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Laurentian Graduates Turning Ideas into Innovation

Laurentian Graduates Turning Ideas into Innovation

The Foundry spotlights alum for Global Entrepreneurship Week 2023

(November 23, 2023) - For Global Entrepreneurship Week 2023, which fell from November 13th to 17th, The Foundry spotlighted one Laurentian University graduate entrepreneur each day of the week.

The Foundry is an initiative run by Laurentian to enable innovators within the university to ideate, create, and develop ideas that can go on to become startup companies or social enterprises. Housed near the Jim Fielding Innovation & Commercialization Space, The Foundry provides opportunities for students, staff and faculty to engage with like minded fellows, explore new skills, and pursue opportunities that may have once been just an idea.

Entrepreneur Spotlights 2023:

Kielyn Marrone - Kielyn is a graduate of Laurentian’s Outdoor Adventure Leadership program (2009) and co-owner of Lure of the North, a wilderness expedition company launched in 2011, with her partner Dave. She teaches wilderness living skills courses and traditional hand crafting workshops. In 2019, Kielyn put her wilderness survival skills to the test while competing in the hit reality TV show “Alone”.

Kati McCartney - An LU alumna holding a Masters in Chemical Science and a Masters of Business Administration, Kati has combined her love of science, strategy, business, and the environment through FROSKR. As President of FROSKR, Kati has led the company to become an award-winning consulting firm in three short years. The company attracts top talent to support local and international clients in mining, steel, construction, and transportation to achieve their environmental goals.

Christina Visser - In 1999, Christina launched what is now known as Ionic Technology Group with her late husband Steve. Completing her MBA from Laurentian in 2002, Christina officially joined Ionic shortly after in 2005. The group of companies has grown to currently employ 140 engineering and automation professionals and proudly exports Canadian ingenuity across the globe. In addition, Christina volunteers as the Founding President of the Sudbury Chapter of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE).

David Anselmo - A Laurentian graduate (BA Hons. 1999), David has been in the entertainment industry for over 25 years and put Sudbury on the map in the Canadian film industry. He founded a production company called Hideaway Pictures in 2010. In 2012, David launched the Northern Ontario Film Studios, the first and only film studio in Northern Ontario providing a wide range of equipment and services to help grow the industry. The company was named Company of the Year for 2023 at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.

Karim Omri - Karim has a Bachelors of Engineering and a Masters of Applied Science from Laurentian University. With his education, Karim has become a Consulting Engineer and launched Komri Engineering in 2013, a company offering structural, mechanical and electrical engineering services as well as architectural design. In 2019, Karim was awarded a 40 Under Forty by Northern Ontario Business. 

“I always look forward to celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week, I have the privilege of meeting some great entrepreneurs in my work and I'm incredibly proud of the achievements of our alumni. Congratulations to Kielyn Marrone, Kati McCartney, Christina Visser, David Anselmo and Karim Omri on your success,” said Gisele Roberts, Director of Research and Innovation at Laurentian.

For more information about the Foundry, visit their website, Twitter, Instagram, or email foundry@laurentian.ca.

New office will support young entrepreneurs on Sudbury campuses

New office will support young entrepreneurs on Sudbury campuses

Laurentian University partners with Cambrian College, Collège Boréal, NORCAT Innovation Mill in new program

December 22, 2014 – A full-time Entrepreneurship Coordinator hired at Laurentian University will work to develop a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial culture for post-secondary students and recent graduates in the Greater Sudbury region. 

The position has been created through an On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities grant awarded to Laurentian University in collaboration with Cambrian College and Collège Boréal, and in partnership with NORCAT. The new Entrepreneurship Coordinator, Matthieu Dasys, will build and implement a program to foster a strong entrepreneurial culture across all four institutions, creating experiential learning opportunities for students and recent grads, and helping them to start new businesses. 

“There are so many smart and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs in our midst, with terrific ideas,” said Dasys, who graduated in 2014 with an Honours B. Comm from Laurentian University. “We can help them to refine their ideas, test their models and launch viable enterprises, with the support of this program.” 

Funded through Ontario’s Youth Job Strategy and managed by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), the OCEA program is designed to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit and cultivate opportunities for innovation in Ontario’s young people. 

“Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among students is a key component of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy, through programs that help transfer their ideas and skills to the marketplace while creating rewarding careers,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “By partnering with colleges and universities to support entrepreneurship, we are ensuring our province’s business leaders of tomorrow are getting the support they need to succeed today.” 

Among the initiatives and learning opportunities to be led by the On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities office are boot camps and seminars in business development and funding; guest speakers; internship and mentoring possibilities, and a repository of best practice models. The OCEA grant will fund the position from December, 2014 to November, 2016. 

“This program was created to support students who are seeking to grow and expand new businesses. The promotion of entrepreneurship endeavors has been recognized as a shared interest among all three post-secondary institutions. Collège Boréal proudly supports all exercises facilitating the partnership and collaboration of educational institutions,” said Pierre Riopel, Collège Boréal President.” 
 

 “This much-welcomed government funding paves the way for Sudbury’s three postsecondary institutions to work together to support the entrepreneurs in our community,” said Cambrian College President Bill Best. “Small businesses create building blocks for economic growth in our communities, so by providing support for our students and grads through this new OCEA grant, we are taking an important step in ensuring their success.” 

“The NORCAT Innovation Mill is excited to be a part of the On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities initiative here in Sudbury. We look forward to working with and supporting Laurentian, Cambrian and Boreal to foster entrepreneurism across their campuses,” said Kyle McCall, Coordinator, NORCAT Innovation Mill. 

“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver this project as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario,” added Tom Corr, DBA, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence. “I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs to good use in making this initiative a tremendous success.”