News Release

2006-09-26 10:33:58

Top 40 Under 40 return to UW for largest student expo on entrepreneurship

WATERLOO, Ont. (Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2006) -- More than 20 successful Canadian entrepreneurs, seven of them alumni of the University of Waterloo who have appeared on the Globe and Mail's Top 40 Under 40 list, will participate in Canada's largest student-run entrepreneurship event.

Organizers expect over 2,000 student entrepreneurs, faculty members and industry leaders will attend the UW Expo, presented by the student group Impact, on Saturday, Sept. 30. The full-day program, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in UW's William G. Davis Computer Research Centre, is designed to spark new ideas, share user-proven success stories and establish personal contacts.

Impact is also hosting the expo to showcase UW's innovative students and technology. The University of Waterloo has been consistently recognized as Canada's most entrepreneurial campus, and this event is expected to attract the best and brightest from UW.

"Waterloo Region is well on its way to establishing itself as a centre for entrepreneurship, so there is no better place to hold this unprecedented event," said Kunal Gupta, founder and president of Impact. "Our goal is to empower tomorrow's leaders and what better way than by bringing together Waterloo's finest for a day of collaboration and education from some of our most successful alumni."

The program offers a full day of keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops. Seven of the Globe's Top 40 Under 40 will make an appearance. They are:

* George Roter and Parker Mitchell, founders and co-CEOs of Engineers Without Borders Canada, will deliver a talk on engineering social change -- 10 a.m.

* James Dean, founder of dPoint Technologies Inc., will outline the challenges of marketing a new technology -- 11:30 a.m.

* Jim Estill, founder of EMJ Data Systems Ltd. and CEO of SYNNEX Canada, will share the story of starting from scratch and selling for $50 million -- 10 a.m.

* Satish Rai, vice-president of TD Asset Management Inc., will discuss what it takes to lead in today's ever-changing economy -- 11:30 a.m.

* Lucas Skoczkowski, CEO of Redknee Inc., will participate in a panel on the differences between managers and entrepreneurs -- 11:30 a.m.

* Catherine Booth, vice-president of retail information technology at Canadian Tire Corp., will share some practical lessons on navigating a career path -- 4 p.m.

Panels, workshops and other addresses offered will cover topics such as the barriers to starting a small business, reasons for choosing to be an entrepreneur in Waterloo Region, ways of approaching investors for funding and securing government support for emerging companies.

"Our students have just done a wonderful job of pulling together a program that showcases so many of the university and region's strengths in entrepreneurship," said UW president David Johnston. "The winners of the Globe & Mail's Top 40 Under 40 lists and other participants represent a collective insight into entrepreneurship that would be difficult to find anywhere else in Canada."

UW Expo partner-level sponsors are Borden, Ladner, Gervais LLP; MasterCard; Infusion Development; IBM; TELUS; UW and the university's Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Impact's expo is open to all aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to register at link

About Impact

Impact is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and leadership in Canada. Impact exemplifies leadership in entrepreneurship by connecting people, knowledge and ideas, recognizing success and providing inspiration to leaders at every stage of their development. For more information, please visit www.impact.org.

Resources

Contacts:

Jackie Lee, vice-president, Impact public relations,
jackie.lee at impact.org or 647-404-3083

Michael Strickland, UW media relations, 519-888-4777

UW news release no. 110

2006-09-26 10:33:58