UPstart Venture Challenge
The Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Social Impact (CEISI) aspires to create careholders not just shareholders, focusing on changing lives and perspectives by tapping into hearts as well as minds. Humanization and sustainability are at the core of everything we do.
CEISI inspires and supports the success of new ventures, building innovation capabilities in people and organizations, and fostering research, education and community engagement on responsible leadership and social impact. The Centre is devoted to creating a generation of responsible leaders and entrepreneurs, fostering leading-edge education and hands-on learning opportunities. It is about people creating possibilities and prosperity.
Looking to support by making a gift? Email Smith Development and Alumni Relations team to discuss your donation.
CEISI support emerging talent through the UPstart Venture Challenge, a competition designed to accelerate success and give alumni and students the opportunity to deliver creative business pitches to a panel of experienced judges. Since 2016, with the incredible support of our donors, the initiative has provided ~ $420K in seed funding to 24 entrepreneurial startups. Today, ~88% of those businesses still exist, creating over 80 jobs and raising over $5M in additional investment from other sources. Ventures represent social enterprises, circular economy, BioTech, MedTech, Food and Beverage manufacturing, Education, Sports Industry, PropTech, FinTech, and Retail AI.
We need your funding support to grow and scale the impact we are making to the Canadian economy. Your generous donation will increase the odds of success for the next wave of entrepreneurs and innovators.
Looking to support by making a gift? Email Smith Development and Alumni Relations team to discuss your donation.
