For years, Laurier has been a leader in entrepreneurship and social innovation education. As an Ashoka Changemaker Campus, Laurier is part of a global network of universities that support one another in making the world a better place.

There are plenty of ways to experience entrepreneurship at Laurier through the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation. We’re here to inspire you to find your passion and help it fuel you to pursue your purpose. Three simple steps can help you realize your entrepreneurial dreams: learn, try, do.

Entrepreneurship Curriculum at Laurier

Learn

Learn about entrepreneurship in the classroom no matter what program you’re in. Learn about the methodologies and practices of entrepreneurship as you develop the logic and ways of thinking used by successful entrepreneurs, learn how to be creative and innovative, and learn how to take your ideas and turn them into profitable new ventures or self-sustaining social enterprises.

• An Entrepreneurship concentration helps you to think like an entrepreneur. Learn how to develop and launch a concrete idea for a new venture. Or prepare yourself to work at a startup or on a corporate innovation team.
• Co-curricular activities will immerse you in entrepreneurship. The Pepsi Pitch and BDO New Venture competitions in the first year BBA curriculum are two examples.

Try

Try out your new skills outside the classroom through clubs and other co-curricular opportunities – join a hackathon, attend workshops or enter a competition.

• The Science Maker Lab and Library Maker Space provide equipment and mentorship. Design, create and test prototypes to turn your inspirations into innovations.
• The Purpose Lab is the epicentre of student-driven social innovation at our Waterloo campus. Students from all faculties come to collaborate with their peers.
• Have an idea? Curious about entrepreneurship? The Sandbox is a supportive learning environment where you can develop and refine your ideas.
• Create a startup from scratch in Startup Bootcamp, a three-day, full-immersion weekend, complete with a pitch competition and seed funding opportunities.
• Join Startup Laurier and network with other like-minded students who are pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams.

Do

Do it for real and build a social enterprise with Laurier’s Enactus team or build your own venture with the mentorship and resources of our LaunchPad incubator program.

• Enactus Laurier is a team of student leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world.
• Launch your ideas into real enterprises in our two startup incubators located in the Communitech DataHub in Waterloo and the Community Innovation Hub on the Brantford campus. Join us and make your ideas happen. 

Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation in the Community

Laurier is a founding academic partner of Communitech, the Region of Waterloo’s industry innovation centre. It is also a leading institution within the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation RECODE project and collaborates with other institutions around the world in the Ashoka network.

The Community ChangeMaker workshop series is open to Brantford community members seeking to make positive social impact through new business ideas.