VentureQuest is an engaging entrepreneurship program that gives Bow Valley College students, past and present, the chance to start a business that can have a positive impact on the community. Through workshops, skills development sessions, mentorship, and networking opportunities, aspiring entrepreneurs get the chance to develop their entrepreneurial skills and cultivate their ideas into a viable, socially responsible business.

“VentureQuest allows our students to validate and test their ideas, so they are more likely to be successful the first time around,” notes Craig Elias, Bow Valley College’s entrepreneur in residence, on the importance and impact of the program.

This year we are focusing our VentureQuest program on contributing to an Equitable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Calgary. Creating an Equitable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem means recognizing that current entrepreneurial spaces don’t offer the same opportunities to all. This new approach involves ecosystem builders collaborating to actively include equity-seeking groups and removing barriers to their engagement and success within entrepreneurial circles.

At Bow Valley College, we serve a diverse demographic. We have learned that aspiring student entrepreneurs at the College, especially those belonging to one or more equity-seeking groups, often feel intimidated by entrepreneurship programs. Our VentureQuest program this year seeks to serve our unique demographic more specifically and ensure our students have the tools they need to start their businesses and pitch their ideas more effectively, and access the audiences they need to build their ideas from the ground up.

Each year our program culminates with our VentureQuest Business Idea Competition, where the top 10 finalists present their ideas to over 100 guests, including representatives from the different sectors of the Alberta entrepreneurship ecosystem and four judges. The stakes are high, with more than $20,000 in cash and prizes awarded to the top three ideas.

“The biggest prize to come out of this program is confidence,” Craig shares about the larger impact of the VentureQuest program. “Our program participants face hurdles, speed bumps and barriers, and things they once thought impossible, and overcome them. We encourage everyone to get involved; even if you don’t win money, the confidence you gain makes you a winner in all aspects of your life.”

VentureQuest will aim to empower aspiring entrepreneurs in our student community to attain income stability through entrepreneurship. This initiative helps more than 100 aspiring entrepreneurs per year develop their skills through a practical learning experience and supports the development of new business ideas.

If you are interested in learning more about VentureQuest or being involved, we are always on the lookout for supporters! Visit https://bowvalleycollege.ca/schools/chiu-school-of-business/initiatives/social-entrepreneurship/venturequest for more information.