Ryerson University Entrepreneurship Program

StartMeUp Ryerson assists students in new venture start-up. It is designed to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the education, resources and funding to start and expand their businesses through four stages (Events, Idea Consultation, Resources, Funding).[3] The committee is also responsible for hosting several large events including an evening with guest speaker Kevin O'Leary,[4] and networking events where Toronto-based entrepreneurs come in to meet and talk to students.

StartMeUp Ryerson also hosts the annual $25,000 Slaight Communications Business Plan Competition where entrepreneurial students enter their business plan into a competition for the chance to win $25,000. The most recent winner Hailey Coleman, CEO of Damn Heels, went on to be a successful contestant on CBC's Dragons' Den. Other past winners to gain significant traction and start up success include: Jay Manara from Rock Parlor Clothing Co. Rock Parlor Clothing Co., and Monica Mei Chiu from Aime Luxury.

The Ryerson Angel Network (RAN) is the first university-led Angel Investor group in Canada. Their mandate is to provide funding, mentorship and resources to youth-led businesses (current post-secondary students and recent alumni under 35 years of age) within Southern Ontario.[5] RAN actively supports businesses that have a high likelihood of success by assisting them with investor readiness services. RAN also provides after deal-resources and relationship capital management opportunities. The aim is to bring together qualified investors with youth-led businesses for investments that range from smaller deal sizes (less than $50,000) to much larger deals (over $500,000).

The Entrepreneurship Research Institute (ERI) is devoted to investigating the role that entrepreneurs play in modern economies. In particular, the focus is on addressing the fundamental research questions of the entrepreneurship field: where entrepreneurial opportunities come from, why some firms and individuals choose to exploit them, and how these efforts can be made more successful.[6]

ERI focuses on research of high academic and intellectual value, with clear applicability to practitioners in the business community. The Institute houses the Ted Rogers Chair in Entrepreneurship, an endowed research chair focusing on entrepreneurship in Canada. ERI also conducts periodic seminars and symposia on topics of interest to scholars of entrepreneurship.[6]

Entrepreneurship courses are included in the programs for the Ryerson MBA, the MBA in the Management of Technology and Innovation, and the MMSc in the Management of Technology and Innovation.