❄️✨ December at COIE: W26 Student Ambassador Program, Virtual Workshop, Demo Day recap and more!
Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (COIE)
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❄️ December at COIE
As we near the end of the Fall 2025 semester, we're gearing up for our final workshop and looking ahead to more events and opportunities ahead! 💡
Join our last workshop of the Fall semester!
Virtual
The Uncertainty Advantage: Build a Future-Ready Career
This fast-paced 45-minute session introduces The Uncertainty Advantage, a book that flips the script: uncertainty isn’t a problem, it’s your runway. Through six simple pillars, the book offers practical ways to stay adaptable, curious, and confident as you plan what comes next.
Build your leadership skills, support COIE events in W26, grow your network and enjoy an exclusive Ambassador On-Boarding Bag (swag, gifts, surprises!). As a Student Ambassador, you’ll also be the first to receive startup job opportunities, plus access to recommendation letters and referrals for future roles.
🎉 Thank you for making our first COIE Demo Day – Fall 2025 unforgettable!
Our first COIE Demo Day F25 welcomed 60+ audience members and featured 40 applicants, with 8 one-minute pitches, 8 three-minute pitches, and 12 startup showcase booths. Participants included current students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as founders from George Brown College and the University of Waterloo. Industry guests from across the ecosystem, including Graphics Venture and Dotslive (an AI startup), joined us to offer valuable insights. Thank you to everyone who came out to support, connect, vote, and celebrate with us!
🎉 A successful VR Workplace Ready Studio (Fall 2025 Cohort)
From Nov 7–13, participants completed 4 hybrid sessions (12+ hours) of immersive VR learning—practicing interviews, solving real industry challenges with FleetZero, and pitching in a virtual space. Students boosted skills and confidence, while partners saw the future of workforce readiness in action.🤝
👏 Congrats to our winners!
🏆 Most Compelling interview: Rachel Davis, Centennial alumnus
💡 Most Compelling Problem-Solving Scenario: Joseph Hamuli Rais, current Centennial student
🔑 Coursera for Careers: Get job-ready!
Through Coursera for Careers, Centennial College students, faculty, staff, alumni and COIE participants can receive a free Coursera license (normally a $60-80/month subscription!) for 3 months to develop in-demand skills and earn Professional Certificates from industry leaders such as Google, IBM, Meta, and Microsoft.
📣 Special offer: Refer 3 friends and extend your free access until March 2026! Have you joined yet? Don’t miss out!
OCI brings together industry, academic, and government partners to invest in collaborative R&D, technology development, and commercialization opportunities that deliver the highest return on innovation for Ontarians.
🧐 Buzzword Breakdown
What is the Business Model Canvas? 🧠
The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic tool that visualizes a business model on a single page, breaking it down into nine key building blocks: customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure.
Resource provided by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
The Canvas is a one-page chart that shows how revenue comes into the company by customer segment or product. It’s a clear way to break down and visualize a business model through nine essential components. Despite its simplicity, the canvas has been described by Harvard Business Review as “arguably the most comprehensive template” for business models.
👆 Design and innovation tool: the Business Model Canvas| Business Models Inc
📚 Book Recommendation of the Month
This month’s recap book recommendation is The Uncertainty Advantage by Scott Stirrett! Congratulations to the students who received their copy at Demo Day. Enjoy the read!
📚 "The Uncertainty Advantage flips the script: uncertainty isn’t a problem — it’s your runway. With six simple pillars, the book helps you stay adaptable, discover new possibilities, and make meaningful choices in a fast-changing world."
📩 Stay Connected!
Graduated recently? Don’t miss out on future updates, opportunities, and events from Centennial Innovates. Ensure you update your emailso we can keep in touch after you leave campus!
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!
