(MONTREAL, QC) MAY 3, 2023: A team of students from Wilfrid Laurier University has been named 2023 Enactus National Champion by the country’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus Canada, and a judging panel comprised of top Canadian CEOs, for their ability to enable social, environmental and economic impact through entrepreneurial action.
Kuponya Innovations is an initiative that works with Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories to co-create sustainable, climate-resilient, cost-effective tiny homes for remote communities. The team’s approach includes training residents to participate in construction and maintenance, building small businesses to support housing needs, and promoting energy-efficient designs.
Safi is a simple solution that aims to help the 90 percent of farmers in East Africa that do not pasteurize their milk, putting many people at risk of life-threatening diseases. Safi is a portable, easy-to-use pasteurization device that kills harmful pathogens in milk without compromising taste. They’re currently working with 2 milk cooperatives to pilot over 300 devices with small-scale farmers in Rwanda.
“The students at Enactus Laurier have so much to be proud of,” said Allyson Hewitt, President & CEO of Enactus Canada. “Kuponya Innovations and Safi are making a real difference in the communities that they serve. Congratulations and we cannot wait to see you compete at Enactus World Cup in the Netherlands this fall!
Enactus Wilfrid Laurier University competed against 44 other post-secondary institutions in two rounds of live presentation-based challenges, culminating in the Final Round of Competition, proudly presented by Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd. Each team had 12 minutes to showcase how their entrepreneurial projects advance the social, economic and environmental health of communities and use business innovation to change lives.
Enactus Laurier will now represent Canada on the global stage at the upcoming Enactus World Cup 2023 in Utrecht, Netherlands from October 17-20, 2023.
Every year, the Enactus Canada National Exposition unites hundreds of the country’s brightest university and college students, academic professionals, and top Canadian CEOs to enable progress by supporting entrepreneurial action through competition, collaboration, and celebration. This was the first year the event took place in Montreal, in partnership with Tourism Montreal.
For more information about the event, and competition results, visit: enactus.ca/events/national-exposition
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ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, a national charity and the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform, is shaping entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 3,000 post-secondary students led 188 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast, directly impacting over 30,000 lives.
As a global network of 33 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.
ABOUT CANADIAN TIRE CQORPORATION: Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX: CTC.A) (TSX: CTC) or “CTC”, is a group of companies that includes a Retail segment, a Financial Services division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire, which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal & Gardening divisions. Party City, PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire network. The Retail segment also includes Mark’s, a leading source for casual and industrial wear; Pro Hockey Life, a hockey specialty store catering to elite players; and SportChek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, Intersport and Atmosphere, which offer the best active wear brands. The more than 1,740 retail and gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by CTC’s Financial Services division and the tens of thousands of people employed across Canada and around the world by CTC and its local dealers, franchisees and petroleum retailers. In addition, CTC owns and operates Helly Hansen, a leading global brand in sportswear and workwear based in Oslo, Norway. For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.
Media Inquiries:
Tyler Maddigan
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Enactus Canada
tyler@enactus.ca | 709.725.8931