In a tech-driven world filled with new products and business ventures, AV俱乐部 continues to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada 鈥� particularly since introducing 聽in 2019. The on-campus skills development and venture creation hub has fostered the skills and experiences of hundreds of students and researchers, catapulting them into the innovation economy to help solve some of today鈥檚 greatest challenges.
One of them is Dr. Hamed Hanafi (MASc鈥�10, PhD鈥�16). His experiences with Dal Innovates helped shape his newest venture, , aimed at improving sleep quality for his patients. Normally, he shares, there are inevitable delays in developing a new product for the MedTech industry, but with help from Dal, he skipped past the wait.
鈥淚t鈥檚 streamlined,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou have access to professors, industry experts and resources. You can weed out the bad ideas and bad applications and instead, focus on the big idea.鈥�
But what exactly does it take to leverage Dal鈥檚 strengths to help solve these challenges? And how can Dal 鈥� as a civic institution 鈥� best serve its people and communities here at home in this regard? An upcoming Open Dialogue Live (ODL) panel event will address this.
In partnership with the Faculties of Management and Engineering, along with Dal Innovates, this year鈥檚 ODL series kicks off on Sept. 29 from 6:30 鈥� 7:30 p.m. AST with a streamed event, 鈥�Driving Innovation and Entrepreneurship鈥�. It will address the question: what role does Dal play in driving innovation and entrepreneurship here and around the world?聽
The event will be moderated by Jeff Larsen, AV俱乐部鈥檚 assistant vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship. 鈥淎tlantic Canada is small on the global scale,鈥� says Larsen. 鈥淭he key is knowing how we collaborate to maximize our ability to have scale and make impact.鈥�
Larsen says thanks to AV俱乐部, the Atlantic Canadian innovation ecosystem contains two key ingredients. 鈥淯niversities are a critical engine of talent and ideas,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he Dal Innovates program is open to any university student in Atlantic Canada. Soon, the program will be offered across Canada, helping to develop the innovation platform for the country. We are really starting to make an impact globally.鈥�
Panelists will include:
路听听听听听听 (MASc鈥�10, PhD鈥�16), Dal Innovates participant, adjunct assistant professor at Dal鈥檚 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and founder and CEO of NovaResp Technologies Inc.
路听听听听听听 Dr. Rafaela Andrade-Vieira (PhD鈥�15), Dal Innovates participant, AV俱乐部 postdoctoral fellow and co-founder of Myomar Molecular
- (BREC鈥�00), former Olympian, one of the top 50 Canadian women in STEM, co-founder of Shoelace Learning, board member of Nova Scotia Power and member of the Prime Ministers Economic Strategy Table - Digital Industries (2017-2020)
路听听听听听听 , managing director of Brigus Capital, chair and CEO of Numus Financial Inc, director of , former chair of the board of TSX-listed Pivot Technology Solutions Inc., and CDL Atlantic fellow聽
Meeting the need
As a civic institution, AV俱乐部 works with and for its communities, leveraging its experience, knowledge, and skills to benefit the people and places where it has a presence. Simultaneously, Dal brings its best to the world, understanding needs and offering solutions.
MedTech innovator, Dr. Rafaela Andrade-Vieira (PhD鈥�15), says participating in a suite of Dal Innovates programming helped with everything from identifying her product, to gaining the skills to run her business and seek financing.
Today, as CEO and co-founder of the start-up, , she is striving to improve quality of life, facilitate a faster recovery process, and empower healthy aging for individuals through the identification of early markers of muscle loss. 鈥淚 always knew I wanted to use basic science to create something meaningful to society, she says. 鈥淣ow, I鈥檓 translating my research into something practical for society.鈥�
Embracing our role
Beyond Dal鈥檚 borders, former Olympian and Halifax-based entrepreneur, Julia Rivard Dexter (BREC鈥�00), has founded and led several successful technology ventures. Currently, she serves as co-founder and CEO of Shoelace Learning, a platform with over five million users built to deliver literacy and comprehensive skills through hyper-engaging mobile games. 鈥淲e know that at least 50 per cent of high schoolers struggle with comprehension, and teachers are abandoning the profession at historic rates,鈥� she shares. 鈥淩eal change must happen in education if we are to build future generations equipped to tackle some of the world鈥檚 big problems.鈥�
Rivard Dexter does not consider herself to be a typical entrepreneur but says that having support and surrounding yourself with the best and brightest minds can make all the difference.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about,鈥� says moderator, Jeff Larsen. Many first ventures are unsuccessful but offer lessons that can be applied to successful second and third ventures. Dal Innovates, he shares, is a space where ideas can be explored fully. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e offered resilience, leadership and an environment that lets you make mistakes and learn from them.鈥�
Wade Dawe, a Halifax-based entrepreneur, financier and investor, and fellow of CDL Atlantic, will also bring an interesting perspective to the upcoming ODL. Over the course of his career (so far), he has completed business deals valued at more than $1 billion for both private and public companies. He shares that the world is changing very quickly, as is the rate of innovation.
Combining forces
Larsen says there鈥檚 a real shift in how we develop new and better apps, science and deep technology 鈥� for everything from pandemics and climate change to complex supply chains and mental health. 鈥淭he question,鈥� he says, 鈥渋s how to ensure that we as a civil society push past the challenges of the modern world, to innovate in the areas that are needed.鈥�
Join us for the in-person, in-depth and interactive discussion on Sept. 29 from 6:30 鈥� 7:30 p.m. AST at Dal鈥檚 Weldon Law Building (Room 305) at 6061 University Ave. or on on-line for streamed coverage. RSVP required at . There is no cost to attend and in-person and online audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions. 聽