Student Entrepreneurship & Innovation Fellowship announced at Top 50 program kick-off
Ten Ted Rogers School of Management students will be able to focus on building their start-up venture this summer thanks to the support of the new Student Entrepreneurship & Innovation Fellowship.
The fellowship, a $150,000 annual investment in student founders at the Ted Rogers School, was announced at the Top 50 Student Entrepreneur Program Kick-off held at the school on May 4, 2026. Ten students from the Top 50 Student Entrepreneur Program will each receive a $15,000 fellowship, equivalent to a summer salary, so they can focus on their venture. The funding is part of Ted Rogers School’s recent $12.5 million gift from an anonymous donor to elevate student success.
Top 50 program
The Top 50 Student Entrepreneur Program is a collaboration between the Ted Rogers School and Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Zone Learning designed to support students at early stages of venture development – from identifying their first idea through their first sales.
“This donation and its support of the Top 50 program is a game changer,” said John MacRitchie, AVP, Zone Learning. “It will give founders the runway to accelerate their ventures over the summer – speed and focus can make all the difference in the development of your venture.”
The Top 50 program connects academic learning, incubator resources and external mentorship to help students build skills, test ideas and develop ventures with greater clarity and support. It is intentionally designed to engage students early and provide a structured pathway through TMU’s broader entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“When creating the Top 50 program, our priority was to find every way possible to push boundaries,” says Ryan Wilock, Top 50 program’s Lead Mentor. “These new fellowships have shifted that mission into high gear. We are no longer just providing programming and a platform for mentorship; we are now giving students the direct financial support needed to turn their 'Wicked Problems' into viable, real-world solutions.”
“By gaining these tangible, future-ready skills, our students are redefining what’s possible at the Ted Rogers School and Zone Learning,” he adds. “This fellowship makes an initiative I already love even more rewarding, and I am honoured to help lead the way into this incredible future."
Specifically, the Top 50 program mentors selected Ted Rogers School students to apply to Zone Learning programs and the school’s Entrepreneurship courses to learn and practice what is most relevant to the development of their business at the time that they need it. In doing so, it integrates academic and co-curricular experiences into a single, guided journey tailored to each student’s stage of development.
“A lack of funding can be a barrier to student entrepreneurship. While our students have great ideas and are highly motivated, the need to earn a summer salary can crowd out their ability to realize these aspirations,” says Dr. Kim Bates, Chair, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Ted Rogers School. “This fellowship program will remove that barrier for ten talented individuals, and I could not be more pleased that this donor is willing to give our students a chance to realize their dreams.”
Kick-off event
Attendees of the Top 50 Student Entrepreneur Program Kick-off event included Ted Rogers School students, the Top 50 program’s inaugural cohort, alumni, colleagues and partners.
At the event, Ted Rogers School Dean Cynthia Holmes acknowledged the many people who contributed to bringing the Top 50 program to life across Ted Rogers School, Zone Learning and the broader university community.
“As Dean, I want to open every door for you,” she said to the students in the room. “The foundation is curriculum, but this program is an opportunity. Yes, to launch your venture, but also building a mindset – the ability to take initiative, to navigate uncertainty, to create opportunities and to move ideas forward in whatever path you choose.”
“You now have access — to people, to programs and to an ecosystem that is designed to support you,” she added. “The more you engage with it, the more you’ll get out of it.”
MacRitchie agreed, saying that the Top 50 program connects that ecosystem to students’ experience at the Ted Rogers School — linking entrepreneurship courses with Zone programs to give them one clear, navigable pathway for your venture.
“Whatever stage you're at, there's a next step, and we'll help you find it,” he said. “Because what you're stepping into here is not just a program — you're joining a community that's already in motion.”
Guests at the event also heard from TMU President Mohamed Lachemi and Provost and Vice-President, Academic (and TMU’s next President) Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano on the role of entrepreneurship and experiential learning at the university, and Ted Rogers School alumnus and founder Emanuel Tsiris on early-stage venture development and the challenges and lessons learned.
Valuable opportunity
Here is what a few students from the Top 50 program’s first cohort said about their experience so far:
"The Top 50 program has equipped me with valuable skills and provided opportunities to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams. As someone who previously hesitated to begin due to concerns about potential failure, participating in the program has given me an understanding of how to start a business, while also offering practical experiences to apply my knowledge. Ryan Wilock has been nothing short of helpful in assisting me and other new entrepreneurs to build their network and progress our ideas forward at an unprecedented rate. I look forward to what we can achieve together and what the future holds for our cohort. I know it will be nothing short of exciting!" — Stefan Markovic, Global Management Studies student
"The Top 50 program and its Fellowship will be crucial to strengthen and scale the entrepreneurship ecosystem at the Ted Rogers School of Management. My startup journey began at the Science Discovery Zone, where I learned the foundations of evidence-based innovation and the process of validating assumptions. Since the day I joined, I have stayed passionate about learning from each of our innovation hubs on campus like the IBZ and the DMZ, with the goal of bridging the gap between ideation and implementation. As a Ted Rogers School student, I see the Top 50 program as the necessary segment of our business school to give the courageous, ambitious entrepreneurs an opportunity to learn from industry veterans, scale their ventures and challenge themselves to become better problem solvers.” — Zain Malik, Global Management Studies student
"The Top 50 program has completely changed how I approach entrepreneurship as a student. It created an environment where ambitious students are no longer just talking about ideas, but actively building, testing and learning how to turn them into real ventures with support from mentors and advisors who genuinely want to see us succeed.
What stands out most to me is how the program bridges the gap between potential and execution. A lot of students have strong ideas and the drive to pursue them, but they often lack access to guidance, community and early-stage resources. The Fellowship represents a huge step forward because it gives students the opportunity to take calculated risks and pursue innovation at a level that would otherwise feel out of reach.
As someone currently developing a startup concept through the program, being surrounded by peers who constantly challenge and motivate each other has been incredibly valuable. The culture around the Top 50 pushes students to think beyond assignments and begin solving real-world problems with meaningful impact.” — Onuvhob Taher, Economics & Management Science student
“It goes deeper than rock bottom. It’s with my every attempt ending with failure that pushes me down further than I thought possible. Clothing brands, content creation, AI and self improvement apps were all met with failure. Being surrounded by entrepreneurs, students or investors, flourishing or at their breaking point, made me realize a crucial fact: the journey will be met with failure. Each and every one of those individuals in that room had at one point hit rock bottom. What separates us is our resilience and our ability to consistently start over from zero, our spark burning brighter with each attempt. That’s what makes us the Top 50. That’s what makes us entrepreneurs. — Aden Lee, Entrepreneurship & Strategy student