Faculty of Business Administration - University of New Brunswick

A new program that pairs University of New Brunswick MBA students with entrepreneurs looking to transform their ideas into a business reality was officially launched at UNB Fredericton on Oct. 25.

The Activator Program is an initiative of UNB’s faculty of business administration and International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre (IBEC). It is designed to help MBA students earn a concentration in entrepreneurship while getting experience working on real-life start up ventures. Students are matched with a mentor and a client.

Members of UNB’s Board of Governors, the faculty of business administration, students and donors were on hand for the event. Premier Shawn Graham also attended and offered words of encouragement to the students and praised IBEC for developing the program.

“The UNB Activator Program is about strengthening relationships between the University of New Brunswick and the business community,” said Premier Graham. “It gives our brightest and best MBA students the chance to get real-world experience. Through the innovation and creativity of programs like this, I am confident that, together, we will achieve our goal of a self-sufficient New Brunswick.”

The dean of UNBF’s faculty of business administration shares this sentiment.

“This program is really a win-win situation for all parties involved,” said Dan Coleman, dean of the faculty of business administration. “Students get real-world experience and the guidance of a seasoned mentor, clients get a plan and valuable advice for getting their business started, and the province gets entrepreneurs who will contribute to the sustainability of the province.”

Activator clients work alongside their MBA team leader and an experienced business mentor to create a business plan, perform market analysis and venture valuations, and construct prototypes.

At the end of the eight-month program, students pitch the business ventures, on behalf of their clients, to a panel of judges in hopes of securing seed funding.

The Activator Program began in September with 30 master of business administration students and four entrepreneurs.

“The program is still in its infancy but so far we’re seeing great potential,” said Karen Murdock, director of IBEC. “This program is like no other in the country and it is thanks, in no small part, to the tremendous support of the donors who recognize the importance of an entrepreneurial environment in New Brunswick.”

For more information on the Activator Program, contact Karen Murdock at 453-4557 or kmurdock@unb.ca.

Posted at 2:41 PM

The Faculty of Business Administration’s International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre in association with Enterprise Fredericton are hosting a panel of business leaders entitled ‘Ask a Professional’ on Friday, October 19th. The event begins at 2:30 PM in the President's Room of the Alumni Memorial Building and will be followed by refreshments.

The panel is made up of local business leaders from the areas of accounting, law, entrepreneurship, banking, and equity capital will consist of the following members:

Mr. Kenny Kyle, Teed Saunders Doyle & Co.
Mr. Michael Connors, Allen Dixon Smith
Mrs. Jill Green, Green Imaging Technologies
Ms. Judy Wood, HSBC
Mr. Calvin Milbury, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation

To see pictures of this event click here.

Posted at 11:26 AM

The award-winning host of CBC's The National and one of Canada's most respected journalists, Peter Mansbridge, will be attending the upcoming UNB CIBC Business Plan Competition on November 29th and 30th.

Mansbridge will host a seminar for business leaders on how to talk to the media on November 29th. Anyone interested in attending this session should RSVP through Karen Murdock at 453-4557 or kmurdock@unb.ca.

Posted at 11:58 AM

On Friday, September 27, the Faculty of Business Administration's International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre hosted their annual kick-off event for the Export Partnering Program at the Delta Fredericton.

The all-day session was a tremendous success, which for the first time ever was co-hosted by the Universite de Moncton. In attendance were three teams from UdeM, one from Atlantic Baptist Universite, and four from UNB.

Another first for this year's event was the attendance of many account members from the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency, the primary financial supporter of the Export Partnering Program.

The day consisted of presentations from the various student teams, a tour of the Canada Business Centre, and the announcement that VerifyRX a business developed by MBA students Rob Morrow and Edgar Gallibois, is now working with the Export Partnering Program and will be heading on the program's year-end marketing trek, which is the first-time that ACOA has approved something of this nature.

Posted at 11:46 AM

In order to further support research into the areas of international business and entrepreneurship, the Faculty of Business Administration's International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre recently launched the Visiting Scholars Speakers Series, open to students, faculty, and the business community free of charge.

The Series' first speaker was Dr. Ed McMullan from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary who hosted a seminar in his area of expertise: entrepreneurship.

The Visiting Scholars Series is intended as a supplement to the Centre's soon to be officially launched Activator program, and will provide students with the opportunity to get advice from leading experts in the fields of entrepreneurship, new venture creation, entrepreneurial finance, and new venture creation.

The next event in the Series will be this coming April as Dr. Nikhil Varaiya, an expert in entrepreneurial finance, will be participating in faculty research seminars, in the entrepreneurial finance course, and will be offering a seminar to the business community as well.

Also appearing in April will be Dr. Jeffry Timmons, an entrepreneurship expert from Babson College in Boston, and Dr. Reg Litz, an expert in entrepreneurship and family business from the University of Manitoba, both will be delivering seminars with Dr. Litz's expected to close out the Series for the year.

Posted at 11:39 AM