91ÅÝܽ

In February 2025, 44 SFU students and staff embarked on an 8-week journey of teamwork, tenacity, and innovation through Catalyst – Entrepreneurship Challenge, a new program out of the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship designed to explore real-world problem spaces and develop creative solutions.
The challenge concluded on April 4 with a live pitch competition at SFU Harbour Centre — celebrating the ideas, collaboration, and entrepreneurial growth of every participant.

The Challenge: Rethinking Public Transit

Twelve interdisciplinary teams responded to a real-world opportunity presented by community partner TransLink: develop innovative ideas to improve public transit in Metro Vancouver. Challenge themes included:

• Accessibility

• User experience

• Social and community impact

This unique partnership brought together student passion and public sector expertise — bridging innovation with civic need.

How It Worked

Participants were supported by a mix of resources:

• Skill-Building Workshops 
  Hands-on sessions in problem identification, pitching and visual prototyping led by experienced entrepreneurs, including Chang Institute Mentor-in-Residence Doug Fast.

• Founder Inspiration 
  Fireside chats with local founders like Brandon Chapman (Advisor Flow), Alex McGovern (ODEN Health Solutions), and Mentor-in-Residence Rochelle Grayson highlighted the realities of entrepreneurial growth, modeling resilience, failure and navigating the startup process.

• Entrepreneurial Toolkit 
  Teams used SPARK, an online pre-incubation workbook developed by the Chang Institute with curated training modules to guide problem discovery, validation, and solution design.

• Mentorship & Executive Access 
  Teams received one-on-one support through Mentor Meet as well as office hours with TransLink executives.

The Results

Students and staff from across SFU tackled big transit questions with empathy, creativity and bold innovation. Finalist teams were recognized for their ability to identify real-world transit challenges and user-centered thinking:

• SkyConnect (1st Place – $1,000) 
  From SFU’s Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, this team tackled a gap in family-friendly transit. After field research and rider interviews, they proposed a child-friendly SkyTrain unit — a concept being piloted in other international transit networks.

"I am beyond proud of my team and I, SkyConnect, for our win in the 2025 Catalyst competition. This was an amazing opportunity.  I am grateful to have been able to experience it and form new connections along the way"

• Experience Consulting (2nd Place – $500) 
  This cross-campus team (including staff and both grad and undergrad students) reimagined transit fares with a tiered model designed to enhance payment experiences.

• TransLink One (3rd Place – $250) 
  A team of SFU Beedie MBA students developed a seamless, user-focused approach to simplify the fare system.

Each team demonstrated curiosity, collaboration, and a strong grasp of real user needs — key ingredients in any entrepreneurial journey.

Pitch Event Highlights

The final event at SFU Harbour Centre brought energy, celebration, and connection, where teams pitched their solutions to a panel of judges from TransLink, the Chang Institute, and industry.

From TransLink: 
“It was inspiring to partner with SFU on this initiative. The creativity and fresh thinking on display are qualities that matter in any industry. We’re excited to see how Catalyst grows as a launchpad for the next generation of innovators and future leaders.�

Why It Matters

At the heart of Catalyst — and all Chang Institute programs — is the belief that entrepreneurship is a process of discovery. Mistakes are integral to learning and failing forward is an essential part of the entrepreneurial mindset development. And every iteration brings students closer to creating real-world impact.

The inaugural offering of this program not only delivered bold ideas for transit but also helped students develop skills in collaboration, problem-solving, and leadership.  This Catalyst Challenge is just the beginning. Feedback collected from students, mentors and partners will help shape and strengthen future iterations of the program. 

Coming Fall 2025: Catalyst Returns

Catalyst is back in Fall 2025 — in collaboration with both a new SFU student club and a new community partner. This next edition will invite even more students to tackle real-world challenges with innovation and heart.

Want to keep building?

Explore programs from the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship open to all SFU students, staff and faculty:

• Apply any semester for Entrepreneurship Co-op (eCo-op) or Entrepreneurship Grad (eGrad) in Spring 2026

• Enter the Idea Prize competition (Spring 2026)

• Take an entrepreneurship or innovation course (every semester), enroll in the transformational Technology Entrepreneurship @SFU (Fall 2025) program or declare for the Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship

• Access mentoring online through Mentor Meet (year-round), attend an in-person Pitch Social (monthly) or participate in many other year-round events.

• When you’re ready, explore entry requirements for the Chang Institute’s startup incubator

Whether you're a first-time innovator or already exploring your next big idea, we're here to help you take the next step.

Thank You

This pilot was made possible by an incredible community:

• Community Partner: 

• Club Partner:  + the student team

• Donor: Marion Man and Scott Shaw

• And to our mentors, judges, speakers, and volunteers — thank you!