Above: Trishala Pillai, Elle Crevits, Benny Hua, Rachel Thompson, and Richard Yim
Five social innovators from St. Paul’s GreenHouse had the opportunity to speak at the premier global social entrepreneurship conference last week – the Ashoka U Exchange, hosted by Tulane University in New Orleans this year.
St. Paul’s student Kaitlin Murray (fourth-year International Development) is the recipient of a Mitacs Globalink Research grant, worth $5,000, which will allow her to work with a non-governmental organization called NIRMAN in India this term. Mitacs is an internationally known Canadian not-for-profit organization that supports research, training, and social innovation.
The University of Waterloo’s course in Aboriginal studies (“Issues in Contemporary Native Communities”) saw a whopping 400 percent increase in student enrolment this term – something that may reflect a broader societal interest in Aboriginal culture and communities, says Graham Brown, Principal of St. Paul’s University College, where the course is taught.
Above: Richard Yim, Rhea Daniels, and Trishala Pillai
St. Paul’s GreenHouse received $47,000 from the Libro Prosperity Fund today to launch a fellowship program that will provide up to 10 young entrepreneurs with residence in the GreenHouse program in the spring term.
St. Paul’s GreenHouse alumna Renishaki Kamal (BA ‘14) won $25,000 for her venture, Fidget, winning second prize at the Communitech Women Entrepreneurs Bootcamp pitch competition this month, while alumna Rachel Thompson (BSc ’15) received $2,500 for her venture, Marlena Books, from SoJo’s recent #SOCENT Idea Bootcamp.
Three members of the St. Paul’s GreenHouse social innovation community showcased their startup ideas at the Spring Social Innovation Showcase on Thursday, July 30, and received a total of $5,000 in grants for their early-stage, high-potential ideas.
The following startups received funding:
St. Paul's alumnus Ian Pinnell, who graduated from International Development just this term, has won a fellowship worth $20,000 at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto.