As the winter semester comes to a close for many business students, anxiety begins to creep in. Summer marks an exciting yet stressful time, as plenty of Western students prepare to enter the workforce through internships. Hearing the buzz and watching the LinkedIn posts flood in can make it feel like you’re ten steps behind if you haven’t finalized your summer plans. Finding an internship is becoming an increasingly impersonal process. Between cold emailing and pre-recorded video interviews, it's hard to even know if you’re being considered.
These challenges are exactly what drives the Western Founders Network (WFN) to host its annual Elevate Career Fair. Since December, the WFN team has been working tirelessly, from creating pitch decks to sending over 1000 outreach emails, to bring this event to life.
Earlier this month, that hard work paid off. Over 200 student participants and more than 20 companies came together for one of Western's largest student-run career fairs. Each company delivered a short pitch, introducing themselves to prospective interns and sharing their mission. Students took notes, engaged with the presentations, and prepared for meaningful conversations ahead of the networking portion of the event. Many of the companies were Canadian tech startups, aligning with the WFN’s focus on business, technology and entrepreneurship.
Having had the pleasure of attending the event, one thing that stood out to me was how the Elevate Career Fair truly felt like a two-way street. Companies were searching for students who believed in their vision, and students were looking for companies that genuinely sparked their interest. This stood in clear contrast to the often anxiety-inducing recruitment process many of us are used to. Students still worked hard to put their best foot forward, but companies were equally eager, recognizing the value of Western talent and excited to share their stories. The networking portion of the evening provided the opportunity to engage in face-to-face interaction, a refreshing shift from the now-normal experience of Zoom interviews, and pre-recorded responses.
The result of one evening? Over 200 students walked away with new connections, interview opportunities, and even summer employment. At the same time, companies gained meaningful interactions with future innovators and eager potential hires for the summer.
The Elevate Career Fair is an annual event held by the WFN. So, if you missed it this year, don’t worry—be sure to mark your calendar for early March of next year.
In the meantime, you can take a look at this year's participating firms: Birch Hill Equity Partners, SATOV Consultants, Loop Financial, Besty AI, Pycap, Hawkbridge Capital Partners, Secure Digital Markets, myLaminin, Gotcare, Pulse Infoframe Inc., ALT TEX, Vita Learning, Vantage Marketing Canada, Beavos, Riipen, Deep Sea Media, North P&D, Autumn, Rocket Lite Inc., Quotograph.io, Just Vertical, Clover Labs, and Stush Foods.
If you’re interested in exploring more of the WFN’s initiatives, you can check them out here:
Instagram: @westernfoundersnetwork
Website: https://www.foundersnetwork.ca