BBA Student Helps Declining Bee Population
Ilan Kogan has taken a proactive approach to his business education. The fourth-year BBA has created five startups across a diverse range of sectors while excelling in the classroom.
With so much already accomplished, Ilan has his eyes on a larger cause, saving the bees. “In the last decade, 40% of honeybee colonies in the US have died,” he says. For Kogan, this is something that should give us pause. “Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the food humans eat.”
Bees are facing a constellation of environmental stressors. The effects of monoculture farming, the paving over of fields, and the widespread use of pesticides are contributing to the dramatic decline of bee populations.
Bees simply need more and better foraging options for colonies to survive. To address this, Kogan created a non-profit called Feed the Bees. “Anyone can register and receive free bee-friendly seeds. We ship the seeds out for them to plant. The idea is the seeds are pesticide-free and highly attractive to bees. They help revitalize the bee population.”
Kogan soon learned that Canadians are very receptive to the cause. “We’ve reached requests for 50 million seeds in three weeks.” People can also submit donations to help cover the cost of sourcing the seeds and fund bee-related scientific research.
Kogan credits his time at Schulich for giving him the confidence and the tools to tackle broad problems like this. “One of the great things about Schulich’s management education is that you don’t just have to look at corporate problems. You gain the ability to see problems and come up with solutions.”