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What is the Ignition Program:
The Ignition Program offers post-secondary students a 10-week program that gives access to training, mentorship, resources, ecosystem connections; and honorariums to support personal and business development. Students will be awarded $10 for each session they engage with!
What’s in this session:
Students today are entering a world where careers and companies shift quickly and where clear answers are rare. This session gives students a straightforward way to use that uncertainty to their advantage. Scott Stirrett wrote The Uncertainty Advantage after spending more than a decade helping over 15,000 young people build careers and start businesses through Venture for Canada, where he also raised over 80 million dollars to expand entrepreneurial opportunities across the country. He brings that experience to students who want a clear plan for what comes next.
The workshop gives students a simple framework they can use right away. They learn how to make solid decisions without perfect information, how to separate real opportunities from noise, and how to recover quickly when things go wrong. Everything is practical and designed to help students build momentum whether they want to launch a venture or join one.
Students should attend if they want an advantage in a competitive environment. Employers and investors look for people who can adapt, take initiative, and stay steady when circumstances shift. This session gives students a clear playbook for becoming that type of performer and for starting their career or venture with more confidence and direction than their peers.
Speaker's Bio:
Scott is the founder of Venture for Canada (VFC), where he spent a decade building a national movement that equips early career professionals with the skills, networks, and mindset needed to thrive in an uncertain economy. Since launching VFC in 2013, he has supported over 10,000 young people in launching their careers and raised more than $80 million to expand entrepreneurial opportunities across Canada. This impact has been made possible through collaborations with Employment and Social Development Canada, RBC Foundation, TD Bank, Scotiabank, and leading Canadian foundations.
He is also the author of The Uncertainty Advantage, a practical guide for young professionals navigating today’s unpredictable global economy. The book is endorsed by leaders including Andrew Yang, Stephen Poloz, Amanda Lang, Eric Ries, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, and Michele Romanow. It draws on his experience scaling VFC and emphasizes the importance of adaptability, entrepreneurial thinking, and lifelong learning in the future of work.
Before founding VFC, Scott worked at Goldman Sachs in New York City. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and has been recognized as a TELUS LGBTQ Innovator of the Year, a Young Impact Leader by Future of Good, a Globe and Mail Changemaker, an Action Canada Fellow, and an Ashoka Fellow. He grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, a place that continues to shape how he thinks about community and opportunity.
Scott’s commentary has appeared in outlets such as The Washington Post, Forbes, The Globe and Mail, CBC News Network, and BNN Bloomberg. He serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights and sits on the Board of the Speech and Debate Canada Foundation.
Zoom link will be provided after registration to the Ignition Program
