Entrepreneurship week events at Mt.A encourages to develop their business skills
Mt.A is having its annual entrepreneurship week this November 14-22 to host workshops and events that aim to support students who are interested in businesses or want to learn more about entrepreneurship. There will be a span of events with many opportunities, including The Pitch– Mt.A’s Shark Tank! If a student missed out on this week, a similar business internship opportunity will happen in January.
As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Mt.A’s Experiential Learning team puts on its events for students. In an interview with The Argosy, Director of Experiential Learning and Career Development Rebecca Leaman says, “entrepreneurship is for everyone.” All students, not just business students, are invited to participate. Many students have participated in the past years that these events have been held, regardless of what they study and offering a range of unique ideas.
Over the weekend of Nov.14-16, there was a three-day workshop with the Collide program, which was in conjunction with Dalhousie University’s entrepreneurial hub, Dal Innovates. The Collide program “brings in a variety of different guests and experts on an entrepreneurial journey,” says Leaman. “It will start with everything from defining your problem, design thinking, business model canvas, how to find your audience and then we do a session on Sunday on pitching.”
There was more on pitching the next day, Nov. 17, which held the “Pitch like a Pro” workshop by entrepreneur and technologist Lopsii Olagoke. The workshop was a great opportunity for students to practice their pitching and presenting, understand audiences, answer questions, and improve their vocal clarity and structure.
On Nov. 18, there was an information session about summer grant projects. “Folks who want to start a business, we have a little bit of startup funding,” says Leaman. She continued saying, “we offer coaching and mentorship over the summer, so students need to start thinking about that now. The application process happens in the New Year.” If any students did not know about the events going on for the week, or if any participating students want to further their partnership in entrepreneurship with the school, there will be an opportunity open in 2026.
The following day, on Nov. 19, was the Side Hustle Starter Kit, taught by the South East Regional Service Commission from Moncton. The Side Hustle Starter Kit was focused on starting a side hustle or the development of a business. Also on Nov. 19, there were free professional headshots on campus for students. Finally, a drop-in hour at the Experiential Learning and Career Development office at Mt.A, where students could get extra coaching on their pitches. If a student missed the drop-in on Wednesday, there will be another drop-in hour on Friday, Nov. 21!
At Sackville’s Bagtown Brewery Company there will be a Local Entrepreneurship Panel from 5-7 p.m on Nov. 20. Students are encouraged to RSVP and get a free drink ticket for the event. The panel will feature entrepreneurs from Mt.A and the Sackville community. Panelists include Anthony Maddalena, owner of Bagtown Brewery; Paris Malenfant, Mt.A’s Entrepreneur-In-Residence and co-owner and director of operations for WigsCan Inc; Salome Theriot, founder of Ampersand Social Media Co. in Moncton; and Chris Watty, a Mt.A alum, who runs Loopy Wool Supply, a yarn shop in Salisbury, N.B.
The Pitch, Mt.A’s version of TV show Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank, will take place on Nov. 22. Leaman says it is a “business pitch competition” that also “welcomes students who have a social innovation or social enterprise idea.” The competition has been happening for a few years on campus, led by the Experiential Learning and Career Development Office and the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies. Around 18 students will pitch to a panel of judges. The judges will then decide where the funding, which is currently reportedly $7000 but is subject to change, goes to amongst the students pitching. The amount of funding going into student businesses can be up to $10,000.
The students who pitch are “pretty evenly representative of the university community”, says Leaman, and there are many different students that have received funding and coaching. Students can look into a problem that they see in the world, and then think about how they would solve that problem through their own entrepreneurship. The idea does not have to be a business at the time of application, just an idea to pitch and potentially earn money for. Applications close in October, but the event happens every year. Entrepreneur Week offers plenty of events for students to tap into their business skills, and there are many upcoming opportunities if you did not make it this week.