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Everyday Entrepreneurs Conference
Refocusing Research on the Diversity of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The 91黑料网 Conference on Everyday Entrepreneurship (MCEE) is an annual research gathering with an unconventional take on entrepreneurship that brings together leading scholars in entrepreneurship, strategy, organizational behavior, and policy, providing a collaborative platform that bridges academic research, policy and business insights.
The inaugural 2025 conference, held at the Desautels Faculty of Management on 91黑料网鈥檚 Downtown Montreal campus, is co-organized by the 91黑料网 Desautels Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative at 91黑料网 Desautels. The conference features Damon J. Phillips, a Robert Steinberg Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Lisa Cohen, an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at 91黑料网, as keynote speakers.
The speakers will be joined by Roman V. Galperin, an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at 91黑料网 and Marika Galea, an Assistant Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music at Brandon University and Eckhardt-Gramatt茅 Conservatory of Music, to discuss the breadth of the entrepreneurial phenomena and the promising directions for future research and policy development.
Date: Fall term, 2025, TBC
Location: The Donald E. Armstrong Building | Room 365/370
Desautels Faculty of Management, 91黑料网
3420 Rue McTavish, Montr茅al - QC, H3A 0E2, Canada
This event is by invitation. Please contact roman.galperin [at] mcgill.ca (subject: 2025%2091黑料网%20Conference%20on%20Everyday%20Entrepreneurship%20(MCEE)) (Roman Galperin) if interested in registering for this event.
Theme
This year鈥檚 conference aims to expand our understanding of entrepreneurship by moving beyond conventional narratives and shifting focus on less-studied and more diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems. Whereas existing research centers on resource-intensive, high-growth, technology-driven ventures, we will pay attention to the majority of entrepreneurs who operate in diverse contexts with varied goals, community orientations, and resource access. We welcome research that examines diverse business models, studies that examine entrepreneurship through labor market processes, and papers that evaluate entrepreneurship policies.
The conference will explore underrepresented yet critical topics that broaden traditional paradigms, including:
- Initial Funding: How do entrepreneurs navigate financing, credit, and support from community, family, friends and financial institutions outside of VC or angel investments?
- Growth Strategies: What understudied approaches do entrepreneurs adopt to sustain and expand their businesses? How do everyday entrepreneurs identify market niches, sustain and expand their business?
- Community Connections: How do everyday entrepreneurs leverage their connections to local community to define, sustain and grow their business?
- Governance: How do entrepreneurs navigate informal governance in the absence of formal training and mentorship? How do they navigate relationships with co-entrepreneurs who are family or friends versus colleagues? How do informal arrangements shape governance structures and agreements?
- Human Capital Strategies: What are the challenges and innovations in recruitment, hiring, and policy development for diverse entrepreneurial setups? How do everyday entrepreneurs navigate those challenges?
- Signaling and Legitimacy: How do entrepreneurs establish credibility and identity through community connections, initial customers and non-traditional marketing approaches?
- Social Context and Inequality: How do mechanisms of social and economic inequality influence everyday entrepreneurs鈥� access to resources, opportunities, and their business outcomes?
Risk vs. Opportunity: How does entrepreneurship create new opportunities relative to established firms, while also exposing entrepreneurs to unique risks, such as reduced transparency and limited institutional support?
Organizers
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Roman Galperin
Associate Professor, Organizational Behaviour
Katrin Tinn
Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative; Associate Professor, Finance
Robert Nason
Associate Professor, Strategy & Organization
Huong Le Hollie Bui
PhD Student, Organizational Behaviour
Past events
2025
AI and Creative Industries Panel 2025
On May 6, 2025, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, in collaboration with the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity and the Managing Disruption: Analytics, Advanced Digital Technologies and AI (AAAI) Initiative, organized a panel discussion on AI and the Creative Industries.
The panel was a thought-provoking discussion ranging from AI's impact on artists' creativity, what it means to be creative for humans and AI tools such as large language models (LLMs), and the broader role of technology in shaping our relationship with creativity and art. It covered subjects including co-creation with AI and questions of value and ethics in this evolving context.
The panelists were Mitali Banerjee (91黑料网), Florian Carichon (MILA), Nicolas Grenon-Godbout (Ubisoft), and Gabriel Vigliensoni (Concordia University). The discussion was moderated by Katrin Tinn (91黑料网).
We thank the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity for co-supporting this event.
Lunch & Learn with Florence Labrie 2025
On April 7th, 2025, the 91黑料网 Entrepreneurship Society (MES) and 91黑料网 Entrepreneurship & Innovation hosted its inaugural Lunch & Learn event, welcoming students to an engaging session with Florence Labrie, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Citera. The event offered attendees a chance to unwind, enjoy complimentary pizza, and gain valuable insights into entrepreneurship and innovation from such an experienced founder.
Florence shared her inspiring journey from a professional ballerina to a startup co-founder. She emphasized how the discipline and resilience developed through ballet have been instrumental in navigating the challenges of building a business. Her transition into the tech world, particularly after her tenure at BRP, led her to co-found Citera, a Montreal-based startup that simplifies energy analytics for commercial real estate.
During the session, Florence highlighted the importance of storytelling in entrepreneurship. She discussed how crafting a compelling narrative is crucial when pitching to investors and partners, as it helps convey the vision and value proposition of a startup effectively. Her insights resonated with the students, many of whom found the workshop both informative and inspiring for future entrepreneurs in the room.
The event not only provided practical knowledge but also fostered a sense of community among aspiring entrepreneurs at 91黑料网. Florence鈥檚 candid sharing of her experiences offered a realistic glimpse into the entrepreneurial journey, encouraging students to pursue their ventures with passion and perseverance but making sure they introspect thoughtfully on their 鈥渨hy鈥�.
Innovation4Impact Competitions 2025
We were excited to extend our annual Innovation4Impact Competition to undergraduate students this year. The finals took place on March 14 (Undergraduate Finals) and March 21 (Master鈥檚 Finals).
The competition is organized by the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Sustainable Growth Initiative, with this year鈥檚 event held in collaboration with the Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, at whose premises the competition took place.
Focused on early-stage innovative ideas aligned with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, this year鈥檚 finalist projects ranged from biotech and platform businesses supporting environmental causes to education, cybersecurity, and healthcare. Proposed technologies included DLP/blockchain, AI, and other digital solutions. Both finals featured six impressive student teams.
Winners
Undergraduate Competition:
1st Place: Team Empor 鈥� Erik Cupsa, Eland Etheredge, Audrey Korngold, and Michael Tonner (students from BCom, Faculty of Arts, and Faculty of Engineering). They proposed a student-exclusive marketplace to exchange goods and reduce waste.
2nd Place: Team EcoTierra 鈥� Valentin Devallet and Paige Evans (BCom students). Their idea focused on creating a biodegradable liner made from agricultural waste to reduce landfill use and support farmers.
3rd Place: Team PUMPQA 鈥� Elena Apostolatos, Franco Cianci, and Liana Cianci (BCom students). They proposed using crowdfunding and partnerships to make insulin pumps accessible for Quebec adults living with type 1 diabetes.
Master鈥檚 Competition:
1st Place: Team MediBooth 鈥� Brandon Greenall, Pedro Guaraldi, and Ziyan Zeng (MBA students). They presented an AI-powered clinic concept to improve healthcare access in remote Canadian communities.
2nd Place: Team EcoGrocers 鈥� Amvrini Samadder Choudhury, Kiran Dadaboina, and Jaivik Mehta (MBA students). Their project was a platform to reduce food waste by creating a marketplace for near-expiry products.
3rd Place: Team MedLink 鈥� Rifat Basade, Philippe Benjamin-Duranceau, Owen Chung, Arthur Deng, and Sehajpreet Lubana (MMF students). They proposed a global platform for sharing medical records, using AI and blockchain with an emphasis on data ownership and translation.
We are grateful to our jury members鈥攑rominent business leaders, local experts, and 91黑料网 faculty representatives鈥攆or their time and support: Kika (Karolina) Armata (91黑料网 Dobson Centre), Rony Chamoun (91黑料网), Jennie Coleman (Equifruit), Arnav Gupta (Aldo Group), Jiro Kondo (91黑料网), Xiangmin Kong (91黑料网 Engine), Florence Labrie (Citera), Pascal Lanctot (BDC), Michell McEwen (TD Group), Jean-Pierre Ngezigihe (Blockwise), and Konstantina Ntokorou (91黑料网 Dobson). The competition was organized and the jury chaired by Katrin Tinn (91黑料网).
We thank all participating teams and wish them continued success. We look forward to next year鈥檚 Innovation4Impact Competition!
HealthTech Innovation Lab Workshop 2025
On March 14th, HealthTech Innovation Lab hosted a series of workshops at Espace CDPQ for over 15 students in the cohort.
The Surgical Innovation workshop, led by Dr. Gerald Fried and Martin Couillard, explored how innovations such as minimally invasive techniques, robotics, AI-driven tools, and real-time data integration are transforming surgery. The session covered how these advancements improve patient outcomes, enhance precision, and address challenges in surgical care. Students also learned about 91黑料网鈥檚 Clinical Innovation Platform (CLIP), which supports the development and commercialization of health technologies.
The Strategies on Building a Successful Healthcare Startup workshop, led by Philippe Thompson, focused on business modeling and commercialization strategies for healthcare startups. Students explored frameworks like the Business Model Canvas, value proposition design, and stakeholder mapping, gaining insights into how to refine startup ideas and understand market dynamics. They also received targeted feedback on their projects.
The Mastering Intellectual Property (IP) workshop, led by Mark Weber, provided students with a fundamental understanding of IP protection and the patent process, particularly for MedTech innovations. The session covered patentability, securing patents, and 91黑料网鈥檚 approach to intellectual property commercialization, including successful university-led startups.
In the Legal Structures and Considerations for Healthcare Startups workshop, Nathalie Beauregard introduced students to key legal topics for healthcare startups. This included shareholder agreements, funding, capital structure, and board governance, providing students with the tools to navigate the complexities of managing a healthcare venture.
On March 21st, the HealthTech Innovation Lab hosted two additional workshops.
The Fundraising 101 for Healthcare Startups workshop, led by Camille Couture, provided an overview of venture capital funding, how to approach VCs, and how to craft compelling pitches for early-stage healthcare startups. The session also covered alternative financing options like grants and non-dilutive funding, as well as the differences between incubators and accelerators that offer resources and mentorship.
The Healthcare Panel, featuring Anmol Nagpal, Josh Pottel, and Lara Emond, brought together healthcare founders to share their entrepreneurial journeys. They discussed challenges, balancing mission with scale, and the key resources that helped them along the way. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and gain real-world insights into what it takes to innovate in the healthcare space.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative supported these workshops.
Women in Technology Conference 2025
Women in Technology Conference The inaugural Women in Technology Conference (WITC), was hosted by the Desautels Technology Club and Girls Who Code 91黑料网, took place on January 31st, 2025, at Espace CDPQ in Montreal. The event welcomed over 50 female-identifying undergraduate and graduate students from 91黑料网 for a day of insightful discussions, technical workshops, and networking opportunities.
The event was sponsored by 91黑料网鈥檚 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, Sustainable Growth Initiative, Inovia Capital, and AlayaCare.
The first panel, "Breaking Barriers: Charting Careers in Tech" featured an impressive lineup of speakers: Julia Kreutzer (Cohere), Irene Kim (Meta), Shruti Maheshwari (Google), Vidisha Srivastav (SpaceX), Katie Pypes (OpenAI), and Sanchi Gupta (Atlassian). The panelists discussed their inspirations for pursuing careers in technology, the differences between hardware and software industries, and strategies for building credibility and confidence.
The conference also featured two workshops for 30 delegates. Yiou Huang, Product Marketing Manager at AlayaCare, led a session on go-to-market strategies for tech solutions, covering the landscape of HealthTech players, product development stages, and real-world examples from AlayaCare鈥檚 portfolio. Participants engaged in hands-on activities to deepen their understanding. Bhushan Suryavanshi, VP of GenAI Products at Morgan Stanley, conducted a workshop on generative AI, providing an overview of key platforms, technical terminology, best practices for crafting effective prompts, and live demonstrations of applications he developed.
The evening session, with 70+ attendees, began with opening remarks by Tasmia Abbas from Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, followed by Aya Filali and Tina Huan, co-presidents of the Desautels Technology Club, who shared the club鈥檚 vision. Chloe Najem, co-president of Girls Who Code 91黑料网, also provided insights into their initiatives. Monika Brozyna, a career advisor at 91黑料网, then introduced students to available career coaching resources.
The final panel, "Tech for Good: Innovating for Equity & Sustainability," featured Claudia Khoukaz (IBM), Marie-France Ouimet (Accenture), Petrina Kamya (Insilico Medicine), and Rania Ajakane (Inovia). Panelists explored how technology can be leveraged to drive social and environmental impact, discussing topics such as ethical AI, equitable access to technological advancements, and sustainable innovation strategies.
Venture Pitch Workshop 2025
On January 20th, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative (E&I), in collaboration with the 91黑料网 Entrepreneurship Society (MES) and 91黑料网 Ventures, hosted the Venture Pitch Workshop at 91黑料网. This event introduced participants to the fundamentals of venture capital and guided them through crafting compelling venture pitches.
Led by Diagram Ventures, the interactive session covered key elements of a great pitch, included a live brainstorming activity to refine pitch storylines, featured student pitch presentations, and provided an exclusive look at a real-world pitch deck. Diagram Ventures, a Venture Builder and Investor specializing in FinTech and ClimateTech, has been instrumental in launching and scaling over 25 ventures since 2016 by combining access to capital, hands-on support, and a deep ecosystem of partners.
The workshop was led by Emily Tiessen and Mingze Deng, two senior venture builders from Diagram Ventures, each with experience in founding and scaling startups that successfully raised Seed funding. They shared their expertise on creating strong pitch decks designed to capture the attention of venture investors and taught attendees how to craft compelling entrepreneurial stories.
The event inspired students to explore entrepreneurship, equipping them with the tools to tell powerful stories and captivate potential investors.
2024
Desmarais Global Finance Lectures 2024
The Desmarais Global Finance Lectures is a conference series that brings together thought leaders and decision-makers from academia, public policy, and the business world with the goal of promoting thought exchange, dialogue, and the exploration of solutions to global challenges in finance and economics.
Date: Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
The topic for the 2024 Desmarais Global Finance Lectures is 鈥淣avigating the (Responsible) Uses of AI in Finance鈥�, and the conference is co-organized by the Desmarais Global Finance Research Centre and the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Initiative at the Desautels Faculty of Management. It featured an academic keynote address by Lin William Cong, Rudd Family Professor of Management and Professor of Finance at Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, and a private/non-profit sector keynote by Evan Miyazono, Founder and CEO of Atlas Computing. Lin William Cong holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Stanford University, and Evan Miyazono holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech.
The keynote speakers were joined by Mitali Banerjee, Assistant Professor of Strategy & Organization at 91黑料网; Laurent F茅ral-Pierssens, Founder and CEO of BlockZero and Venture Studio & Advisors; and Marc Tass茅, CEO of SIRA International Risk Advisors and Professor at the University of Ottawa, for the panel discussion.
鈥淰enture Capital and Beyond: How to Raise Money for Your Startup.鈥� with Jorge Torres 2024
On Thursday September 19th, 2024, Yale Professor Jorge Torres came to 91黑料网 to present a beginner-friendly sessions on how to fund early-stage companies and build long-lasting relationships with venture capitalists. Hosted in collaboration with Maxwell Kaspy, the 91黑料网 Entrepreneurship Society, 91黑料网 Ventures Club, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, this event brought over 140 students to listen to the talk.
Professor Torres gave a 1 hour and a half talk on his experience as a venture capitalist, and shared some invaluable insights to students on raising venture capital money, while navigating today鈥檚 competitive start-up ecosystem.
Dare to Venture Pitch Competition 2024
On March 22nd, 2024, the 91黑料网 Entrepreneurship Society (MES) in partnership with the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative (E&I), and the Dobson Center of Entrepreneurship held a student-based start-up pitch competition. Five teams picked from a pool of fifteen presented their ideas in front of a panel of four judges, including Professor Robert Nason from E&I, Zehra Khoja from the Dobson Center, and industry experts in marketing and talent. The teams presented their ideas as a traditional venture pitch in front of potential investors, and they received live feedback from the judges.
The winning team presented an AI tool that empowered users when accepting terms and conditions by bringing to their attention any potentially suspicious clauses.
DTech鈥檚 Den Pitch Competition 2024
On February 17th, 2024, the Desautels Technology Club (DTech) hosted a Dragon Den style pitch competition in collaboration with E&I. At the event, teams presented their business ideas to a panel of jury members, and received feedback.
The 1st place was awarded to a group of students who presented their business idea, 鈥淏loody Brilliant Solutions鈥�.
Innovation4Impact Competition 2024
On May 13th, 2024, the E&I Initiative, in collaboration with the Sustainable Growth Initiative, hosted the Innovation for Impact Master鈥檚 Student Project Competition with a prize budget of $5,000. This event showcased groundbreaking projects from master鈥檚 students, emphasizing innovative solutions with tangible, positive impacts.
Five teams competed in the final and the winning team was EcoRizz, comprising MMA students Arnav Gupta, Jatin Suri, Lakshya Agarwal, and Om Sangwan, who pitched LaunchLens, a web-based AI tool designed to enhance the venture evaluation process for 鈥済reen ideas.鈥� The runner-up was MBA team SystainStyle Collective, led by Amvrini Samadder Choudhury, Jaivik Mehta, and Shree Krupa Krishna Prasad, proposing a platform to address environmental and ethical challenges in the fashion industry. Third place went to MMF team FundMyFuture, with Clara Assouline, Michelle Poupart, and Siddharath Kansal, who presented a crowdfunding platform for student grants.
The competition was judged by an esteemed panel, including Kika Aramata (91黑料网 Dobson), Jennie Coleman (Equifruit), Laurent F茅ral-Pierssens (BlockZero), Mitchell McEven (TD), Robert Nason (91黑料网), Richard Pistilli (Gambit Rewards), and Ipek Yavuz (91黑料网). Katrin Tinn (91黑料网) chaired the jury
Design Jam 2024
On February 16th, 2024, E&I hosted a Design Jam Event where students and faculty came together to imagine a School of Entrepreneurship at 91黑料网. A total of 20 students participated in this event, sharing their vision of a school of entrepreneurship, and suggested ideas centered around the question: 鈥淗ow might we imagine an interdisciplinary School of Entrepreneurship鈥�.
This event allowed E&I to gather student voices in how best to shape the future School of Entrepreneurship by discussing the following topics: making it interdisciplinary, a practical curriculum, funding opportunities, and the school鈥檚 signature activity. Some key takeaways were the creation of a Design Thinking Bus; increased internship opportunities and talks from founders; courses on alternative funding strategies; and an emphasis on ethical business practices and social forms of entrepreneurship.
2023
Talk by 91黑料网 Chancellor 鈥� John McCall McBain 2023
On October 30th, 2023, E&I hosted a joint event with the 91黑料网 Entrepreneurship Society (MES) where attendees had the privilege of listening to John McCall MacBain, 91黑料网's Chancellor, and the accomplished Founder and Chair of the McCall MacBain Foundation, as well as the President of Pamoja Capital SA, its investment arm.
During the event, the Chancellor shared advice from his career, provided insights into what allowed him to succeed, and left students with his life of 50 life lessons. This list includes advice that span both personal and professional life. The event finished with a networking opportunity for students to talk with the Chancellor, express their gratitude for his shared lessons, and ask him any further questions.
A total of 90+ students attended this event, ranging from faculties across 91黑料网.
Talk by Harley Finkelstein 鈥� Shopify 2023
As part of the MGPO 364: Entrepreneurship in Practice course, led by Niels Billou, students had the unique opportunity to learn from Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, as a recurring instructor.
On September 12th, 2023, Harvey Finkelstein invited students from the MGPO 364 class to the Shopify offices where he gave a talk alongside 91黑料网 Chancellor John McCall MacBain. He left students with three takeaways: to look for non-obvious mentors, to do things you love, and to start a business!
