Are you a student or company looking to become future-ready, make an impact, and build innovation networks?

We have an opportunity for you!

SFU VentureLabs 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 college and university students to make an impact alongside real-world innovators through entrepreneurial thinking placements.

Experience Ventures is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative.

About Experience Ventures

Experience Ventures facilitates short-term paid entrepreneurial thinking placements at schools and new companies across Canada. This involves being creative by finding innovative solutions, taking initiative, exchanging knowledge across disciplines, being resourceful, and learning from experience.

This program provides an opportunity for students to become change-makers in an entrepreneurial placement and for companies to identify early talent from top-ranked colleges and universities.

How does Experience Ventures work?

Students apply for an entrepreneurial thinking placement facilitated by their school's incubator/accelerator (i.e. SFU VentureLabs).
New companies provide in-kind support, such as time or expertise, and benefit from having students work on projects at no cost, while students are paid through Experience Ventures.
Both students and companies go through an onboarding process and participate in one of two types of entrepreneurial thinking placements and evaluate their experiences.

What type of placements are offered?

Experience Ventures offers five types of entrepreneurial thinking placements, of which SFU VentureLabs is offering two:

Projects: Companies present students with a specific project, and the school matches it to talent from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds
Student-in-Residence: Students selected by SFU VentureLabs receive unique opportunities to work with several companies over the course of a term.

Each placement allows students to work 80 hours within the time periods October-December 2021 and January-February 2022, depending on when they are matched to the company.

When does the program run?

The Experience Ventures pilot program will run until winter 2022 with 10 post-secondary school partnerships at program launch. After a student has applied, SFU VentureLabs will reach out if there is a skillset match with a company.

For STudents

What are the benefits to students?

As a student, Experience Ventures placements will enable you to:

Apply in-class learning to the challenges and opportunities facing ventures.
Explore Canada’s evolving innovation economy.
Network and meet industry leaders and employers.
Discover the latest technologies being incubated in Canada.
Enhance your resume with a unique experience.
Develop your work-ready skills.
Receive compensation for your placement.

Eligibility Requirements

Any student from any discipline and faculty registered in a Canadian college and university who is:

A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.
Enrolled in any full- or part-time program of post-secondary study.

Apply Now

We're accepting applications on a rolling basis until Feb 2022.

For companies

Identify early talent

For Canada’s startups and social ventures, identifying the right talent – and the right mindset—is a priority. Your future depends on it. Experience Ventures works with you to create entrepreneurial thinking placements for students from top ranked colleges and universities.

Students are paid through Experience Ventures, while you are asked to provide in-kind support, such as your time or expertise.

Company projects must not exceed 80 hours of work for the student and they must be completed within the following two time periods: October-December 2021 and January-February 2022. We will accept applications on a rolling basis and reach out if there is a student that matches your request.

What are the benefits to your company?

Experience Ventures placements will enable you to:

Engage students with minimum impact on your time and resources.
Diversify the talent pool that seeks to work in social impact and/or tech innovation.
Recruit early talent to your local innovation economy.
Contribute to the success of your campus-linked accelerator.
Tap into the different insights and perspectives of students.
Evaluate prospective talent.
Give your up-and-coming team members the opportunity to develop their managerial skill set.