Newsletter

Issue No. 10

August 2012

Well, another season has passed, and CEL continues to prosper, due to the commitment of its

students, staff and faculty. In the summer term we were fortunate to have two great instructors for

the students: Roger Bryan, Managing Partner, KPMG for the business consulting students and

Wissam Aoun, CEL IP Director for the law interns . This summer had CEL students working on an

array of exciting and interesting projects, including market research and technology landscape

analysis pertaining to an innovative University of Windsor faculty development, providing local entre-

preneurs with market analysis for their fledgling businesses and assisting student entrepreneurs with

business and legal advice pertaining to their start-up companies. CEL students provided these

individuals with feasibility analyses, cost analyses, market research, trade-mark use and registration

opinions and conducted novelty searches pertaining to technological innovations.

In April we attended the Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery Conference. For the first time CEL sponsored two

entrants in the business plan competitions: LiquidWild (founders: Sean Davidson, Paul Peladeau and Steve Nicodemo)

was one of eight finalists in the OCE Discovery ELIP Business Plan Competition, and The Food Stop (founder: Sandra

Gonzalez). Both had great showings, and we look forward to next year’s competition.

We have been building our research capabilities over the past term. In May, Profs Myra Tawfik, Wissam Aoun and I

were invited to present our SSHRC-funded research titled, “Strategies and Practices for Overcoming Obstacles to the

Effective Commercialization of Student Innovation on University Campuses” to the Social Sciences and Humanities

Research Council and Industry Canada Panel on Knowledge-Synthesis on Leveraging Investments in Higher Education

and Research Development. The full report can be found at www.uwindsor.ca/cel.

Additionally, Prof Tawfik and I had a paper on the topic of designing entrepreneurial mentoring programs for immi-

grants accepted for publication in the Journal of Entrepreneurship. This study was based on our immigrant outreach

program a few years ago. Wissam Aoun is presenting research on campus intellectual property at and intellectual prop-

erty clinical activities at the Canadian Clinical Legal Education Conference (CCLEC) in Winnipeg, Manitoba on October

19, 2012. Nicole Sleiman will present a business teaching case written by CEL Alumnus Kim Forrest, Nicole Sleiman,

and I at the North American Case Research Association Annual Meeting in Boston in October 2012. This case is based

upon CEL student consulting experiences with an entrepreneurial student’s new venture. Summaries of these talks will

be posted on the CEL website over the next month. On the website, you will also find a new report researched by MBA

candidate Anthony Eyebeloria that will help international students as they start new ventures in Windsor Essex.

I’m also pleased to announce that Paul Foster has agreed to be our CEL and Odette Entrepreneur-in-Residence for

another year (2012-2013). He has been a wonderful professional and entrepreneurial mentor for the CEL students

over the past year! In other news, Professor Myra Tawfik is currently spending her sabbatical researching in Montreal,

but will return in the new year.

Our upcoming term includes matching CEL business and law student teams with Dr. Pasek’s 2nd year Engineering class, and

Dr. Urbanic’s 4th year Engineering class. Activities include helping the engineering students with market and feasibility analyses,

novelty/patent searches, and business plans, activities that integrate videos, a business plan competition and mentoring. The CEL

students are also working with Prof Gervais’ English Publishing class, and will help with business and legal issues related to publishing

books by 2 Canadian authors. Ontario Centres of Excellence has provided support funding for aspects of these projects. We are also

working with a number of young entrepreneurs, and with the University of Windsor tech transfer office.

In this issue you will find more information on our OCE Business of Innovation program entrepreneur interns , along with the special

achievements of some of our CEL alumni and read about upcoming events.

Where Are

They Now

Entrepreneur in

Residence

2

2

CEL Students’

Special

Achievements

3

Meet Our

Mentors

4

Business of

Innovation

5

Students

Compete

Guest

Speakers

Upcoming

Events

Bits & Pieces

Contact

Information

Class Photo

6

6

7

8

9

9

Inside this issue:

Dr. Francine Schlosser

CEL Director (Business)

Where Are

They Now

Jim Gorski is a

Commerce and

Technology

Specialist at TMW

Systems

Lyle Block Collins

is a student-at-law

for the Canada

Film Capital Corp.

Navi Grewal is

Licensinig

Coordinator at

Mattel

Jason Brown is an

Associate at Strype

Barristers LLP,

Toronto

Gianfranco

Scipione is an

Associate at

Belmore Neidrauer

LLP, Toronto, and

is also the proud

dad of 2-year old

Luca

Page 2

By Caia Wojnarowicz, J.D. Candidate 2012

Pivoting, Perseverance and Epiphanies - The Latest in Startup Methods and Models

By Paul Foster, Entrepreneur-in-Residence

This article introduces some great tools and resources for scalable startups and commercialization

projects. The concepts also apply to any business that is serious about innovation.

The popularity of the book The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, has led to a growing effort to reduce the

risks of failure in new business startups. Ries and other thought leaders have created a number of

very helpful resources on the subject. I describe a few of the more valuable guidebooks below.

Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur: This book provides a

methodology for developing or updating a powerful new business model. It describes ways to get

everyone in the organization involved in generating the model, and offers a fantastic visualization

framework called the ‘Business Model Canvas’.

h t t p : / / w w w . a m a z o n . c a / B u s i n e s s - M o d e l - G e n e r a t i o n - V i s i o n a r i e s -

Challengers/dp/0470876417/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345124882&sr=1-1

The 4 Steps to the Epiphany

By Steven Gary Blank: Steve Blank met Eric Reis while Steve was consulting at a Silicon Valley

startup that Eric was involved in. Steve observed that there is a true and repeatable path to suc-

cess for startups. In his book, Steve expertly outlines the of defining all of your product and mar-

ket hypotheses (assumptions) for success and then validating them with early adopting customers

that don’t mind investing in an unpolished product.

h t t p : / / w w w . a m a z o n . c a / F o u r - S t e p s - E p i p h a n y - S u c c e s s f u l -

Strategies/dp/0976470705/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345124364&sr=8-2

The Lean Startup, by Eric Reis builds on some of Steve Blanks’ concepts. It takes the defining of a

hypothesis concept to the next step and more firmly establishes the idea of an MVP – minimum

viable product. This prototype is tested by marketplace early adopters and helps start-ups validate

their hypotheses. The startup can then ‘persevere’ if their hypotheses are correct, and if not, the

startup knows quickly that they must ‘pivot’ in another direction.

h t t p : / / w w w . a m a z o n . c a / L e a n - S t a r t u p - E n t r e p r e n e u r s - C o n t i n u o u s -

Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345124446&sr=8-1

And finally, to simplify life for startups, Steve Blank joined up with Bob Dorf to publish The Startup

Owner’s Manual earlier this year. This is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to starting a compa-

ny right. If you want to buy just one resource for creating the next startup that will change the

world, this is the one I recommend.

http://www.amazon.ca/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step---

Step/dp/0984999302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345125049&sr=1-1

http://thebusinesstherapist.com/blog/

Page 3

CEL STUDENTS’ SPECIAL RECOGNITION

CEL Graduate Ashley Routliffe and Mike

Rizzo, of the Odette School of Business, are

recent winners of a contest run by

Turnaround Management Association that

requires participants to prepare a paper

about the failure, and subsequent

turnaround, of a prominent company.

Enrolled in Prof. Pete Mateja’s turnaround management

course at the Odette School of Business, Ashley and Mike

chose Algoma Steel for their award-winning paper.

“We quickly realized how much the economy impacts the

steel industry, and that made it even more applicable

today,” said Ashley.

The two students combed through books and periodicals

seeking out the history of Algoma, and its problems,

including its competitors, union environment, and its

decision to declare bankruptcy. Ashley and Mike elected

to use original materials for their research rather than

relying on web-based content which often doesn’t tell the

entire story.

The 20 page report encompassed an analysis of the steel

industry, Algoma’s history, the lead-up to the crisis, the

implemented restructuring plan, and a financial analysis,

plus an epilogue outlining Algoma’s current situation.

The pair’s winning paper rewarded them with an invitation

to attend the association’s April conference in Toronto

where their paper was distributed to delegates.

“It was exciting to be around so much high-end talent and

to get an opportunity to network,” said Ashley, who is now

seeking employment. “It was also a great opportunity to

get our school’s name in front of a great many people”.

Reprinted from The Windsor Star

CEL Graduate Emilie Cushman is a member

of The Next 36, whose goal is to increase

Canadian prosperity by developing Cana-

da’s next generation of high impact entre-

preneurs. Recently, many of Canada’s big-

gest names in venture capital and angel

investing met the young co-founders of 7

new ventures launched this year by The Next 36. These

businesses pitched solutions to major challenges in

healthcare, human resources, retail, and education.

Supported by more than 50 Canadian business leaders,

including Galen Weston, Paul Desmarais Sr., and Jim

Pattison as founding patrons, The Next 36 aims to

transform the country’s most promising undergraduates

into high-impact entrepreneurs and nation builders.

The team Kira, of which Emilie is a member, won the

Outstanding Venture Award. Kira is an online platform

that accelerates the interview process using video.

Kira’s co-founders come from the University of Windsor

and the University of Waterloo.

The unstoppable Emilie Cushman has also been award-

ed the HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow award at the

Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) National

Exposition held in Calgary.

CEL Graduate Fabio Costante is a recent recipient of the Rising Star of the Year award sponsored by

Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, LLP.

The award was based on Fabio’s many achievements, some of which are: the creation of Fidelis Sports

Management, which helped local athletes market themselves to college coaches and recruiters; founder

and first President of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) at the University of Windsor, an entrepreneurial

organization committed to creating economic opportunities for residents of Windsor-Essex through entre-

preneurship and small business; his extensive involvement in the improvement and promotion of

Windsor’s west end.

Fabio is the recipient of numerous awards; has served as the co-chair of Pathway to Potential; is a licensed soccer coach;

sits on the Friends of Atkinson Committee; is a board member of the Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator; is a case-

work at Community Legal Aid, and is a Project Manager with the Centre for Enterprise and Law.

Fabio is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor in Law degree at the University of Windsor.

Page 4

CEL Internship and Mentorship

Nicole Sleiman, CEL Program Manager

The Summer 2012 term marked our second round of internships/mentorships at the CEL. This internship is significant

in the pre-incubation stage of a business; CEL internships have helped interns attain further support from many other

organizations. The interns recently graduated from our program include:

Lois Li: Establishing a biodiesel processing facility

Lois is now working with WEtech Alliance on further funding, and has received $3000 from the Small Business Centre for her business

Anthony Giglio: Opening a post-production studio

Anthony has expanded and has been the A/V technician for many events, such as Balloonapalooza 2012

Brandon Borrelli & Fabio Costante: Developing a recruitment website

The duo is now a CEL client, gaining business help in conducting focus groups and developing a prototype

Shalini (Shally) Lakshminarayan: Designing an online counseling service

Shally is in WEtech Alliance’s DeskUP program, and has grown her business significantly from the program

Our excellent mentors for this term were:

Ed Roach, www.thebrandingexperts.ca

Adriano Ciotoli, www.windsoreats.com

Jennifer Jones, www.mediastreet.ca

Chintan Virani, www.architectchintanvirani.com

Jeremy Berger, www.green-processing.com

Stuart Sutton, www.sylectus.com

Charlie Regan, www.thecoffeeoffice.com

For more information about the program and to learn how to become involved, please see our “Venture Forward” Mentorship/Internship

bulletin posted on our website http://www.uwindsor.ca/cel/internshipmentorship.

Congratulations Fall 2012 Interns!

The Centre for Enterprise and Law is pleased to announce its Fall 2012 Interns! This term, our interns include:

Chris Anderson: Developing his business as a marketing strategist

Ryan Regan: Designing an online retail business

James Taylor: Establishing a creative new television show

Michael Faul: Growing an artistic website

Brad Colthurst: Developing a smartphone application

A new semester means new activities for this program! All five interns will be set up with local, successful entrepreneurs within the

Windsor-Essex community who will act as mentors for the next four months. While in the program, the interns will take advantage of such

programs as Dining Etiquette, as well as a lesson on proper networking. They will also have the opportunity to network with students at a

mid-term networking event. Finally, they will receive $5000 to help start and grow their business! Good luck to our interns and

mentors! For more information, please visit http://www.uwindsor.ca/cel/internshipmentorship.

L to R:

Joshua Rummage

Lois Li

Anthony Giglio

Shally Lakshminarayan

Fabio Costante

Page 5

The Centre for Enterprise and Law hosted their second Business of Innovation Program Workshop of the year

on July 12th. The Business of Innovation Program (BIP) workshop is a seminar put on every semester by

business and legal consultants of the CEL. The event covers the basics of starting a business from a legal

perspective (trademarks, intellectual property and patents) and from a business perspective (sources of financing, for

example).

Speakers during the workshop included business students Jennifer Seedu and Jacob McCourt, Wissam Aoun, LL.B., Sabrina

Demarco (Executive Director, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Development, Small Business Centre), Veronica Samek

(Director of Communications, Workforce Windsor Essex), Irek Kusmierczyk (Project Manager, WEtech Alliance) and Nicole

Sleiman (Program Manager, Centre for Enterprise and Law).

Irek Kusmierczyk of WEtech Alliance commented that “…CEL provides an invaluable service by providing a platform where

eager young entrepreneurial minds can partner with organizations like WEtech and the Small Business Centre that provide

the kind of support necessary to launch and grow their startups.”

Jennifer Seedu, one of the business consultants, gave her two cents as well: “I found the Business of Innovation (BIP)

Workshop to be a great experience for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. It presented the fundamental tools in a “nutshell”

about the key legal and commerce matters when starting a business venture, plus the local organizations that assist

entrepreneurs. When speaking with a few of the attendees after the workshop, they informed me that this was one of the

best and most informative workshops they’ve been to throughout their years at the University. This was definitely a great way

to communicate these details on developing and commercializing innovations. Based on the feedback received, the

workshop further inspired the audience to pursue their dreams and ideas, while thinking in a realistic, critical, and practical

manner.”

Watch for the next semester BIP Workshop in October or November!

BUSINESS OF INNOVATION PROGRAM

Jacob McCourt, Hon. BComm.

Prof. Roger Bryan instructs CEL students Guest Speakers: Irek Kusmierczyk,, Sabrina DeMarco,

and Veronica Samek.

Page 6

STUDENTS COMPETE AT

PROVINCIAL BUSINESS PLAN

COMPETITION

CEL graduate Steve Nicodemo, Paul

Peladeau and Sean Davidson, are

partners in the Windsor based media

company, LiquidWild which present-

ed recently in the business plan

competition at the Ontario Centres of

Excellence’s 2012 Discovery

Conference.

The creative trio entered their

business plan through the Centre for

Enterprise and Law where they

enjoyed an OCE-sponsored intern-

ship and mentorship to help launch

their business to its fullest potential.

Competing against eight other appli-

cants for a chance to win $25,000,

LiquidWild performed admirably. The

event garnered over 2600 attendees

and 330 exhibitors bringing together

key players from industry, academia,

government, the investment

community, as well as entrepreneurs

and students to pursue collaboration

opportunities.

Although LiquidWild did not win the

$25,000 award, the opportunity to

present to this audience was a

valuable experience for the

LiquidWild team.

www.liquidwild.com

GUEST SPEAKERS INVITED TO ADDRESS CEL CLASS

BECKY PARENT, Director of Leadership Windsor-Essex, was a recent guest

at CEL where she addressed the students on the importance of developing

leadership skills to augment their academic achievements.

Becky described the course offered by Leadership Windsor-Essex and

discussed the various ways in which the course graduates volunteer for the

benefit of our community.

MARTY GERVAIS, Resident Writing Professional in the English Department

at the University of Windsor, and owner/publisher of Black Moss Press,

addressed the CEL class on the topic The Art of the Interview.

A natural and interesting presenter, Marty entertained the students with

anecdotes from his life to illustrate the points he wanted to convey.

RESEARCH REPORTS ON-LINE

CEL has added two new research reports to

its web-site. Please feel free to read these

reports.

Report on Entrepreneurship for Recent Immi-

grants and International Students

Strategies and Practices for Overcoming Obsta-

cles to the Effective Commercialization of Stu-

dent Innovation on University Campuses

What: CEL 2012 Program Launch When: September 25th, 2012. Time: 3:00-5:00pm

Who: Open to the public! Guest speakers: Adriano Ciotoli (windsoreats.com) and Paul Foster

(thebusinesstherapist.com).

Where: Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall

Details: Learn about CEL programs and resources that help students and local entrepreneurs start and grow

their businesses! Listen to two successful entrepreneurs speak about their experience starting their

companies and the importance and advantages of starting your own business.

What: Business of Innovation Program Workshop When: November 1st, 2012. Time: 6:00-7:30pm.

Who: Open to University of Windsor students and alumni, faculty and staff.

Where: McPherson Lounge

Details: Learn various business and legal concepts dealing with starting and growing your business. Hear from

guest speakers regarding funding opportunities!

What: Panel on Commercialization When: October 15th, 2012. Time: TBD

Who: Open to the public!

Where: TBD

Details: Listen as a panel of commercialization experts discuss relevant areas to consider when bringing your

idea or product to market.

What: Panel on Family Business When: November 13th, 2012. Time: TBD

Who: Open to the public!

Where: TBD

Details: Learn what it takes to run a family business; ask questions to local entrepreneurs who have managed

to successfully start and grow their business with family members.

Please visit our website, join our mailing

list, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter

to stay informed!

www.uwindsor.ca/cel

Page 7

Page 8

Congratulations to CEL founding student member

JAMES MESSINA on his marriage to NATALIE PLANTE

Be Happy!!

Congratulations to CEL Graduate

ViICKNESH RAMACHANDRAN on his

engagement to JANE DJIVRE

Congratulations

go out to CEL

Graduates:

ANDREW

GEORGE and Amy

Riberdy on the

birth of their son

Theodore; SHAN

TAO and Cong

Wu on the birth

of their son

Kaelen; and

BYRON and

Elissa PASCOE

on the birth of

their

son

JAKE.

We encourage alumni, clients and community partners

to send us comments and suggestions, regarding our

Newsletter, and to friend us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

We would also like to hear from other readers. If you would

like to become involved in our programs, whether as a client

or as a mentor, please contact

Mentors: Nicole Sleiman at nsleiman@uwindsor.ca

Clients: Jeanne Deslippe at jdeslip@uwindsor.ca

or at the phone number on the left.

We will notify you of upcoming events and future

programs on our website at

www.uwindsor.ca/cel and in future newsletters.

360 Sunset Ave.

Windsor, ON

CENTRE FOR

ENTERPRISE &

LAW

Phone: (519) 253-3000

Ext. 4627

Fax: (519) 971-3684

Email: jdeslip@uwindsor.ca

For More Information on

our programs, please go

to:

www.uwindsor.ca/cel

www.uwindsor.ca/Odette

www.uwindsor.ca/law

LinkedIn: CEL

Facebook: CEL UWindsor

Twitter: @celwindsor

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR

CEL CLASS OF SUMMER 2012