Despite a few fits and starts, it seems the new year is shaping up to being a more promising one.
While 2020 played like a year to buckle down and gather ourselves, this year offers an opportunity to break out and work together to restore and rebuild both the local and global economy.
During the past two months, the Morrissette Institute has been heavily engaged with our student and alumni community. We hosted our annual Ivey Business Plan Competition virtually, with teams across Canada and the United States vying for $45,000 in prizes. While we missed the magic of the live competition from previous years, it was wonderful to see many friendly faces and talk about the very thing that excites us most.
With webinars continuing to be a major vehicle for learning opportunities, we have expanded our offering by providing a number of collated series on specific topics. This approach has helped us give students and alumni more in-depth knowledge. After a successful series on E-Commerce with Shopify, we will be launching our entrepreneurial finance series on February 23 that includes topics like feasibility, pricing strategy, taxation and venture capital. You can browse our fabulous roster of webinars and replays here.
Throughout the past year, we’ve been greatly encouraged by the number of students who’ve launched new ventures. In this edition of the Newsletter, we capture a couple of those stories. I would also recommend listening to Eric Janssen’s podcast episode, Option C, which included a panel of young entrepreneurs who pivoted their career plans in response to the pandemic.
Lastly, I want to look back to the end of 2020, when we hosted our inaugural Western Alumni Demo Day. It was a rousing success raising more than $3 million in funding for our young ventures. Personally, it was a very special moment that provided a microcosm of what the Morrissette Institute has always strived for; creating a community that comes together to support entrepreneurs. To do this well, we need the vigour of youth, the wisdom of those who have gone before, and the resources of those involved in angel or venture funds. Our next Demo Day is scheduled for April 30 and I encourage you to save-the-date and await more information.
2021 promises to be an important year in the history of entrepreneurship at Ivey and Western, and we look forward to sharing these exciting developments in the months to come.