. Through extensive research on the drivers of small- and medium-sized business growth, Dr. Simon Raby, PhD, academic director of Growth Catalyst, has uncovered seven strategies that business leaders can deploy to achieve scale. Using these globally proven methodologies and tools, Growth Catalyst enables strategic growth teams to catalyze and sustain new episodes of growth. During the program, cross-functional leadership teams embark on a sixmonth cohort-based integrative journey to reimagine, rediscover and realize big strategic growth opportunities. In addition to Growth Catalyst, the

GROWTHCATALYST.CA

Institute’s business growth initiatives also include •

The Innovation Accelerator program, which trains teams on a repeatable and scalable innovation process to capture new value and revenue streams

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The Growth and Resiliency Speaker Series, which will be expanded and geared towards sharing the latest best practices on company growth and scaling up

These programs also break down barriers between students and business. Participants in the Growth Catalyst and Innovation Accelerator

programs will be supported by Alberta undergraduate university students, with the pilot cohort of the Growth Catalyst connecting MRU and SAIT students to participant companies to help analyze their growth constraints, technology and capital requirements. These partnerships will also lead to employment opportunities. In addition to funding partners, the Institute was also supported by key partner organizations including Platform Calgary, the Growth Institute, Enterprise Resource Centre, Venture Mentoring Services of Alberta, Export Development Canada, Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), InterGen and SAIT.

“Our team now has far greater clarity on how to plan for and scale the operation in support of growth initiatives.” Brian Rosentreter, president Global Analyzer Systems

The Infrastructure Each company entering the program nominates a Strategic Growth Team of three ambitious and driven leaders. These Strategic Growth Teams gain access to the latest insights and intelligence, practical tools, and expert guidance from the ecosystem that enables them to catalyze their company’s next growth episode.

The Journey These Strategic Growth Teams gain access to the latest insights and intelligence, practical tools, and expert guidance from the ecosystem that enables them to catalyze their company’s next growth episode.

“I was looking for an opportunity for my team to better understand the journey of a new product and technology from inception to commercialization. We graduated as a fully integrated team with a renewed innovation and entrepreneurial mindset.” Jennifer Massig, CEO of Magna Engineering Services

4.5 Platform Calgary Platform Calgary brings together the resources of Calgary's tech ecosystem to help startups launch and grow. Through collaboration and programming with more than 70 partner organizations throughout Alberta and the world, Platform supports and champions Alberta innovators at every step of their journey, from ideation to scale, and beyond. The Institute has been a partner of Platform Calgary, and its predecessor Innovate Calgary, for over 6 years. Institute Executive Director, Ray DePaul, is the longest serving board member of Platform and has helped guide it toward being a respected community and entrepreneur-focused organization. We are proud that Platform regularly hires Mount Royal graduates to help build the innovation ecosystem. Alumni include Rowan Dymond (BBA 2022), Ormhel Manuel (BBA 2018), Mike MacDonald (BBA 2014), Madelaine Kendrew (BBA 2013) and Andrew Browne (BBA 2014). Dr. Simon Raby was elected as Chair of the Calgary Innovation Coalition, operated under the governance of Platform Calgary. In the spring of 2022, the 50,000 square foot Platform Innovation Centre opened in East Village and will be a central engine for accelerating tech driven economic diversification and job creation. The Institute was one of the first to partner on this important initiative. A collective 10 Year Goal is to 10x the rate of startup creation and scaling to create 30,000 new jobs at 3,000 new companies in Calgary by 2031. With 22 per cent growth in tech talent and total tech jobs over the past five years, Calgary ranked 28th among the Top 50 North American markets in CBRE’s 2022 Scoring Tech Talent report. The Institute is proud of its investment of time and talent into building an innovation ecosystem in Calgary that is supporting graduates of all post-secondary institutions.

Resources

5.1 Donors The Institute receives no base funding from Mount Royal University and therefore relies on the generosity of donors in order to have a transformational impact on students and the community. In addition to a foundational endowment provided by David and Leslie Bissett, the Institute is grateful for the ongoing commitment of the following community leaders.

Following a 2011 foundational donation of $1.1M, in 2021 the RBC Foundation committed a further $525,000 over 3 years to support student innovation and entrepreneurship programming.

After 10 years of support, in 2021 JMH extended their commitment for a further 5 years, ensuring an additional $300,000 will be provided to students participating in the LaunchPad Founders Fund and Pitch Competition.

TD Bank has provided a commitment of $500,000 over 5 years to establish the Institute’s Business Growth programs such as Growth Catalyst that will transform Alberta’s small and medium businesses.

The Williams have committed $300,000 to establishing the Cathy and Bruce Williams Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund that will provide paid workintegrated learning experiences to MRU students as well as promote the thought leadership of MRU in the community.

Cathy & Bruce Williams

connectFirst has committed $75,000 over 3 years to fund the connectFirst Student Entrepreneur program and the connectFirst Social Impact Award.

5.2 Team Ray DePaul, Executive Director Ray is a veteran of the Waterloo, Canada technology sector and has launched many innovative products in his 30-year career. Ray was part of the original team that brought the iconic BlackBerry to the world. Responsible for product management, Ray helped to guide Research In Motion (RIM) through the revolutionary early years and established the BlackBerry brand as the smartphone market leader. After leaving RIM in 2003, Ray became the President & CEO of a University of Waterloo spin-off which pioneered GPU computing. He guided the company through venture funding, established market leadership, and secured a successful exit through an acquisition by Intel Corp. Ray DePaul is the inaugural Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he supports the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. He is a member of the prestigious A100 and serves on the board of directors of Attabotics, Platform Calgary, and the Trico Group and is an advisor and mentor to dozens of entrepreneurs. Ray holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. Ray was named as one of three finalists for the national BDC Mentorship Award and was the recipient of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award.

Sam Begelfor, Entrepreneur Development Officer Sam comes to the Institute with a wealth of experience in helping Alberta’s early-stage tech startups grow. She ran the operations of The Accelerator as the Director of New Ventures, recruited significantly more female founders, and coached founders from a variety of industries. Having worked at some of Calgary’s top startups, she’s excited to bring that experience to help Mount Royal students reach their full potential.

Dr. Simon Raby, Associate Director and Academic Director of Growth Catalyst Dr. Simon Raby is a “pracademic” working as an Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University Bissett School of Business and co-founder of Business Improvement and Growth (BIG) Associates Ltd. BIG identifies the drivers of growth, challenges convention and offers practical ways for ambitious business owners and their organizations to achieve sustained growth and performance. Simon’s research program is focused on uncovering the strategies, practices and methods of support that enable business growth, leadership transitions and people’s performance. Most recently, Simon delivered a program of research on the growth of Alberta’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to understand the drivers of growth, innovation and diversification for these firms. This research has since led to the creation of the Leader’s Growth Mindset. Simon is a trustee and board member for the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, a large, well-established network that enables excellence in small business and entrepreneurship, and builds bridges between research, policy and practice. Simon serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research.

Diana Grant-Richmond, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategist Diana is a graduate of the Mount Royal University Bachelor of Business Administration - General Management program (2017), a former founder (Unravelled Yarns Inc.), JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition alumna, and experienced mentor. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, volunteering, social innovation, technology, and supporting female-identifying innovators and entrepreneurs, particularly in creative disciplines. Diana brings 13 years of experience in entrepreneurship, finance, and energy to her role and is always available for a conversation, whether it be about an emerging idea, innovation, a new venture, or finding your next steps. 34

Tracy Pfeifer, Administrative Assistant Tracy has dedicated over 18 years to Mount Royal University. She provides administrative support to both the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Institute for Community Prosperity. Tracy plays a critical role of being the interface between the Institute’s team of impatient entrepreneurs and the university’s many policies and procedures.

5.3 Student Contributors A big thank you goes out to the students who supported the Institute and its projects this year: •

Alexander Brodie

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Alyssa Tan

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Emily Robitaille

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Jasmine Phillips

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Meagan McIntosh

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Mitch Wilson

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Orin Bailey

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Rowan Dymond

5.4 Faculty New Faculty Members In addition to Dr. Simon Raby and Dr. Douglas MacDonald, we are excited to welcome 2 new faculty members in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. They build on the tradition of having faculty that can have an impact on students and the community, and can create and disseminate new and valuable knowledge. Amir Bahman Radnejad joins us from State University of New York at Brockport, with over 8 years of teaching experience in entrepreneurship, strategy, leadership and international business in Canada, the US and beyond. He has a PhD in Strategy and Global Management, Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a BSc in Chemical Engineering. He has significant professional experience in consulting and management. His scholarship builds on technology and innovation management theories such as open innovation, innovation clusters, strategic alliances, and absorptive capacity. Bahman brings experience in academic leadership in curriculum development and impactful events. Hadi Fariborzi joins us from the University of Calgary (UofC) with a PhD in Strategy and Global Management, MBA and BEng in Electrical Engineering. He has professional experience as a business founder, research manager and business development director. He has taught courses on entrepreneurship and international business at UofC, University of Sussex (UK), Iran University of Science and Sharif University of Technology. His scholarship builds on meta-analysis and psychometric correction practices, internationalization on the performance of SMEs, and metaanalysis of antecedents and outcome of International Entrepreneurship.

Retiring Faculty 2022 was also the year we said goodbye and thank you to two esteemed faculty who have built the MRU Innovation and Entrepreneurship program into the most student-centered program in the province. Wendelin Fraser and Laurie Lancaster are thought leaders in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in undergraduate students and we join with thousands of students who have been impacted to wish them a remarkable retirement. We know they will continue to find ways to impact the community.

5.4 Community Support The Institute is always excited to leverage the amazing talent in the Calgary community to provide transformative experiences for students and community alike. As part of our mentor-centered approach, our Coaches, Facilitators, and EIRs bring crucial insight to our student entrepreneurs, leveraging their years of experience as employees and founders of innovative organizations, on topics such as growth marketing, e-commerce, and scaling early organizations We are grateful for the time and talents of the following community members, who played a critical role in delivering our programs.

Aislinn Grant Aislinn Grant graduated from the Mount Royal University Entrepreneurship program in 2015. Aislinn was a winner in the first JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition in 2013. Today, she is a donor to the program. Aislinn brings a diverse portfolio and thrilling trajectory from student entrepreneur to robotics marketer to founder of design firm, Grant.Aislinn is a coach in the LaunchPad Lab program and brings her business acumen as well her many years of mentoring to the role.

Anita Kemp Anita is co-designer of the Innovation Sprint, Program Facilitator for the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Program Lead for WEKH Alberta. In her role at WEKH, Anita supports Mount Royal University to work with key partners throughout the province to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for the advancement of women entrepreneurs. Anita describes herself as an entrepreneur and a lifelong learner - both of which she discovered in her forties, having quit the corporate world to complete a master's degree and start a business.

Jaime Wood Jaime is a 2x start-up founder and business strategist. Her passion is connecting people and bringing new ideas to life. Jaime has been through 3 startup accelerator programs including Mass Challenge 2021. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Jaime held Executive roles for marketing agencies and clients worldwide. She is currently the co-founder and COO of Fanorama, a fan photography platform that gives every fan a personal photo gallery for sharing, printing and reliving their event experience. Jaime brought her vast startup and marketing expertise to coach students in the LaunchPad Lab.

Khalid Abdul Razak Khal is a recognized creative, strategist, and ‘intra’preneur. Khal brings to the team globally proven methodologies and a deep experience in scaling organizations, having worked with 50+ customer facing companies, from startups to Fortune Global 500 companies. Also a former startup founder, Khal has been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug and is always on the lookout to try something new, connect with like-minded individuals, and explore the application of emerging technologies to solve some of today’s pressing challenges. In his role as EIR, Khal has co-created the BounceBackYYC hackathon and the Growth Catalyst program.

Logan Grasby Logan is obsessed with all things e-commerce. His first experience came while he was building Quest Climbing, which built home climbing walls designed for kids, and led to 2 awards in the 2019 JMH LaunchPad Pitch Competition. Logan holds a Bachelor's in General Management with a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Mount Royal. Logan currently works for alumni-founded Inspired Go as E-commerce Lead, along with several e-commerce brands and software companies building web experiences. Logan was a valued coach in the LaunchPad Lab program.