Competitors in the Provincial Innovation Sprint.
This September, 20 students from Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, Acadia University and Nova Scotia Community College came together at Acadia University’s Launchbox space for a Provincial Innovation Sprint in partnership with the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre and NSCC. The four-hour challenge asked students to work in teams to solve a real business for Purposeful Group and develop strategies the company could put into action.
Purposeful Group is a social enterprise that helps organizations measure the impact of their community-based programs. Through impact measurement, the company turns community investments into clear evidence and stories, helping businesses better understand and communicate the difference they make.
The challenge was to identify companies that could benefit from Purposeful Group’s services and develop a strategy to connect with them.
Working against the clock, six teams researched potential partners and developed their ideas before presenting three-minute pitches, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The winning team, made up of Cooper Roberts and Rishita Mishra from Saint Mary’s University and Drew Paynter from Acadia University, proposed partnering with Sobeys. Their idea focused on refreshing Purposeful Group’s website and social media to strengthen its brand and improve outreach. Interestingly, another team also identified Sobeys as a potential partner but took a different approach, focusing on opportunities within retail stores.
Second place went to Saint Mary’s students Grace Scuse, Mannat Gogia and Diana Danilova, who proposed working with Atlantic Canadian company Cavendish Farms to measure the impact of its upcoming winter gala. Third place went to Acadia students Rosham Adhikari, Rosemary Etu-efeotor, Shekin David Raj and Omoroje Benjamin Alimele, who proposed a partnership with Irving Oil.
For Purposeful Group, the ideas offered more than just a competition result. Lisa Lowthers, Senior Impact Consultant at Purposeful Group, said, “The students gave us great suggestions on how to get our product to market. Now, we have six ways in which we could approach that task for our business.”
For students, the experience was just as valuable. “It allowed me to work on some problems from really cool businesses and create solutions with even cooler people,” said Cooper Roberts, a Saint Mary’s University student and member of the winning team. Grithika Salian, an Acadia University student, added “Every single Sprint challenge teaches you so much more. You learn how to be more confident and you see so many different aspects of the business.”
By bringing students and businesses together, the Innovation Sprint gives students the chance to put their skills into practice while helping businesses discover new possibilities.
If you’re interested in being a part of a future Innovation Sprint, learn more here.