SMU business students learn to think big in venture capital class | SaltWire

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What would these SMU students do if you gave them thousands of dollars to spend? Make a well-researched business investment, of course, as part of as the most comprehensive university venture capital program in North America.

Nick Perrin, general partner with the Venture Grade student venture capital fund, poses for a photo in his home office in Halifax on Wednesday. - Ryan TaplinFor students at the Saint Mary’s Sobey School of Business, next week is a little special.

Venture Grade, which recently invested in a Quebec City insurance startup, its first foray outside Atlantic Canada, was founded in 2016 with $250,000 in capital. "Students need to know that if you don’t have any money, if you’ve got a great idea, that is not an impediment to starting a great business."“It’s more of a facilitator role, so I provide guidance on venture capital, what Venture Grade does, whether that’s for students working on investments, those out there working to organize the venture capital investment competition, and our other activities,” he said. “It’s pretty fun.

“They’re the ones that grill the students on the intricacies of the background of the value proposition, the likely business success of these startups,” Farrell said. “I can’t believe how much seem to like it. You can put undergraduate students and grad students in the same class together. There’s kind of more sophistication that the graduate students have; on the other hand there’s a doggedness and an underbelly to the undergraduate students that makes the two a really, really good mix.

“It occurred to me, many years ago, that they didn’t know where the money came from to build a big business, so they weren’t engaging with big ideas,” she said. “And students need to know that if you don’t have any money, if you’ve got a great idea, that is not an impediment to starting a great business. In fact, why start a great business with just your own money if you can use the money of other significant organizations that are there to help.

 

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