Ryerson University Entrepreneurship Program
Encyclopedia
Ryerson University Entrepreneurship Program is the largest undergraduate entrepreneurship
program in Canada
with both major and minor degree programs available. It is a division within the Ted Rogers School of Management, a recognized leader in entrepreneurship education in Canada. The school is located in the heart of the nation's business district.
Ryerson University
has always had a traditional focus on applied education. The Entrepreneurship & Strategy department offers an innovative degree program through the university with novel specializations. Many graduates go on to start their own companies, work as independent agents under sole proprietorships or start up community programs.
Ryerson confers approximately one hundred entrepreneurship major and minor Bachelor of Commerce
degrees each year. In addition, the institute performs ongoing research into the field of entrepreneurship and strategy development.
Ryerson is a Canada-wide award-winning team, and Ryerson University’s most active student group. Currently involved in both local and international projects that impact both the local community as well as people around the world. The focus is on providing others with opportunities to gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
SIFE Ryerson was the 2010 National Champion of the Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) competition.
, and networking events where Toronto-based entrepreneurs come in to meet and talk to students.
StartMeUp Ryerson also hosts the annual $25,000 Slaight Communications Business Plan Competition where entrepreneurial students enter their business plan into a competition for the chance to win $25,000. The most recent winner Hailey Coleman, CEO of Damn Heels, went on to be a successful contestant on CBC's Dragons' Den
. Other past winners to gain significant traction and start up success include: Jay Manara from Rock Parlor Clothing Co. Rock Parlor Clothing Co., and Monica Mei Chiu from Aime Luxury.
, and the Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department of the Ted Rogers School of Management to make innovation and entrepreneurship support more accessible to all students and alumni from the university across diverse faculties. The institute is attuned to the highly diverse values, language, and approaches that different faculties, students and alumni bring to their new ventures.
The DMZ works closely with the SIFE Ryerson and StartMeUp Ryerson programs. The latter organizations follow a cooperative and collaborative framework from idea consultation to business plan writing to legal issues - until it is finally prepared for the market and where the DMZ provides support toward commercialization. This is Ryerson’s investment in the knowledge-based economy
ERI focuses on research of high academic and intellectual value, with clear applicability to practitioners in the business community. The Institute houses the Ted Rogers Chair in Entrepreneurship, an endowed research chair focusing on entrepreneurship in Canada. ERI also conducts periodic seminars and symposia on topics of interest to scholars of entrepreneurship.
Graduates that choose not to start up their own companies may find employment as an intrapreneur within a larger organization. They may start their career working positions within business development
, strategic planning
and possibly in management.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
program in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with both major and minor degree programs available. It is a division within the Ted Rogers School of Management, a recognized leader in entrepreneurship education in Canada. The school is located in the heart of the nation's business district.
Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
has always had a traditional focus on applied education. The Entrepreneurship & Strategy department offers an innovative degree program through the university with novel specializations. Many graduates go on to start their own companies, work as independent agents under sole proprietorships or start up community programs.
Ryerson confers approximately one hundred entrepreneurship major and minor Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
degrees each year. In addition, the institute performs ongoing research into the field of entrepreneurship and strategy development.
Courses
The courses offered combine the broad and rigorous theoretical knowledge needed to avoid common pitfalls, with plenty of hands-on experience in helping real companies innovate and succeed. The focus is on developing the creativity and independent thinking needed by business leaders to build the companies and industries of tomorrow. Ryerson entrepreneurship courses are available to students across all faculties and include the following:.- Strategies for Success
- New Venture Startup
- Family Business in Canada
- Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Strategy
- Studies in Entrepreneurship
- Identifying Opportunities
- Corporate Governance
- Management of Innovation
- Creating a Business Plan
- Applied Research in Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurial Organizational Appraisal
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Business Strategies
- Entrepreneurial Thinking (MBA)
- Finance and Technology Valuation (MBA)
- Product Commercialization (MBA)
Faculty
Students are taught by experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who have started dozens of companies and helped hundreds of entrepreneurs raise over $2 billion in financing. Many of the faculty members have PhDs and are actively engaged in entrepreneurial thought leadership and entrepreneurship research.- Dr. Dave Valliere - Department Chair of Entrepreneurship & Strategy
- Prof. Neil Wolff - Associate Dean of Entrepreneurship & Strategy
- Dr. Alan Carsrud - Professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Loretta Rogers Chair in Entrepreneurship Research, Docent-for-Life in Entrepreneurship at Åbo Akademi UniversityÅbo Akademi UniversityÅbo Akademi University is a Swedish language university in Turku, Finland . , there are 7 941 students and a staff consisting of 1125 people. The university has activities not only in Turku, but also in Vaasa, Jakobstad, Helsinki and on Åland...
in Turku, Finland. Board member of United Enterprise Fund (UEF) (New York City) - Dr. Steven Gedeon - Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Chairman of CEO Fusion, President of Intelliaction Inc., Faculty advisor for SIFE Ryerson, Chairman of National Angel Organization, Advisory Board member of Ontario Partnership for Innovation and Commercialization
- Dr. Mary Han - Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship. She is currently a visiting scholar at Mays Business SchoolMays Business SchoolMays Business School is the business school at Texas A&M University. The school educates over 4,500 students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs and consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the nation....
, Texas A & M University, USA - Prof. Knud Jensen - Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, CCSBE, Strategic Leadership Forum
- Dr. Stewart Melanson - Assistant Professor of Management, Entrepreneurship and Strategy
- Prof. David Schlanger - Director of Student Achievement
- Dr. James Tiessen - Teaches and researches International Management, Entrepreneurship, Joint Ventures and SME Exporting
- Dr. Phil Walsh - Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Faculty Advisor for JDC Ryerson, Editor of Entrepreneurial Practice Review, a Fellow of the Ryerson Entrepreneurship Research Institute and a member of the Ryerson Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility
- Prof. Sean WiseSean WiseSean Wise is a Canadian expert on venture capital. He uses this expertise in his various roles as mentor capitalist , international business speaker, business columnist for The Globe and Mail, and as a consultant for CBC on the venture reality show Dragons' Den...
- Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, founder of VenCorps, consultant for CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
on Dragons' DenDragons' Den (Canada)Dragons' Den is a Canadian television reality show, based on the internationally franchised Dragons' Den format, in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hopes of securing business financing. The show debuted on October 3, 2006 on CBC Television...
SIFE Ryerson
SIFESIFE
SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders...
Ryerson is a Canada-wide award-winning team, and Ryerson University’s most active student group. Currently involved in both local and international projects that impact both the local community as well as people around the world. The focus is on providing others with opportunities to gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
SIFE Ryerson was the 2010 National Champion of the Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) competition.
StartMeUp Ryerson
StartMeUp Ryerson assists students in new venture start-up. It is designed to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the education, resources and funding to start and expand their businesses through four stages (Events, Idea Consultation, Resources, Funding). The committee is also responsible for hosting several large events including an evening with guest speaker Kevin O'LearyKevin O'Leary (entrepreneur)
Kevin O'Leary is a Canadian entrepreneur, venture capitalist, investor, and television personality.-Early life and education:O'Leary was born in Mount Royal, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, to a salesman father and seamstress mother....
, and networking events where Toronto-based entrepreneurs come in to meet and talk to students.
StartMeUp Ryerson also hosts the annual $25,000 Slaight Communications Business Plan Competition where entrepreneurial students enter their business plan into a competition for the chance to win $25,000. The most recent winner Hailey Coleman, CEO of Damn Heels, went on to be a successful contestant on CBC's Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (Canada)
Dragons' Den is a Canadian television reality show, based on the internationally franchised Dragons' Den format, in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hopes of securing business financing. The show debuted on October 3, 2006 on CBC Television...
. Other past winners to gain significant traction and start up success include: Jay Manara from Rock Parlor Clothing Co. Rock Parlor Clothing Co., and Monica Mei Chiu from Aime Luxury.
Ryerson Angel Network
The Ryerson Angel Network (RAN) is the first university-led Angel Investor group in Canada. Their mandate is to provide funding, mentorship and resources to youth-led businesses (current post-secondary students and recent alumni under 35 years of age) within Southern Ontario. RAN actively supports businesses that have a high likelihood of success by assisting them with investor readiness services. RAN also provides after deal-resources and relationship capital management opportunities. The aim is to bring together qualified investors with youth-led businesses for investments that range from smaller deal sizes (less than $50,000) to much larger deals (over $500,000).Ryerson Entrepreneur Institute
REI is a university-wide program to motivate students and alumni to actively discover new for-profit and non-profit innovations and act on them to start up new businesses, non-profit organizations or community programs. It was created in 2008 to leverage the efforts of SIFESIFE
SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders...
, and the Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department of the Ted Rogers School of Management to make innovation and entrepreneurship support more accessible to all students and alumni from the university across diverse faculties. The institute is attuned to the highly diverse values, language, and approaches that different faculties, students and alumni bring to their new ventures.
The Digital Media Zone
The Ryerson University Zone or DMZ is a platform designed to cultivate the creativity and innovativeness of young entrepreneurs. The workplace is located in the Toronto Life Square, amongst the energy and resources of the downtown core. It’s a place where students and alumni come to innovate, collaborate and market their products and services, and where commercial enterprises can turn to for progressive and creative digital solutions. Some current ventures include:- 121 Live Communications
- Commerce Times
- Flybits
- Ryerson Mobile
- Shape Collage
- SoapBox
- Team Save
The DMZ works closely with the SIFE Ryerson and StartMeUp Ryerson programs. The latter organizations follow a cooperative and collaborative framework from idea consultation to business plan writing to legal issues - until it is finally prepared for the market and where the DMZ provides support toward commercialization. This is Ryerson’s investment in the knowledge-based economy
Entrepreneurship Research Institute
The Entrepreneurship Research Institute (ERI) is devoted to investigating the role that entrepreneurs play in modern economies. In particular, the focus is on addressing the fundamental research questions of the entrepreneurship field: where entrepreneurial opportunities come from, why some firms and individuals choose to exploit them, and how these efforts can be made more successful.ERI focuses on research of high academic and intellectual value, with clear applicability to practitioners in the business community. The Institute houses the Ted Rogers Chair in Entrepreneurship, an endowed research chair focusing on entrepreneurship in Canada. ERI also conducts periodic seminars and symposia on topics of interest to scholars of entrepreneurship.
Careers
Ryerson Entrepreneurship graduates will have the opportunity to create the mindset and skills to become self-sufficient and self-employed by launching new businesses. They will possess skills in helping existing organizations cultivate a culture of innovation and new market development.Graduates that choose not to start up their own companies may find employment as an intrapreneur within a larger organization. They may start their career working positions within business development
Business development
A subset of the field of commerce, business development comprises a number of techniques and responsibilities which aim at:1. Researching new types of business/products/services with an emphasis on identifying gaps in the mitigation of needs of potential clients .2. Attracting new customers3...
, strategic planning
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
and possibly in management.