HumberLaunch was founded in 2011, offering services to Humber students and alumni. In September 2014, HumberLaunch opened its doors to entrepreneurs from Etobicoke and surrounding areas, offering resources and membership to community businesses. Since then, HumberLaunch has engaged with over 30 community agencies, developing collaborations with the Lakeshore West Post, MicroSkills, the Queensway Employment & Social Services, Enterprise Toronto, and MaRS. HumberLaunch has also joined three community based networks: the ONE Network Partners in Peel, the Etobicoke Youth Network, and the Lakeshore Interagency Network.
In its first year, the community outreach initiative has been a success. Nine community entrepreneurs have joined HumberLaunch to develop their innovative business ideas, and HumberLaunch has delivered quality events and workshops to the community, including a Startup Weekend with over 70 attendees, a Startup Skills Mixer, twelve information sessions, and several community tours of the Prototype Lab located at Humber’s North campus.
HumberLaunch continues to develop exciting new community initiatives with plans for a year-long pop-up incubator event series in partnership with Richview Public Library and one-on-one drop-in consulting at pop-up incubators located at community partner agencies next year.
PHOTO BY VICKY KAO, CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENT
ROGER OSORIO (STARTUP WEEKEND), JENNIFER NGUYEN, JEREMY HABER, COLIN PAL, TOM HAXELL, ANDREA LEWIS, SARAH LENARCIC (HUMBERLAUNCH) AT STARTUP WEEKEND ETOBICOKE
Entrepreneurs: Jasmin Pannu and Ramneet Basra
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Jesse Bruce
Industry: Health and Fitness
Entrepreneurs: Anthony Dube
Industry: Literary
Entrepreneurs: Shiva Bhardwaj
Industry: Automotive – maintenance
Entrepreneurs: Craig Petten and Pablo Alvarez
Industry: Agricultural technology (aquaponics)
Entrepreneurs: Desiree Girlato
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Claire Doyle
Industry: Music – performance/education
Entrepreneurs: Carrie Holmes
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Liam Robinson
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Tristan Darwent
Industry: Materials and Manufacturing
Entrepreneurs: Stachen Frederick
Industry: Beauty/social awareness
Entrepreneurs: Marlene Sammy
Industry: Health and Wellness
Entrepreneurs: Ebyan Noor
Industry: Health and Wellness
Entrepreneurs: Melanie Berthelo
Industry: Film
Entrepreneurs: Charles Hargobind
Industry: Human rights/Awareness
Entrepreneurs: Jennaire Lewars and Pixley Lewars
Industry: Advertising
Entrepreneurs: Patrick Millerd
Industry: Automotive – maintenance
Entrepreneurs: Colin Edwards
Industry: Music – Performance and outreach
Entrepreneurs: Daniel Sykora
Industry: Music – production
Entrepreneurs: Dave Barratt
Industry: Mechatronics
Entrepreneurs: Lida Gheshlaghchai
Industry: Web Development
Entrepreneurs: Zak Katz
Industry: Marketing
Entrepreneurs: Chad Davis
Industry: Clean technology
Entrepreneurs: Eric Tang
Industry: Mobile technology
Entrepreneurs: Lydia Gill and Suzie Watson
Industry: Hair care
Entrepreneurs: Sabrina Rubli/Ella Marinic
Industry: Human rights and awareness
Entrepreneurs: Madeline Pishori
Industry: Health and Wellness
Entrepreneurs: Terry Lin
Industry: Advertising
Entrepreneurs: Kristina Fercec
Industry: Mobile technology
Entrepreneurs: Judy Vendramini
Industry: Culinary
Entrepreneurs: Jordan Circosta
Industry: Music – performance
Entrepreneurs: Mallorie Grabish
Industry: Educational Services
Entrepreneurs: John Carson
Industry: Communications
Entrepreneurs: Christy Tran
Industry: Fashion/Community outreach
Entrepreneurs: Daniel Mager
Industry: Music – equipment
Entrepreneurs: Gilad Cohen
Industry: Human rights/charitable
Entrepreneurs: Dmitri Pavlov
Industry: Headhunting/Resume customization
Entrepreneurs: Julie Fitzgerald
Industry: Music and Dance
Entrepreneurs: Morgan Yirka
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Adam Kozak
Industry: Video production
Entrepreneurs: Courtney Dewar
Industry: Elder Care
Entrepreneurs: Marty Bernie
Industry: Music
Entrepreneurs: Moises Antigua
Industry: Mobile technology – Culinary
Entrepreneurs: Tom Haxell
Industry: Real estate
Entrepreneurs: Mike Mathieson and Denielle Bassels
Industry: Music – Production
Entrepreneurs: Ted Fleming
Industry: Food & Beverage
Entrepreneurs: Erick Pablo Mota
Industry: Real Estate
Entrepreneurs: Dagma Koyi
Industry: Social assistance
Entrepreneurs: Savio Wong
Industry: Web application – Real Estate
Entrepreneurs: Luis Duarte
Industry: Sports and Recreation
Entrepreneurs: Julie Leitch
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Bernie Trinh
Industry: Web Technology – Education
Entrepreneurs: Itzik Levy and Jeremy Haber
Industry: Web Development/Design
Entrepreneurs: Jake Harding and Gustavo Macias
Industry: Agriculture
Entrepreneurs: Bram Zeidenberg
Industry: Web technology – Social media
Entrepreneurs: Kimron Corion
Industry: Marketing
Entrepreneurs: Tim O’Reilly
Industry: Music and Video – Production
Entrepreneurs: Aydan Lalonde
Industry: Fashion
Entrepreneurs: Dawn Walke
Industry: Health and Wellness
Entrepreneurs: Peter Wheeler
Industry: Agricultural Technology
Entrepreneurs: Michael Gareri
Industry: Sports & Recreation
Entrepreneurs: Thiago de Sousa Costa
Industry: Music – Production
Entrepreneurs: James Taylor
Industry: Collectables
Entrepreneurs: Rebecca Wright and Kelsey MacDermaid
Industry: Fashion/Social Media
Entrepreneurs: Jacob Farjou
Industry: Health and Fitness
Entrepreneurs: Wesley Campbell and Mike Reynolds
Industry: Sports and Recreation
Entrepreneurs: Victoria Godins
Industry: Home Organization
Entrepreneurs: Trent Davie
Industry: Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
Entrepreneurs: Amy Trachter and Stephanie Lacaria
Industry: Health and Wellness
Entrepreneurs: Alicia Gunning
Industry: Community Food Services
Entrepreneurs: Pedro Serrador
Industry: Mobile Application – Education
Entrepreneurs: Anthony Zambri
Industry: Home Maintenance
“HUMBERLAUNCH HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE RESOURCE FOR ME. AS A MUSICIAN FIRST AND FOREMOST, I’M NOT NECESSARILY THE MOST SAVVY BUSINESSMAN. HUMBERLAUNCH HAS HELPED SCHOOL ME IN THE BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE AND GET MY BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND."
Tim O’Reilly,
Soundstill Productions
HumberLaunch hosts a wide range of workshops, business competitions, and showcases for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship 101, Startup Weekend Etobicoke, and the LaunchPad Competition are just a few examples of this year’s events.
Humber's New Venture Seed Fund provides up to $10,000 of start-up capital, on a competitive basis, to businesses founded by Humber students and alumni. Since 2010, the fund has provided support to over 33 new businesses to build on their innovative ideas.
NEW VENTURE SEED FUND WINNERS AND HUMBERLAUNCH STAFF:
STANDING: JORDAN CIRCOSTA, JULIAN POWELL, TIM MCRAE, ARIEL GELBARD, WILL DU, HOLLY JAMIESON, TRISTAN DARWENT, CHAD DAVIS, GUEST, KRISTINA FERCEC, PATRICK MILLERD, GUEST
SITTING: BRAM CHERUN (HUMBERLAUNCH), DAWN WALKER, DANIEL SYKORA, CLAIRE DOYLE, CHERYL MITCHELL (HUMBER
LAUNCH)
The New Venture Seed Fund seeks applications in the fall of each year. Selection criteria include quality and completeness of a business plan, creativity, capacity for generating employment, potential for sustainability, and applicants' academic record. This year the fund made awards to nine new businesses.
Claire Doyle is a School of Creative & Performing Arts alumnus. She and her partner Juan Carlos Medrano Magal Ianes formed Baru Vibes, a non-profit organization that provides weekly music workshops for at-risk youth. The workshops focus on leadership development, team-building skills, and improving self-esteem through music.
Daniel Sykora is a student in Humber’s School of Creative & Performing Arts. Daniel provides custom, high-quality musical scores for independent filmmakers and video game developers.
Chad Davis is a School of Applied Technology student who is working to provide renewable energy installation services. Energize the Earth installs solar energy systems to help minimize negative the environmental impact of other energy sources.
Tristan Darwent, a student in the School of Media Studies & Information Technology, and his partners Will Du and Ariel Gelbard have created a lockbox that can be locked and unlocked with a smartphone or compatible key tag using Wi-Fi and NFC technology.
Dawn Walker, a Business School student, offers spa services to her clients while promoting wellness and beauty education.
School of Media Studies & Information Technology student Kristina Fercec and her partner Sean Rowe are developing a social media app to help connect job seekers with potential employers for short-term employment in niche markets.
Clean Car Clean is a new company launched by Patrick Millerd, a student in Humber’s School of Creative & Performing Arts. Patrick offers mobile vehicle cleaning services using waterless technology.
School of Creative & Performing Arts alumnus Jordan Circosta and his team of musicians, Holly Jamieson, Tim McRae, Jared Parker, and Julian Powell, launched Headquarters Cooperative, a not-for-profit music promotion company that puts on shows for up-and-coming local bands.
Thiago de Sousa Costa is a School of Creative & Performing Arts graduate. His business Team Octopus Productions is a music production company that offers services such as album production and branding strategies.
The LaunchPad competition was introduced three years ago to promote commercialization and economic development. Since then, LaunchPad has awarded a total of $120,000 to 19 new startups.
LAUNCHPAD HOST (far left) AND FINALISTS MADELINE PISHORI, JULIAN POWELL, DANIEL SYKORA, JORDAN CIRCOSTA, KRISTINA FERCEC, ROSTYSLAV RULOV, SAVIO WONG, HOSSEIN GHAMSARI, DIANNE MAULSEED, KAYLA MONAI-MCCALLA, COURTNEY DEWAR, MIKE MATHIESON, DENIELLE BASSELS, AND JAMES TAYLOR
Each year, the competition receives dozens of applications from Humber student and alumni entrepreneurs. Applicants are narrowed down to 16 semi-finalists who attend two speed-pitching events. At each event, the entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a variety of coaches who offer feedback and assistance to each team. Based on the coaches’ feedback and other criteria, the finalists are chosen and advance to the final LaunchPad event where they pitch their ideas to a panel of judges for a share of $40,000.
Business: Flexible Integrated Tactics (FIT)
Team: Madeline Pishori
Amount Awarded: $12,000
Description: Multi-meal kit to promote healthy lifestyle
Business: Rent4Students
Team: Savio Wong, Hossein Ghamsari, and Rostyslav Rulov
Amount Awarded: $10,000
Description: Online rental portal for students
Business: Possibly with Dynamite
Team: Mike Mathieson and Denielle Bassels
Amount Awarded: $2,000
Description: Niche audio recording and Production Company
Business: Gig
Team: Kristina Fercec and Sean Rowe
Amount Awarded: $5,000
Description: App offering unique gigs
Business: DSyk.Music
Team: Daniel Sykora
Amount Awarded: $4,000
Description: Custom, high-quality music scoring solution
Business: Headquarters Cooperative
Team: Jordan Circosta, Tim McRae, Julian Powell, Jared Parker, and Holly Jamieson
Amount Awarded: $3,000
Description: Non-profit running live music events
Business: The Collectors Inc.
Team: James Taylor
Amount Awarded: $2,000
Description: Showcasing collectibles from around the world
Business: Loving Support Services
Team: Courtney Dewar, Dianne Maulseed, and Kayla-Monai McCalla
Amount Awarded: $2,000
Description: Providing seniors with home care
“IT IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR ENTREPRENEURS TO PRACTICE THEIR PITCHES.”
Madeline Pishori,
Flexible Integrated Tactics
This year HumberLaunch mentors included thirteen industry professionals and Humber faculty members with experience in a wide variety of areas including financial services, marketing and advertising, and fine arts. These mentors are an invaluable resource—supporting HumberLaunch entrepreneurs as they develop their ideas into viable businesses. Whether through one-on-one guidance, running workshops, or participating as coaches or judges in competitions, mentors are instrumental to the success of both the entrepreneurs and the HumberLaunch program.
HumberLaunch is always looking for new mentors—both within and outside the Humber community—who have experience, expertise, and a desire to help the startup community. We encourage anyone who is interested in providing mentorship to new entrepreneurs to contact Bram Cherun.
Mark teaches entrepreneurship, professional selling, and international business courses in The Business School at Humber. He has extensive experience working in marketing and sales, has founded two companies (an advertising agency and a market research business), and is a member of the angel investing group Maple Leaf Angels. As a HumberLaunch mentor since 2012, Mark has mentored several new entrepreneurs and participated in many events and workshops as a coach or moderator. With so much experience to offer, Mark is a huge support to the new entrepreneurs he mentors as they embark on their own entrepreneurial journeys.
Mike owns and operates a legal practice where he primarily works with small businesses and entrepreneurs. When he is not practicing law, he spends his time working at his other startup—a whisky distillery—or volunteering as a medic in disaster areas worldwide. Since becoming a HumberLaunch mentor in 2014, Mike has been an active coach, mentoring entrepreneurs and providing legal advice at numerous HumberLaunch events. As an entrepreneur himself, he is in an ideal position to work with startups and help other entrepreneurs face the same business challenges that he does.
"HUMBERLAUNCH HAS CONNECTED US WITH ADVISORS THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO OUR SUCCESS AND MENTORS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FROM THE START."
Craig Petten,
Co-founder, Aqua Greens
"QUITE OFTEN YOU LEARN YOUR LESSONS BY DOING AND MAKING MISTAKES. IF THE ENTREPRENEURS HERE HAVE THE OPPORUNITY TO LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES, THEN EVERYONE'S A LITTLE FURTHER FORWARD."
Mike Hook,
Mentor
In April, HumberLaunch hosted its first ever Entrepreneur Awards, honoring the success of member entrepreneurs and the contribution of mentors.
An evening of celebrations was held in Humber’s student-run restaurant, The Humber Room, where fifty attendees from Humber and the community gathered to honor the award recipients. Among the attendees were special guests Deputy Mayor Vincent Crisanti and Shantanu Mittal, Business Development Manager at OCE, who presented awards to the winners.
“IT’S A LOT OF FUN TO WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WITH ENERGY THAT WANT TO START A BUSINESS.”
Steve Bang,
Faculty Member The Business School
Winner: Zak Katz from Embr Events
Runner-up: Mike Mathieson from Possibly with Dynamite
Winner: Tim O’Reilly from SoundStill Production
Runner-up: Marlene Sammy from Branch
Yoga & Wellness
Winner: Aqua Greens
Runner-up: Possibly with Dynamite
Winner: Ansik Inc.
Runner-up: Aqua Greens
Winner: Steve Bang
Runner-up: Elizabeth Fenuta
THE HUMBERLAUNCH TEAM:
CHERYL MITCHELL, SARAH LENARCIC,
BRAM CHERUN, MARISA TOMASSI
3180 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
Toronto, ON M8V 1L7
humber.ca/humberlaunch
General Inquiries: humberlaunch@humber.ca
HumberLaunch Program Manager
cheryl.mitchell@humber.ca
416-675-6622 ext. 79251
Community Outreach Project Coordinator
sarah.lenarcic@humber.ca
416-675-6622 ext. 79252
Program Assistant
bram.cherun@humber.ca
416-675-6622 ext. 79250
Program Assistant
marisa.tomassi@humber.ca
416-675-6622 ext. 79254