The Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre is pleased to be a partner in Experience Ventures, powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary. Experience Ventures enables students to make an impact alongside real-world innovators through entrepreneurial thinking placements.
Entrepreneurial thinking is being creative in finding innovative solutions. It’s about taking initiative, exchanging knowledge across disciplines, being resourceful and learning from experience. It is essential to enriching lives and advancing society.
We believe entrepreneurial thinking isn’t limited to a personality type or a discipline or to entrepreneurs alone. It is an accessible set of skills that everyone can leverage to make an impact, big or small, in any career. The hallmarks of entrepreneurial thinking – creativity, resiliency and future vision – will be critical factors to ensuring Canada’s success today, and tomorrow.
Experience Ventures offers a unique opportunity to make real connections between students, schools and innovative businesses.
Intensive, one to two-day events with one or more businesses. These events present students with real-world challenges, which are not limited to technical problems but can also include social innovation issues. Students work collaboratively to develop and present suggested solutions within a maximum of 16 hours. This format encourages rapid ideation, teamwork, and creative problem-solving, providing students with a dynamic and immersive experience.
Extended part-time projects spanning several weeks, designed for students to develop more comprehensive solutions to specific social, business, design, or community problems presented partnering businesses. Students form interdisciplinary teams, often working with peers from across the country. The goal is to present well-developed solutions to the host organization after dedicating up to 40 hours. This format promotes deep engagement with the problem, fostering collaboration and the application of diverse skills and perspectives.
Sept 19 – 5:30 – 8 p.m. Hybrid
Engineering Building
960 Tower Rd
TR303
Are you ready to tackle real-world challenges and build skills that employers are looking for?
🔧 Hackathon 1 – Skilled Trades & Engineering Innovation
A hands-on experience tailored for students in engineering and trade-related fields. You’ll design practical solutions that enhance tools, workflows, or accessibility in skilled trades.
*Note: space for 10 international student avaliable for this hackathon
About Qalam Heath
The lack of intraoperative bone cancer margin assessment is an unmet need to reduce cancer recurrence. Qalam Health proposes an innovative handheld medical device that uses spectroscopy to provide real-time feedback for intraoperative margin assessment of residual bone cancer cells. The real-time marginal cancer detection will help reduce surgery time, risk of recurrence and disability due to over-cutting of clean bone. The technology will guide surgeons to precisely detect and remove what is needed for cancer-free margins.
Sept 26 – 5:30 -8 p.m. Hybrid
Present your final pitch to the company.
Oct 6 – 4-7 p.m. Virtual
In this Challenge, student teams will work with a community-focused organization to explore ways to improve wellbeing, connection and support within local communities.
Within 4-5 weeks, students will engage in weekly milestones focused on research, ideation, and solution development, while learning from the experiences and challenges of a community focus organization in areas that could include access to services, social inclusion, or community engagement—and build a solution that is practical, creative, and informed by research.
By the end of the placement, students will present a refined concept or prototype aimed at addressing a key community need
Nov 3 – 4-7 p.m. Virtual
Present your final pitch to the company.
Sept 19 – 4-7 p.m. Virtual
Are you ready to tackle real-world challenges and build skills that employers are looking for?
🤖 Hackathon 2 – Tech & AI for Business
Explore how AI can revolutionize business operations and product development. This hackathon is ideal for students interested in tech, data, and entrepreneurship.
Nov 1 – 4-7 p.m. Virtual
Present your final pitch to the company.
Oct 24 – 4-7 p.m. Hybrid
In this Challenge, student teams will work with a community-focused organization to explore ways to improve wellbeing, connection and support within local communities.
Within 4-5 weeks, students will engage in weekly milestones focused on research, ideation, and solution development, while learning from the experiences and challenges of a community focus organization in areas that could include access to services, social inclusion, or community engagement—and build a solution that is practical, creative, and informed by research.
By the end of the placement, students will present a refined concept or prototype aimed at addressing a key community need
Nov 17 – 4-7 p.m. Hybrid
Present your final pitch to the company.
Nov 19 – 4-7 p.m. In-person
Are you ready to tackle real-world challenges and build skills that employers are looking for?
🌱 Hackathon 3 – Sustainable Retail
Tackle environmental and social challenges in the retail industry. Teams will reimagine product development, supply chains, and customer experience with sustainability in mind.
in partnership with Responsible Leadership Day. Introduction to the company and it’s challenge.
*More details to come.
Nov 21 – 4-7 p.m. In-Person
Present your final pitch to the company.
In the project-based WIL model, businesses submit specific projects they need assistance with, and they are matched with students from various disciplines and backgrounds. These projects are part-time, allowing students to apply their academic knowledge in practical settings over a maximum of 80 hours.
Students get a unique opportunity to work with multiple businesses throughout a term. Students are assigned to different businesses based on project and task needs. This model allows students to gain diverse experiences and insights by working on various projects, enhancing their adaptability and broadening their professional network. The duration for these experiences is also capped at 80 hours, providing substantial exposure while balancing academic commitments.
Interdisciplinary work integrated learning (WIL) involves forming teams of students from multiple disciplines to work on a project for a business or group of businesses. This approach enables students to collaborate with peers from different areas of study, understanding how their unique skill sets can be applied in real-world scenarios. By working together over a maximum of 80 hours, students gain valuable interdisciplinary experience, enhancing their ability to tackle complex problems and prepare for diverse career paths.
Please submit an interest form to be informed about our upcoming opportunities!
Experience Ventures, powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary, enables post-secondary students to make an impact alongside real world innovators through entrepreneurial thinking placements. Experience Ventures is funded by the Government of Canada and is delivered in partnership with post-secondary institutions nationwide.
Saint Mary’s University’s Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre is the Regional Lead Atlantic Canada partner in Experience Ventures.
