A Capital Idea: Venture Grade Student Venture Capital Fund to Embark on a North American First

The Venture Grade Student Venture Capital Fund at Saint Mary’s University is about to embark on a journey that represents a first for the university and North America—student venture capitalists investing a fund that they raised themselves in promising  high growth start-ups.

Venture Grade gives students applied and pro-active learning experiences as part of a suite of private equity asset courses. Students learn what it takes for growing firms to successfully compete by assessing risk, making investment decisions, and supporting the entrepreneurial economy of the Atlantic region.

“The Venture Grade Fund is a student-led venture capital fund where students raise the capital, assess the risk and make the investment,” said Dr. Ellen Farrell, Professor of Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship. “The students have a goal of raising $250,000 for the fund. “

“I call this learning entrepreneurship from ‘the inside out.’  Entrepreneurship students are learning the qualities desired by entrepreneurial financiers so they are well equipped to raise finance when they start their own businesses. ”

 The students plan to make their first investment later this semester.

Click here to read more about the great work being done by the Venture Grade students as told by The Chronicle Herald.

Saint Mary’s launches Success Maps to support students

Dr. Steven Smith, Dean of Science, introduces Success Maps.

Saint Mary's has launched Success Maps, a tool to help students set goals, track accomplishments, discover new opportunities, and prepare for their post-graduation career.

Students using the site will be given guidance on their specific academic requirements and suggestions for other worthwhile activities tailored to their year and their major. They can use the site on their own, and as a tool to review their progress with academic advisors.

Saint Mary’s is the first university in Atlantic Canada to offer such a resource to its students, and only the second in Canada.

The launch was attended by Karen Oldfield, Board Chair; Robert Summerby-Murray, President & Vice-Chancellor; and Dr. Steven Smith, Dean of Science.

Kitrina Godding (BSc ’05) spoke about her experiences at Saint Mary's as being a strong foundation for her life as a geologist, offshore surveyor and accomplished SCUBA diver.

Interest in creating the conditions that enhance student learning and supporting students in their educational goals is at an all-time high at Canadian universities.

The Success Maps tool is representative of Saint Mary’s University's ongoing efforts to help students make successful transitions into university, through their academic programs, and into the larger community as knowledgeable citizens of the world.