❄️ An impactful February at COIE: events, funding & pitch opportunities
Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (COIE)
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❄️ An impactful February at COIE
February is packed with exciting opportunities at COIE! From hands-on VR Immersive Lab sessions to our flagship Global Goals Jam 2026 ($4500 prize), plus a lineup of free workshops, mentorship, and COIE Demo Day: All-Star Pitch Competition (multiple awards), there’s something for everyone curious about entrepreneurship, innovation, and changemaking.
Building the Changemaker community 🙌
We successfully hosted our COIE Winter 2026 Information Sessions in both virtual and in-person formats, engaging 50+ Centennial students across all campuses through a dynamic hybrid experience! Highlights from our in-person session last week:
💡 Why join Global Goals Jam? Gain hands-on innovation experience, boost your resume & LinkedIn, practice pitching and collaborative changemaking, and compete for awards and recognition
🌱 What happens after the on-site event? Get ongoing mentorship from COIE, refine your idea into a real venture, access Demo Day Winter 2026 and other pitch competitions, and explore pathways to funding and incubation
🤝 Extra engagement opportunities: Showcase or sell your small business during lunch and network in-person with industry experts, alumni, and ecosystem partners
*Awards are generously supported by philanthropist Diane Blake. Prize money is shared amongst winning team members and sent via e-gift cards.
We were thrilled to host and welcome some amazing ventures into our immersive VR lab! ✨ In partnership with Centre for Local Innovation and Collaboration (CLIC), we met with startups like Artsley Inc., Harbour Nest, Enabled Talent and MoVA Realities Inc.
CLIC, launched by the City of Richmond Hill in partnership with OCAD University, is a design-driven innovation hub funded by eCampus Ontario and Centennial College, connecting local businesses with applied research and human-centred design expertise to fuel growth and innovation.
🎮 VR Start-Up Ready Studio recap: We welcomed 12+ students and alumni to this week’s session. It was great learning about your ventures, and we hope the workshop helped move your ideas forward 📸.
VR Workplace Ready & Interview Studio: Prepare for interviews using realistic, AI-driven VR hiring and workplace simulations for professional confidence!
Demo Day is back! The competition begins with a booth-style showcase, where you can demo and sell your products. Top teams will be selected to advance to the 3-minute pitch competition.
If you’re a Centennial student, faculty, or staff member, free mentorship sessions and poster-printing support are available to help you prepare for your booth-style showcase. Awards include: 🏆 Best 3-Minute Pitch (Judges’ Choice), ⭐ People’s Choice Award, 🛍 Best Booth Table, and 💫 COIE Demo Day Entrepreneurial Spirit Award (multiple awards).
Apply to showcase your venture idea, startup or project by March 17!
📢 Our first Changemaker Mindset Series of the semester, "Innovation Starts with Mindset," is happening this upcoming Tuesday, February 3rd! We are so excited to have Tawny Stephen, Founder of The Microlearning Institute, share her insights and experience as a changemaker.
Discover how an innovative mindset empowers changemakers across careers, startups, and everyday life!
🗓️ February 3, 11:30 am -1 pm 💻 Microsoft Teams link will be provided after registration
Speaker: Tawny Stephen (Founder of The Micolearning Institute)
Open to any Centennial College students currently studying at or recently graduated (within one year of graduation), who are the owners or part-owners of the business idea, to win part of a $17,000 prize fund.
🤝 Centennial College is an official partner of this pitch competition, meaning that at least 1 student is guaranteed to enter Round 1.
Over the past 14 years, DMZ has helped 1000+ startups raise $2.69 billion in capital and create 5,200+ jobs. From its headquarters in Toronto, DMZ has also grown a strong international presence – with offices and partnerships across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
Low-intensity, high-frequency emotions are powerful. They quietly steer behaviour day after day. I have felt how hard the first step can be when the words used to describe support feel heavy or confusing. That is why startup ideas matter to me. They provide a way to take a real frustration and turn it into something we can test and improve. I want to help improve how we connect people to care, using clearer and more welcoming messages. I want to seek help to feel like a natural choice, not a difficult task.
8 MIT Startups to watch in 2026
Blue Sarah: An AI-powered shopping app that lets users check out items from multiple online stores in one cart while avoiding counterfeit products.
Evoloh:Builds low-cost, solar-powered electrolyzers to make hydrogen and other chemicals more efficiently.
Manolin: A data platform using sensors and analytics to help fish farms improve health, yields, and sustainability.
Provocative:Turns AI data center waste heat into beverage-grade CO₂ with an innovative cooling system.
Satellite Bio:Develops cell-based liver therapies to support patients without full organ transplants.
Tessel Biosciences:Uses AI and lab-grown tissue models to accelerate drug discovery for respiratory diseases.
Undermind: An AI research assistant that scans scientific literature and delivers clear, visual insights.
Veir: Creates superconducting power cables to deliver far more energy for next-generation data centers.
Need to speak and make a great impression? Want to go from fearful to confident — and from average to outstanding? This is the book that will take you all the way to a standing ovation.
👆 From Presentation to Standing Ovation Book Trailer | Ron Tsang
NEXT BOOK CLUB SERIES SESSION:
From Presentation to Standing Ovation
Designed for entrepreneurs, students, and professionals, the session examines what transforms a “good” presentation into one that truly lands with an audience. Through guided discussion and a practical exercise, participants will reflect on their own presentation moments and identify small, meaningful shifts they can apply immediately.
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Fostering a sustainable entrepreneurial mindset and actionable lifelong skills™️
Stay in the Loop with COIE! ✨ Sign up to receive the latest news on exciting entrepreneurial events, hands-on workshops, inspiring stories, and more—delivered straight to your inbox.Thanks for joining our community!
