U of T’s annual celebration of all things entrepreneurship returns for its 7th year
From March 6-9, join University of Toronto’s entrepreneurial community at 15+ events showcasing, celebrating, and rewarding innovation and startup activity at U of T. All are welcome at this week of public events – students, mentors, alumni, business leaders, investors and anyone else who wants to be inspired and learn why U of T is THE place to innovate. With over 600 venture-backed companies launched in the past decade, U of T is ranked as one of the top universities for founders, top five university-managed incubators globally and #1 in Canada for research-based startups.
Find the schedule and registration links for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events here.
Join Professor Elham Marzi (ISTEP) in conversation with U of T Engineering alumnus and entrepreneur Ian Small (EngSci 8T6, MSc CompSci 8T9) as he shares insights and advice gained from over three decades of working in engineering startups and management.
Topics will include how to manage and lead change, how to make challenging organizational decisions, and how to help employees and company culture navigate transitions.
Speaker bio:
Ian Small has spent more than 30 years in Silicon Valley since graduating from the University of Toronto, working in tech companies ranging from three-person startups to 100,000-employee multinationals. He first worked as a software engineer, and spent time in software engineering management and software product management before transitioning into a range of business leadership roles.
Ian currently serves on the boards of Lumentum (NASDAQ:LITE, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of lasers and photonic devices) and Snapdocs (a venture-backed startup driving mortgage automation). Ian has worked with a number of Sequoia Capital portfolio companies, including working as CEO of Evernote (personal productivity software), CEO of TokBox (video platform-as-a-service), and a lengthy stint with MarkLogic (NoSQL database). Ian also served as Global Chief Data Officer at Telefónica, following its acquisition of TokBox, served on the advisory board to Loon (a Google X Labs spinout), and started his Silicon Valley career in the Human Interface Group at Apple Computer.
Ian’s experience in Silicon Valley includes fundraising, tech mergers and acquisitions (both as buyer and seller), and tech spinouts. Ian graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science (Computer Science option) and an M.Sc. in Computer Science, and is a holder of more than 10 patents.
Moderator:
Professor Elham Marzi is a Teaching Stream faculty member in the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice (ISTEP). She teaches in areas inclusive of Organizational Behaviour, HRM, Strategy,and Negotiations in the Business Minor Program.
This event will be a moderated fireside chat with audience Q&A.
Register to attend in person or virtually
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 | 6-7 PM EST
In-person: HS610, Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street
Virtual: Zoom link will be emailed to you after registration
Questions? Please email Professor Elham Marzi at elham.marzi@utoronto.ca.
Get ready for ESEC 2024!
Never been to a professional conference before? Feeling shy about talking to more senior professionals?
This workshop, hosted by Troost ILead will help first- and second-year EngSci students get the most out of their Engineering Science Education Conference (ESEC) experience.
You will learn strategies for networking in a professional setting (with speakers, faculty, and fellow classmates) and knowledge on how and what to prepare for the conference. These skills are more important now than ever in our current online-only circumstances.
Students will learn:
- Networking skills, approaches, & mindsets
- How to prepare for a networking situation
- The art of asking good professional questions
Register for the Prep Workshop here (utorID login required). This event is open to Year 1 and 2 EngSci students only.