The Canadian Business Model Competition

Every year, Dalhousie University in Halifax chooses thirty student teams to compete in the Canadian Business Model Competition. The focus most business competitions is to pitch your business and the judges attempt to determine its profitability and likelihood of success – a method that is becoming recognized as ineffective. The Canadian business model competition is different. The competition focuses less on the venture’s outcomes and more on the process the entrepreneur is taking to ensure these outcomes are a success.

This year we were lucky enough to become the first team from Brock to compete at the competition. In early March I was surprised with an email saying we had made it to the finals in Halifax and in just one week, Sultana and were boarding a plane and heading east.

The first day at Dalhousie was spent becoming familiar with the competition outline and meeting the rest of the student entrepreneurs from all across Canada. After that it was back to the hotel to polish our presentation for the day to come.

After just a few short hours of sleep, the big day had arrived. We ate a quick breakfast and called a cab to get us from the hotel to the school. As soon as we arrived, we found a corner to go over our presentation one last time before heading in to a class room where five judges sat awaiting us. Fifteen minutes later we stepped out relieved to be done and happy with ourselves for what we thought was a great presentation.

In the end, we didn’t place in the top five but we received some good feedback and made great connections with mentors and some awesome student entrepreneurs from all over the country. The competition as a whole was successful for us and we were happy to be considered among such impressive entrepreneurs.

Ian Farr – Incounter

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