Entrepreneurship Co-op Brings New Opportunities To Students

The entire University of Guelph community has felt the impact of COVID-19. Faculty, staff and students have all had their own unique experience in coping with the global pandemic. As many co-op placements have been postponed, university administrators have had to find unique and innovative ways to help students gain hands-on, applied learning that U of G’s co-op program is known for.

In partnership with U of G’s Co-op and Career Services, the John F. Wood Centre has developed the E-Coop Hub Incubator program to provide students with entrepreneurial education and experience during the pandemic. An extension of the Wood Centre’s  successful Hub Incubator Program - which supports early-stage business ideas with high-potential, but unproven business models – the E-Coop Hub Program will enable ten co-op students to spend the next 4 months receiving mentorship, education, and financial support to help them bring their business idea to life.

The students come from different disciplines (Arts, Engineering and Physical Sciences, LANG School of Business and Economics) and their business ideas range from a company that refurbishes old furniture, to the product development of an innovative power tool, an online math tutoring company, a financial investment service for students, the development of an advanced video game, and several more.

With different educational backgrounds and interests, these ten students are already experiencing the power of entrepreneurship in unlocking their passion and expertise in their fields of study.

The goal of the Hub Program is to provide University of Guelph students (undergraduate and graduate) and alumni the opportunity to build a successful business enterprise in a supportive learning environment. The hub has been in existence since 2014 and has seen almost 100 businesses go from being an idea to an operating company.  

If you want to get involved in our Hub program, please feel free to check out our Hub Incubator information page on our website and stay tuned for our fall intake application!

Hub Incubator Co-op Program Participants

Perry’s

Matthew Terry, Environmental Engineering

Perry’s goal is to provide customers with hand-crafted, sustainably sourced goods. They offer a wide variety of household furnishings, ranging from tables and chairs, to outdoor planters. Our mission is to help divert materials from landfills and repurpose them in a creative way, ensuring all the pieces are unique works of art, while remaining eco-friendly. Materials will be gathered via donation centres, with a portion of all proceeds going towards helping to fight homelessness in our communities.

Sunlight Research

Liyan Huang, Food & Agricultural Business

Sunlight Research is an investment firm dedicated to research of investment opportunities in the agricultural sector. Through analysis of market data and climate prediction, the company advise clients what crop to invest base on the demand and past record. The company also conducts investigative research on public companies while also taking investment positions that reflect our research. The investigation can help clients avoid bad investment and use their funds efficiently.

LEVR Toronto

Mark Mooradian, Marketing Management

LEVR Toronto deals with the buying, selling, and repair of light electric vehicles specializing in electric skateboards within the GTA. I understand maintenance procedures on several well-known brands and charge a fee for my services. Other business activities include detailing.

Unit 37 Games

Luca Alfieri, Computer Science

Unit 37 Games is an indie game studio that aims to develop a single player combat focused game. The company's mission is to create a challenging and entertaining experience for the player through the use of unique mechanics and centered around one on one battles.

Innovative SolarTech

Zenghaoyu (Harry) Zhang, Computer Science

The goal of Innovative SolarTeach is to generate electricity by constructing aesthetic, efficient and low-cost photovoltaic systems for use in agriculture, commercial buildings and automobiles.

Highcroft Tool

Lindsay O’Brien, Marketing Management

A startup geared towards development of budget friendly tools. Our flagship product is a reciprocating saw attachment called the UniverSaw. It is a universal cutting device that can be powered by a cordless drill and will cut through various wood, plastic, metal, and other materials.

Branded O’Brien

Lindsay O’Brien, Marketing Management

Freelance graphic design, brand design, and digital marketing tools targeted toward small business owners who do not have the budget to hire a marketing employee, but want to make a lasting impression through their brand persona.

Math Hero

Michelle Kozdraz, Marketing Management

Math Hero is an online mathematics tutoring service. I have always had a passion for math and would like to share that passion with others.

Ayaan Khan, Computer Science

Webeasy Developers

Webeasy Developers is a website designing company that uses Wordpress, javascript, CSS and HTML programming languages to design a website for any company. We can also fix any companies website bugs and customize it according to their needs and wants. I am currently on my way of learning more programming languages to enhance web designing more.

Humay’d-ul Haq, Engineering Systems & Computing

Humay’d is focused on creating a hygenic solution for electronic devices and more.