Startup Certified helps co-op students get entrepreneurial experience

Ryerson students looking to get co-op experience in the fast-paced world of start-ups are getting a boost – from their fellow students.

Startup Certified, a program in partnership with Sandbox by DMZ, funds co-op positions with lean startup companies, was launched by students for students, using funds from the Ted Rogers Students Society (TRSS).

Al Goss, TRSM’s Associate Dean, Students, explains, “When we set up the co-op program at TRSM, we wanted to find a way to give our students entrepreneurial startup opportunities, but unfortunately, startups are rarely in a position to pay for co-op students. The Startup Certified program offers a solution to this.”

TRSM students and TRSS President Nav Marwah and his members were behind this program, which offers a series of workshops developed in collaboration with the DMZ that focus on the skills startups want in a co-op student. 

After completing the workshops, which are free and open to anyone in the Ryerson community, students are able to access a $200,000 fund that will subsidize any startup that hires a TRSM co-op student. The funds will cover up to 50% of the cost of a co-op placement, which means students can actually be placed in new ventures. Since it started, the program has had over 500 workshop participants. 

Marwah explains, "As a membership-driven organization, we're constantly looking to find ways to enrich our students' experience.  Startup Certifed not only provides more opportunities for students to have placements within startups, but also ensures they have the necessary entrepreneurial skills to be successful."  

TRSS’s goal is to raise $400,000 over four years for this initiative, and they are on track to achieve this.  To date, 23 student business plans have been submitted for funding, and 10 positions at DMZ startups are being funded through Startup Certified. 

“The Startup Certified program is allowing students, seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts to collaborate in ways that weren’t possible in the past,” says Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of the DMZ. “Our startups have witnessed how TRSM students can effectively contribute to the growth of their business and our city’s tech sector.”