News

As we begin a cold and snowy winter semester, inside the JD MacLachlan building another wonderful and bright group of entrepreneurs enter both our Hub Start and Hub Build Incubator Programs.

You can hear the 80’s glam rock coming out of room 149 as soon as you open the doors to Macdonald Hall. What sounded like a Bon Jovi concert was actually a super successful entrepreneur getting fired up to deliver his keynote talk at the University of Guelph.

Ryan Smoklin, CEO and founder of Smoke’s Poutinerie, was once like the students sitting in front of him. He was born and raised in Pickering, Ontario and went to school at Wilfrid Laurier University. He now spends his days travelling North America, inspiring entrepreneurship!

As students return to University, another promising group of entrepreneurs join the Hub Incubator Program offered through the John F. Wood Centre.

From making fashionable golf towels to advancing 3D printing in modern veterinary medicine, these students/alumni are passionate about improving the lives of others. 

With that goal in mind, the Hub Incubator Program provides students and/or alumni with funding, mentorship and advisory services to help them bring their ideas to life. 

How Two OVC Veterinarian Students Turned into Entrepreneurs!

In March 2018, a veterinary surgical oncologist from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph used 3D-printing technology to replace the majority of a dog's cancer-ridden skull. It was a novel procedure that marked a major advancement in veterinary medicine.  

It’s 22 degrees outside. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the University of Guelph campus is quiet – with one exception. As soon as you open the doors to JD McLachlan the buzz from room 204 fills the halls of the entire building.  It’s a typical Wednesday for this enthusiastic group of University of Guelph students and alumni who squeeze into the small but lively room.

A couple of latin dancing engineers.

A veterinarian who has a focus in grief counselling.

A music enthusiast and wood working expert.

A group of liqueur drinking Aggies.

For weeks before Valentine’s Day, storefronts everywhere display giant teddy bears, chocolates and roses – but what if we want to give our special someone a more unique and personal gift? Something homemade and designed specifically for this person. Do it yourself projects can be fun, so why not focus this Valentine’s Day on being more creative?

The Canadian BBQ Boys journey through entrepreneurship and into the Dragon’s Den.

The moment Matthew McCoy and Mike Sutton heard the words $50,000, they instantly experienced relief and excitement. Feelings that reminded them of three years ago when they first began their journey to becoming entrepreneurs!

Cohort 11 of our Hub Incubator program has been working hard this semester to further develop their business ideas, build prototypes, gain customer discovery, and more! We are very proud of all of their accomplishments and are excited to celebrate each of the businesses at our Hub Startup Showcase on December 5th, 2018. To learn more about the event and to register, please visit our registration page!

Keep scrolling to learn the idea behind and meet the founder(s) of each of our Cohort 11 Startups!

It was a typical day for second year university students, Ryan Frampton and Drew Mortensen.

The temperature outside was dropping, the leaves were changing colour, and Ryan and Drew were spending their first Saturday of the fall semester lounging at home, full off KD, brainstorming how they could get text books without breaking their bank.

During their quest of exploring options, they realized a problem.

Philip Hipkiss. The man, the myth, the legend. To some people, Phil is the Director of Finance. To others, he is the owner of the local brewey - and to some, he is a landlord.

No matter what role Phil is embracing, there is one thing that is for certain: Phil is a side hustler extraordinaire.

As the Director of Finance at Sivantos Group, the co-founder of Block Three Brewing Company and the owner of multiple rental properties, Phil’s journey to where he is today wasn’t easy.