Innovative Projects Realized

TopSpin Technologies Ltd.

A challenge facing the sports industry is the overshadowing effect of Covid-19. Many people are rightly focused on much bigger and immediate health issues as opposed to longer term issues, like concussion. However, for athletes, preparation during this time off is critical to staying competitive when sports return; it is also a great opportunity for TopSpin to become part of this preparation.

TopSpin Technologies has the ability to redefine how athletes prepare for their sport and take care of their health. It is my goal through this project to help TopSpin carry out this mission and get athletes ready for return to play. Specifically, my project will accomplish this by helping to create an effective post-Covid sales and marketing strategy, thereby getting the devices on the heads of athletes. This project will enable TopSpin to pivot in order to remain relevant with customers and continue their growth momentum.

Susgrainable Business Development Intern

Susgrainable is in the midst of a business pivot away from food service and into consumer-packaged goods (CPG). This has involved the team creating an online shop amongst other initiatives. The team has recently lost 2 founding members due to a massive economic contraction within the food service space. The team is looking for a student to evaluate a viable opportunity that the current staff had begun to explore prior to COVID-19 which would utilize the CPG products being produced this summer

Business Strategist

The intern with the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORC) works in the outdoor recreation and trail sector to research a sustainable funding model to support the BC trail system. Historically, this sector has been mainly volunteer-powered and community-based; however, due to the pandemic there has been a loss of funding. The intern will conduct research by examining successful funding models in other jurisdictions, analyzing survey data and interviewing stakeholders in order to put forward recommendations to the Provincial Trail Advisory Board (PTAB). The PTAB provides advice to the BC Government on the implementation of the Trails Strategy of BC and the PTAB is co-chaired by the ORC.

Finance and Operations Summer Associate (MBSI)

Conatix is an early-stage startup in Montreal that has been through several leading Canadian accelerator program. Conatix is in the process of completing the prototype of an AI-based cybersecurity system for testing at some of the largest banks in Canadas. Conatix is looking for an intern skilled in finance and Excel to help adapt the financial model and projections to the new pandemic and post-pandemic reality. In addition, the intern will work with Conatix to develop new customer pricing models and help consolidate the internal monthly expenses on collaboration and other services. Finally, the intern will also get involved in other aspects of running and building an early-stage technology startup.

Business Developer

Company Background:
Castofly is a cloud-based platform for online education to seamlessly create, share, watch and collaborate on videos. The platform empowers educators to quickly create high-quality concise videos and easily change the content after production without any video editing background.

Anticipated Project Activities:
• Prepare sales pitch to raise money (pre-seed round) for the company
• Arrange meetings with the potential investors with any possible means (cold calling, email, attending networking events)
• Present our mission and vision to the investors (along with the founders)
• Contact potential clients and demo the technology to them
• Help to find the right market fit for the technology (market research, interview with potential customers, etc.)

Marketing Analyst Intern

For the Marketing Analyst Intern role at Conatix, I will be helping to build the contact management system and play a key role in supporting the marketing system. I will also be speeding up the customer acquisition process. I will also assist with operations that support the company’s goals of completing its AI-based cybersecurity prototype.

Co-op Financial Analyst

Conatix is an early stage startup in Montreal that has been through several leading Canadian accelerator programs and is now completing the prototype of its AI-based cybersecurity system for testing by some of the largest banks in Canada (CIBC, Desjardins, National Bank) and globally. The intern will take a leading role in the startup fundraising process for the current equity financing round, including preparing collateral materials, developing a plan and strategy for investors to focus on, and participating in meetings and interactions with investors. The intern will also assist with financial and other aspects of consolidating and streamlining internal company operations, and in preparing financial and other written materials for prospective customers and others, such as pricing models for the cybersecurity product.

Summer Intern at Stark International

There are two projects to be undertaken by the intern. The first is an onboarding document to help new salespeople who are very good at their job but not well-versed in the technical nature of the transformer industry better understand the science and function of transformers and transformer mineral oil. The better the new sales teams understands the importance of Stark’s services to the maintenance of transformer function and integrity, the more convincingly these sales teams will be able to sell Stark’s services to new customers and help Stark expand its customer base and position itself as an industry leader. This onboarding document will be about 20 pages, and provide a comprehensive yet simple overview of the function of transformers, the use of mineral oil in these transformers, and the importance of mineral oil processing to maintaining the function and integrity of transformers. The second project is a report detailing areas for automation and remote monitoring in Stark’s current oil processing method. Discussions will be undertaken with Stark employees, and diagrams of their processes reviewed in order to identify opportunities for automation and remote monitoring.

Accounting Intern

Replay generates business from each of the project companies, and advisory projects from third parties. COVID-19 has impacted our business in a number of ways as follows: third party advisory business has slowed due to businesses being cautious of the economic environment, our existing development projects and partnerships are on reduced due to cautious spending and new projects scheduled to launch have been delayed or deferred. With these COVID-19 impacts, the company has had to lay off staff including some staff in the accounting department. Although accounting duties have been reduced due to the reasons listed above, the proportion to work and staff reduced are not equal. This accounting student will really help alleviate the accounting team and allow us to work on regular accounting duties and ad hoc projects which is key to the organization’s future success and business strategy.

Internship scope, responsibilities and activities will be to assist the two operational accountants who are in their second year of studying for the CPA and preparing for the CFE exam in the Fall. This will provide a mentorship environment where the intern can learn from accounting students a few years ahead of their own career.

Projet en entreprise Serrurier Y.C Fillion (Geoffrey Isaac)

Afin de compléter le cursus de la maîtrise en gestion des organisations, il faut réaliser un projet au sein d’une entreprise. J’ai donc choisi de prendre le profil professionnel, je crois qu’il faut privilégier la mixité dans le partage de la connaissance et d’en faire bénéficier les PME avec les expertises acquises lors de ce programme.
En janvier 2020 j’ai débuté un projet de réorganisation de l’entreprise Serrurier Y.C. Fillion, le projet avançait bien toutefois la crise du COVID-19 a drastiquement ébranlé l’entreprise qui à dût se mettre « sur pause » pendant près de deux mois.
L’entreprise qui comptait 3 serruriers était déjà en sous-effectif avant l’arrêt des opérations. Suite au déconfinement, un des serruriers a quitté l’entreprise ce qui a créé une pression supplémentaire sur l’entreprise. Mon projet a dû ainsi être adapté à cette nouvelle réalité, ce nouvel enjeu et a complètement changé : d’un projet de réorganisation d’entreprise, celui-ci est devenu un projet de restructuration et de relance de l’après COVID-19.

Multifunctional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the HubTrack helical transmission system for its application in transportation sector

With the latest measurements and experimental tests, we have strong evidence that the HubTrack is energy efficient and ecologically sound for a multifunctional transportation solution. Currently, the latest HubTrack operational system has reached the stage of pre-commercialization with an industrial standard compliant model based on monorail standards. To better position the HubTrack initiative as a top ecological and accessible solution, we want to measure how good HubTrack can contribute at meeting the greatest challenges and assumptions of the IPCC’s Climate Change Mitigation Report of 2014, which the following Report is due in 2021, and under the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. A multifunctional life cycle assessment for the HubTrack is necessary and complex to achieve because of the acuteness of the subject matter at all points, the technology is new, its potential operation is beyond the existing references, and the timing for new solutions in transportation is urgent for matters of emissions target and global reliability and reach of new transportation solutions. It can also enable the company to make better design and material choices, greener production and logistics operation towards faster and multi-unit configurable HubTrack systems.

Business / Channel Strategy Analyst

Willow Biosciences (TSX:WLLW)(OTCQB:CANSF) is a biotechnology company using engineered yeast to produce cannabinoids for consumer packaged goods (“CPG”), health & wellness, and pharmaceutical applications. Willow is also conducting plant related research and analytical testing services through its wholly owned subsidiary Willow Analytics. While our core businesses at Willow have not been impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all businesses will need to adjust their activities over the short and medium term. The intern will be tasked with first helping build out various market segment models for specific sub-sectors, including financial modelling and case-study analysis that will used to inform management in decision-making and the deployment of resources.