"The Ivey New Venture Project (INVP) allowed me to learn by experiencing real-life scenarios rather than preaching theory. Our self-selected team brainstormed a new venture idea and then developed a comprehensive business plan by road-testing key learnings from in-class cases and leveraging the strengths and experiences that each team member brought to the project. INVP challenged our thinking, tested our creativity and forced us to defend our analysis in front of a panel of entrepreneurs and business executives.   Armed with the tools that I developed through INVP, I am confident in my ability to not only identify and analyze a business idea but also to formulate a solid go-to-market strategy to exploit the opportunity". -
Gunpreet Rekhi, MBA ’11

"The New Venture Project was the highlight of my career at Ivey. The combination of expertise, access to successful entrepreneurs and strong guidance along the way made for a phenomenal experience. The NVP process forces students to develop, refine and implement their ideas through a series of realistic and practical steps. This is the one chance where entrepreneurs-to-be can experiment in a safe environment and receive priceless feedback from seasoned veterans. Overall NVP was a course in leadership, persistence and team-work and I would personally like to thank everyone involved in providing me with this opportunity to grow" - Mike Lickver,  MBA'11

The NVP project was exactly the right experience that I needed to learn how to create a comprehensive business plan.  With Ron and our EIR’s guidance, our team created a detailed business plan and financial model that I never would have been able to do before this program.  It is coincidental that my learning throughout the process was also very entrepreneurial because we learned a great deal about how to analyze markets, industry trends, competitors, consumer behaviour, etc through our own initiative and efforts.  I plan on launching my own business in the next 5-10 years, and I now feel as though I have the complete toolkit to put together an excellent and professional business plan. - James Larson, MBA'11

"My experience with NVP was one of the most valuable things I will be taking away from Ivey. Thanks to NVP I'm leaving Ivey with a solid business plan, critiqued and polished by experienced entrepreneurs. My team worked amazingly together and we were able to finish the project months before it was officially due, which allowed us to enter Business Plan competitions. These competitions not only offered the chance at some big prize money, but allowed us to travel and meet entrepreneurs from schools across North America, and most importantly get incredible feedback from successful entrepreneurs. NVP was definitely a highlight of my HBA2 year!" - Sandra Cook,  HBA'10

"NVP was absolutely my most memorable and valuable experience at Ivey. I can't imagine a better opportunity to meet business partners, and create a ready-to-launch business plan while being guided by Ivey entrepreneur faculty and business leaders in our chosen industry. Our team competed in international business plan competitions during the year, made money and valuable business contacts, all before even going live with our plan. It was an incredibly rewarding experience in every way." - Becky Carlin, HBA'10

"The New Venture Project was the perfect conclusion to my year at Ivey. It required a combination of skills from every class and discipline we studied. It wasn't just about finance, it wasn't just about marketing strategy, it was about how all the pieces are combined into a cohesive and believable business plan. Overall, the New Venture Project was a comprehensive and tremendously valuable experience.- Kristine Beese, MBA'10