User:Samjura/sandbox

The Organization and Mission
The Next 36 is a educational organization created in 2010 by Canadian entrepreneurial leaders. The mission of the program is to increase Canadian prosperity by developing Canada’s next generation of high impact entrepreneurs.

The People
The Next 36 was modeled after a successful of course taught by volunteer professor and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu. For six years, his course, “Economics of Entrepreneurship,” was rated the top course out of 400 undergraduate courses taught at the University of Toronto. Satchu in 2010 spearheaded The Next 36 with a group of Canadian business leaders, entrepreneurs, and academics. The four co-founders are Tim Hodgson, Co-Chair, is Special Advisor to the Bank of Canada, previously CEO of Goldman Sachs Canada; Ajay Agrawal, Peter Munk Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School, is Academic Director; Claudia Hepburn, social entrepreneur and education policy expert, is Executive Director; Reza Satchu, Co-Chair, is serial entrepreneur, University of Toronto Professor, and winner of the “Top 40 Under 40” award.

The Program
Started by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, The Next 36 provides a series of life changing experiences and relationships to young Canadians with the potential to build and lead great organizations. Each year, 36 undergraduates are selected from a variety of academic disciplines, and from across Canada, through a rigorous national selection process. The young entrepreneurs build a business in the mobile or tablet space together in teams of four.

For 8 months they are provided mentorship from some of Canada’s top business leaders. Past mentors have included business mentors including Facebook's Jordan Banks and Joseph Canavan, up to $50,000 cash from top Venture Capitalists, and academic instruction from some of the world’s top faculty. The program is spearheaded by a founding group of 50 high-profile business leaders, entrepreneurs, and academics. I

Partners and Friends fo The Next 36
A number of Canadian academic instituions have partnered with The Next 36 to help achieve an increase in Canadian Prosperity. University of Toronto is the founding academic partner and has been since joined by Ryerson University, McGill University, University of Waterloo and University of British Columbia.

An impressive group of founding donors is personally involved with the 36 students and program governance. Founding Patrons are Paul Desmarais, Sr., Galen Weston and Jimmy Pattison.

A number of notable organizations have also alligned with the program including MaRS Discovery District and corporate partners Ernst & Young and Rogers Communications.