Medicine Hat College's School of Business & Continuing Studies is empowering students to turn ideas into real businesses, thanks to the support and involvement of ATB Financial.
Each year, students in Management 270 - The Entrepreneurial Experience participate in the Design Venture Studio, led by instructor Miranda Davies. The project challenges students to develop a unique business concept, craft a business plan, and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in a format inspired by Dragon's Den.
This year, ATB's involvement raised the bar for the competition. Their support provided the necessary funds for students to develop prototypes of their business ideas and compete for cash prizes. Students took part in five separate opportunities to pitch and refine their ideas, receive expert feedback, and gain practical skills in areas such as business valuation and cash flow management, directly from ATB professionals. Their guidance and mentorship helped students transform initial concepts into viable ventures.
"We are incredibly proud to partner with the Medicine Hat College on this initiative. The dedication and creativity of these students is truly inspiring," says Jerri Gainer, branch manager at ATB Medicine Hat. "Providing them with real-world skills, mentorship, and the resources to turn an idea into a tangible business is an investment in the future of Alberta's economy. The quality of the ventures we saw this year confirms the immense potential within our academic community."
The top six teams from Venture Design Studio pose for a photo in front of the ATB banner.
In their final pitch of the semester, twenty-two teams competed for cash prizes to help start their businesses.
Among the top concepts included a product that helps women put on bracelets unassisted, a beverage to relieve menstrual pain, a South-African dish made accessible in a pack, pre-mixed spices for Indian cuisine, and an AI Shoe sole that tracks quality of movement and prevent injury.
Landing first place was She Works, creating pants specifically designed for women in the trades. The winning team, second-year Business Administration - Management students, Sierra Loignon, Kadence Hermanson, and Madison Thurrott-West, credited the experience and ATB's involvement for pushing them beyond their comfort zones and improving their product along the way.
"Every pitch that we went through, we kept improving because we took the information from all the judges and just kept making it better," says Hermanson. "Through having that hands-on experience of actually making the pants we learned so much so that in the future we could start our own business."
Loignon adds that ATB's partnership helped to enhance her learning, and she plans to continue to build She Works into a successful business.
"[Venture Design Studio] was like a big capstone project of everything I've learned throughout the Business Administration - Management program, says Loignon. "It was a really big help to have outsider knowledge, other than instructors from the college, and I feel like I learned a lot."
To learn more about the Business Administration program, visit www.mhc.ab.ca/business.
