SFU’s largest showcase of student entrepreneurship projects.
SFU’s largest showcase of student entrepreneurship projects, Opportunity Fest, is back! Hosted by the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, Opportunity Fest is an annual celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship that gives students a platform to share their venture ideas.
At Opportunity Fest, entrepreneurial-minded students team up to present their products and ventures through live pitches. These teams receive valuable feedback from a panel of esteemed mentors that will select standout teams to win cash prizes in support of their entrepreneurial journeys.
This year, we are excited to feature entrepreneurial projects and solutions from our from our early-stage startup incubator and Entrepreneurship Co-op students!
Join us and witness the creativity, innovation, and drive that fuel SFU's entrepreneurial community.
Key Dates
Date: Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: SFU Surrey Mezzanine | SRYC 2400
Structure
Opportunity Fest is a booth-based pitching event where participating teams pitch approximately 6 to 8 times in a carousel fashion. For each rotation, each team pitches to rotating groups/pairs of industry expert mentors, followed by a Q+A, and then mentors award scores and provide feedback at the end. These rotations repeat until participants have pitched to all the Guest Mentors in their category, as well as any passersby and the general SFU student audience.
Categories
Each year, SFU participant teams are sorted into different categories based on their ideas and ventures.
Please check back for this year's list of categories and descriptions, which will be updated closer to the event date!
Prizes
After the evening showcase, awards will be handed out at a Ceremony in the Prospera Credit Union Theatre. Guest Mentor scores impact the Category Prize Winners.
Category Prizes: These prizes are awarded to the top student teams in each category. The winning teams are based on the scores / votes provided by Guest Mentors.
High Impact Innovator Award: The High Impact Innovator Award is awarded to the student team that best gives a compelling pitch for the high impact potential of the startup (to people and/or planet) and venture idea feasibility. Competitors submitted their entry for this award via video earlier in the semester. The prize winner will be internally selected prior to OppFest showcase, but announced at the evening’s Award Presentation.
SFU Entrepreneur’s Choice: This prize is awarded to the favourite student venture team overall, including eCo-op student participants. This is decided by the SFU peers and attendees. Guest mentors are welcome to place a vote.
Guest Mentors
Our guest mentors are a diverse mix of entrepreneurs, industry experts, and academics. They are paired up and assigned to a student category and listen to pitches, score, ask questions, and provide feedback.
Our list of attending guest mentors will be updated closer to the event date!
Volunteer
Volunteer applications are now OPEN!
Whether you're passionate about entrepreneurship or just looking to get involved on campus, this is your opportunity for growth and impact. We would love your help! Please view our Volunteer Role Description and
apply here!
The deadline for volunteer applications is Thursday, October 31.
FAQs
As an Opportunity Fest participant, can I find out what guest mentors will be attending ahead of time?
We will be updating our list of attending guest mentors closer to the event date, as we are still in the recruitment phase. We can notify participants in our emails when the list is updated and point in the direction of our website, but please note that the category designation of guest mentors will not be included.
Can anyone attend Opportunity Fest? I am not enrolled in any of the participating courses but would love to see the student projects.
Absolutely! Everyone is encouraged and welcome to witness the entrepreneurial minds of our participating SFU students and community. We are more than happy to have you attend!
I am participating in Opportunity Fest. The demo I have in mind will require more floor space - is this possible?
Each participating team will have their own table. Since there are many participating teams across numerous classes, we unfortunately cannot accomodate a larger floor space for participants due to logistics. If possible, we recommend capturing a demo on video to show Guest Mentors on the showcase day!
My team may need a projector on Opportunity Fest Day. Where can I request the AV requirements that my team needs?
For any AV requirements, please write it in team registration form, and we will get back to you by email. Please note that our ability to provide AV requirements is restricted, and we may not be able to accomodate everyone.