Celebrating Entrepreneurial Spirit and Innovation at 2025 Business Plan Competition and Local Solutions Showcase

(December 16, 2025) – A day of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit took place in the Jim Fielding Innovation and Commercialization Space as Laurentian University’s Faculty of Management in partnership with The Foundry hosted the annual 2025 Business Plan Competition. The event, which also included the High School Innovation Pitch Competition: Local Solutions Showcase, highlighted the forward-thinking ideas emerging from the university and the local high school students.

Future Entrepreneurs Shine Bright

The Business Plan Competition brought together teams from the English and French Venture Initiation courses, showcasing comprehensive and innovative business models. The prestigious Justin Arnold Memorial First Place Venture Project Award was secured by the team “FreePad.” This special award honours the memory of former student Justin Arnold and recognizes the pinnacle of excellence in planning a new business.

Outstanding achievements were also celebrated for the runner-up teams:

• Second Place (French Venture Creation): “Festival Afro-Monde”
• Second Place (English Venture Creation): “OxyVita”

Laurentian University extends its sincere gratitude to Mouvement Desjardins Ontario for their generous support and contribution to the event's second place prize pool and to the family of Justin Arnold for their unwavering support.

High School Students Tackle Local Challenges

Concurrently, the Enactus-Laurentian team hosted the High School Innovation Pitch Competition, “Local Solutions Showcase.” This initiative saw competitors develop and pitch innovative solutions to specific challenges facing the local Sudbury area.

The high school teams benefited from mentorship by Enactus-Laurentian members, who guided them through the process of identifying social issues, developing brilliant solutions, and crafting 90-second pitches.

The winners of the Local Solutions Showcase were:

• 1st Place - Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School for project “The Homeless Crisis”
• 2nd Place - Collège Notre-Dame for project “Anchor Watch”
• 3rd Place - Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School for project “A Roof is a Right”

Laurentian University applauds all participating schools, including Lasalle Secondary School and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, for demonstrating exceptional dedication and creativity.

Community Leaders Lend Their Expertise

The success of the day was bolstered by the expertise of a panel of judges, whose time and dedication were instrumental in providing invaluable feedback:

• Eric Akpa, Account Manager at Desjardins Ontario Credit Union
• Éric Lavergne-Giroux, Franchise Owner of Everline Coatings and Services
• Mélissa Deschênes, Business Incubator Program Coordinator at the Regional Business Center
• Marissa Arnold, Broker of Record at ReMax Crown Realty