Kellogg-Schulich EMBA Students Win $5,000 Award

Six Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA students, Steven DeCaire, Sarah Jane Flynn, Josefina Harlow, Shajahan Abdul Kader, Alan Sarhan and Denis Tondereau, recently took home the grand prize of $5,000 for the original idea they pitched in their New Venture Design course.
The team formed their group based on the skillset of their members, rather than the idea for their new business venture. “Each member of our team brought a unique perspective based on their own expertise in their industries,” shared Sarah Jane. “It was like the Avengers, where each team member has their own super powers.”
Leading up to their final presentation, eight teams spent the academic year developing and refining a viable venture opportunity. The winner was determined by four judges: Barry Hillier, Co-Founder at eQuo, Serial Entrepreneur at DashBoard & Bumper App; Keith Loo (MBA ’12), Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer at CTO Boost; Qasim Mohammad (BBA ’13), Founder @ Repshift, Former VC @ OMERS Ventures; and Jennifer Renda (MBA ’08), President/CEO @ Diverso Solutions Inc., Member @ York Angel Investors.
“They did an amazing presentation and you could really see how well they work as a team,” shared Course Director and Professor Moren Lévesque. “They clearly described the problem, the solution, the profile of their key clients, the go-to-market strategy and they already have a first customer, who provided a testimonial on a perfectly timed video that was part of their presentation.”
The prize was generously sponsored by Kellogg-Schulich EMBA alum, Peyvand Melati (EMBA ’18). The team is now assessing the best use of the prize money for the development of their idea. One of the judges is also planning to present their idea to the angel community.