Technology Entrepreneurship @SFU
If you’re curious about becoming an entrepreneur or already know you want to be one, Technology Entrepreneurship (TechE@SFU) is for you. TechE@SFU is an exciting entrepreneurial opportunity for you to collaborate with senior undergraduate students from other faculties on real-world problems, develop creative solutions, and build your own high-impact start-up. You gain access to expertise, funding, resources, expert training, and exclusive networks. Through participating in this program you can launch your own venture, following in the footsteps of alumni like Moment Energy, and bringing your entrepreneurial dreams to life.
This transformative and highly practical experience is open to all undergraduate students at SFU but is offered just once per year. So don’t miss out and enroll now for Fall 2024!
Chase your Entrepreneurial Dreams
As an interdisciplinary experience, TechE@SFU brings together students with diverse perspectives, knowledge, and skills. In Fall 2024, it is being run as one integrated cohort, bringing together students from different backgrounds.
Regardless of major, enroll in MSE 490. On goSFU you’ll see that this course is listed with the topic “ST-Technology Entrepreneurship”.
• If you’re pursuing the Charles Chang Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, this counts as one of the two elective courses you need to complete the certificate. If you aren’t currently registered for this certificate, you can self-declare it on your student record and then enroll in MSE 490.
If you have any questions about how MSE 490 contributes to your program requirements, please contact a SFU Beedie academic advisor.
Choose your Own Entrepreneurial Adventure
At the end of the Fall semester, your team will have the opportunity to advance into funded capstones and/or Entrepreneurship Co-op (eCo-op) in Spring and Summer 2025 to continue to build your venture.
It’s your call which path you take. You don’t have to commit to the whole program at the beginning but can wait to see how you feel. If after the Fall semester you decide you want to take a pause, that’s your call.
Program Structure
Phase 1: Elective Course Fall 2024
Enroll in MSE 490 as described above.
Phase 2a: Funded Capstone
Spring 2025 – Summer 2025
Student teams who want to take their ideas forward can pitch for a funded capstone experience with weekly mentoring, either through MSE 410 or BUS 477. Both courses fulfil the capstone requirements for the Charles Chang Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. BUS 477 is also a required course for Business Majors pursuing the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Concentration.
Phase 2b: Entrepreneurship Co-op
Spring 2025 or a later term
One or more team members can pitch to go into eCo-op, which comes with mentorship, community access, prototype funding and a $10,000 award so you can focus on your entrepreneurial dreams.
Additional Resources
Students in TechE@SFU gain access to a wealth of resources to help them commercialize their ideas.
Mentoring
Mentoring and access to networks is critical to new entrepreneurs and anyone trying to excel in their field, and this initiative provides expert leadership and guidance. Teams will have access to experienced business and technology mentors not available in traditional class settings. These mentors will provide deep and diverse support to project teams to help the student entrepreneurs to establish direction with their projects.
Funding
After phase 1, student teams who wish to continue will have the opportunity to pitch for feedback and additional funded capstone or eCoop, based on their business and technological progress and potential.
Register @ goSFU
Regardless of major, you should enroll in MSE 490. On goSFU, you’ll see that this course is listed with the topic “ST-Technology Entrepreneurship”.
The TechE@SFU program was the highlight of my academic career. This program has opened so many opportunties for me, and substantially aided my pursuit of entrepreneurship.
Ryan Threlfall, Mechatronics Student
TechE@SFU has inspired a lifestyle change and reshaped the way I think.
Joseph Fredrick, Economics Student
Teaching Team
Dr. Ramtin Rakhsha
Dr. Ramtin Rakhsha is an engaging educator and capable professional engineer with 16+ years of mechanical engineering, research, and design experience. He leverages the ability to tie engineering concepts and project management to real‐world applications, offering effective solutions to challenging problems. He is skilled in Haptics, Robotics, Distributed Control, and under-water biomimetic robotic systems. He completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering (UVic) and the Invention to Innovation (i2I) graduate certificate in science and technology commercialization (SFU).
Kate Dilworth
Kate Dilworth, BSN R.N. MBA, ICD.D is an Associate Professor of Practice, Director Health Programs, SFU Beedie School of Business. Kate brings 35 years of experience in healthcare practice, learning design and consulting. Kate has designed and taught in customized programs for clients from diverse sectors, government, Indigenous communities and professional service firms with a focus on specialized health programs to support large-scale change (alternative funding models for physicians, new governance structures for primary care, inter-professional co-leadership models and regionalization/mergers) and innovative approaches to governance and healthcare delivery in primary care, community, acute and tertiary settings. She is the Academic Director of the GPSC Leadership and Management Development Program supporting Divisions of Family Practice and primary care in BC. Kate teaches Innovation and Entrepreneurship with interdisciplinary cohorts of undergraduate students in the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, SFU.
Contact Us:
TechE@SFU is supported by a dedicated team of faculty mentors from The School of Mechatronics Systems Engineering and Beedie School of Business that bring together years of industrial and entrepreneurial experience in the technology arena.
Interested students are encouraged to send questions to Ramtin (MSE) (rrakhsha@sfu.ca), or Kate (non-MSE) (dilworth@sfu.ca).
Supported By:
