Schulich School of Business Establishes New Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Toronto, ON – Monday, June 16, 2025 – The Schulich School of Business at York University is proud to announce the establishment of the Jay Smith and Laura Rapp Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a prestigious new position made possible through a generous gift from The Schulich Foundation.
The Chair is designed to provide visionary leadership and support to aspiring entrepreneurs and will be held by Chris Carder, Executive Director of Schulich’s Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
A serial entrepreneur and startup advisor, Carder has co-created major initiatives such as Digital Main Street, which helped bring thousands of brick-and-mortar businesses online during the COVID-19 pandemic (alongside the City of Toronto), as well as co-created and led Schulich’s Together Mission program with Startup India, which has provided training for over 1,000 student entrepreneurs. As Chair, he will continue to champion Schulich’s fast-growing startup ecosystem – supporting over 100 new ventures annually through initiatives like the ChaiTech accelerator (the Ontario Jewish Startup Network), the Schulich Venture Academy, which was recently awarded $3.3 million in funding by FedDev Ontario, and Project JumpSTART, created alongside York Region to onboard new Canadian entrepreneurs into the tech ecosystem.
“This new Chair is a transformative step in advancing Schulich’s entrepreneurial mission and reinforcing our position as a national leader in innovation,” said Detlev Zwick, Dean of the Schulich School of Business. “Schulich already has one of the largest accelerator hubs of any business school in Canada. With this generous gift from The Schulich Foundation and Chris Carder’s outstanding leadership, we will continue to build one of the strongest ecosystems of founders, innovators, and investors in the country.”
“It’s an incredible honour to be named the inaugural Jay Smith and Laura Rapp Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” said Chris Carder. “This role is about much more than supporting new ventures – it’s about developing future-ready leaders and building the conditions for innovation to thrive. I’m proud of the amazing work being done by our team at the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and grateful to the Schulich Startups community for their passion and energy. Together, we’re creating a world-class ecosystem that’s making a real impact – not only here at Schulich, but across Canada and around the world.”
The establishment of the Chair will help address Canada’s declining entrepreneurship rate by fostering innovation, developing next-generation business leaders through coaching and mentorship, and contributing to economic prosperity. In addition, the Chair will champion thought leadership and applied research in the areas of venture creation, venture capital, and leadership of new ventures, and will support the continued growth of Schulich’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which has rapidly built a reputation for excellence since being established in 2020.
The Chair is named in honour of Jay Smith and the late Laura Rapp. Jay Smith is a highly respected investment advisor and philanthropist whose distinguished career spans more than 35 years. Known for his deep civic engagement and dedication to the arts, education and community-building, Jay is a senior portfolio manager at CIBC Wood Gundy and serves on the boards of several major cultural institutions. Laura Rapp, a lifelong educator, philanthropist and passionate supporter of the arts and learning, passed away in December 2024. Together, they exemplified a shared belief in the transformative power of education.
About The Schulich Foundation
The Schulich Foundation is one of Canada’s largest foundations, having donated in excess of $500 million. Seymour Schulich, a self-made billionaire whose career has spanned stock brokerage, investment counseling, mining and the oil industry, established and funds the Foundation. Mr. Schulich holds Canada’s highest civilian award, the Order of Canada, and is among Canada’s greatest philanthropists. Having benefited greatly from a scholarship that enabled him to do his MBA, Mr. Schulich has built a well-earned reputation as a champion for education and access to education in Canada. As a result, The Schulich Foundation has endowed university faculties of business, engineering, medicine, law, education, music, chemistry, nursing and dentistry, as well as libraries, dormitories, courtyards, medical health centres, and lecture and music halls. Through these benefactions and the Schulich Leaders and Schulich Builders Scholarship Programs, over 6,000 scholarships are awarded annually.