The UCeed Haskayne Student Fund — one of the first university-based private equity funds managed by students, for students, in Western Canada — marks another important first as UCalgary moves forward in its Growth Through Focus strategy, serving as a critical bridge between students and Calgary’s local startup/venture capitalist communities.
“This new fund represents an exciting expansion of the UCeed suite of opportunities and enables a new dimension of engagement with the thriving UCalgary innovation ecosystem,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). Embedded within UCalgary’s Haskayne School of Business curriculum, the fund will develop Canada’s entrepreneurial and private equity leaders of tomorrow to create sustainable economic opportunities for our city, province, and country. The first cohort of 15 students has been recruited, emphasizing interest, work ethic, diversity of experiences, and background.
UCeed successfully launched two funds focused on health — general and child health in June 2020. Helping to drive innovation, commercialize new technologies, and accelerate UCalgary startup companies, UCeed Health has generated a high level of interest among companies, with applications to both the Opportunity and Growth Funds. Application reviews continue quarterly. The program is on-track to fund four to eight companies within the child and general health areas by the end of 2020.
The new student fund integrates with UCalgary’s world-class Haskayne School of Business curriculum, bringing together theory and practice through a personalized educational experience. Graduate students and third-, fourth- and fifth-year undergraduate students across all faculties can apply to the program.
Valeria Marino, a fourth-year honours program student at the Haskayne Business School, majoring in finance, found the opportunity to work alongside leading venture capitalists and investors an exciting one.
“I am highly interested in sustainability and finance, and by being part of this program I will not only get to work with experts in both fields, but I will also be able to establish a connection between investments and sustainable growth for my research in the honours program, explains Marino, pictured above.
