CARLENE DEUTSCHER
Special to the Sheaf

“People would be amazed with the innovations that have come out of our university,” said Sanj Singh, director of the W. Brett Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence. “From the software creation of computer science (alumnus) Darwin Peachey that allowed Pixar Animations to produce such films as Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo… to agriculture and bio-resources alumnus, Dr. Brian Harvey, whose development of malted barley that has revolutionized the brewing process of beer.”

Established in 2007, the Wilson Centre was made possible through University of Saskatchewan graduate W. Brett Wilson, who is also an investor on the CBC reality show Dragons’ Den. The show allows entrepreneurs to present their ideas to several “dragons” who may choose to invest with them.

Wilson credits his success to the U of S. He says it was his time on campus that allowed him to develop great ideas and life-long friendships, a few of which turned into business partnerships. It was such friendships, like one with N. Murray Edwards, donor of the Edwards School of Business, that lead to the development of one of Canada’s leading investment banks, First Energy Capital. 

Many students at the U of S may have not heard of the Wilson Centre but they may have heard about the U of S students who managed to snag over $145,000 worth of cash and services through the i3 Idea Challenge last year.

Last year’s winner was 3Twenty Solutions, which took shipping containers and transformed them into lush, green, affordable housing. The team itself was composed of two Edwards School of Business students and an engineering student.

“The competition really helped to leverage our idea into a well-rounded and dynamic business,” said Bryan McCrea, owner of 3Twenty. “What amazed us is how supportive the Saskatoon community is of supporting youth entrepreneurs. Here we are today with a wealth of mentors that will really help to push 3Twenty to the next level.”

Not only has the i3 Idea Challenge linked together these students and inspired their innovative idea, McCrea says it acted like a springboard.

“After the i3 Idea Challenge, we were able to gather large amounts of media attention around our idea, enter and win more business plan competitions, gain more services and mentorship. Altogether, since the i3 Idea Challenge, we figure we’ve banked over $100,000 in cash and services.”

The i3 Idea Challenge was launched last year to fuel the ideas of U of S students, whether they were undergraduates, graduates or in their doctoral studies. It encourages cross collaboration of colleges to generate innovative ideas and businesses to solve today’s biggest problems. The Wilson Centre saw over 133 submissions last year, with entries from such varied colleges as eterinary medicine, engineering, computer science, arts and science, agriculture to business; they hope to increase that number next year, with a larger focus on science, high-tech and health science ideas.

“The ease of entering and participating in i3 really allows students to harvest ideas, whether their own or inspired by others, and access to mentors to develop it throughout the year,” said Singh.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about businesses. The Wilson Centre explains that entrepreneurship can simply be defined as “innovative thinking coupled with disciplined action.”

Wilson says students with innovative ideas should “study three things while in university: entrepreneurship, marketing and philanthropy” if they want to succeed. 

To learn more about the W. Brett Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence, see innovate.usask.ca, or search on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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photo: W. Brett Wilson Centre