BEST Lab Startup, SkyGauge’s founders featured Forbes Top 30 Under 30
Congratulations to Lassonde BEST Lab Startup, Skyguage Robotics, and founders Nikita Ilushkin and Linar Ismagilov for being featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Manufacturing & Industry Category. Linar is a Lassonde student [...]
Students take on sustainability challenges at UNHack weekend
Lassonde’s Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science & Technology (BEST) program hosted UNHack 2021 from November 19 to 21. This weekend of experiential learning allowed undergraduate students from various post-secondary to work in teams with grade 11 [...]
York University hosts 2021 virtual STEM Entrepreneurship Experience
Twenty high-school students from across Canada gathered virtually last week for the 2021 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Entrepreneurship Experience hosted by York University's Lassonde School of Engineering. Delivered by the Bergeron Entrepreneurs [...]
Third Cohort of BEST Certificate Graduates
We'd like to extend our congratulations to the third cohort of the BEST Certificate graduates, who completed the program in spring 2021. Read below to see what our graduates had to say about the [...]
BEST Technology Impact Prize 2020-2021 Winners Announced
The 2020-2021 BEST Technology Impact Prize winners have been announced at the Lassonde School of Engineering Capstone Day, an annual exhibit showcasing the ability, ingenuity and diversity of Lassonde’s graduating students. Team K (Lithium Prime) [...]
Electrical Engineering student, Olga Klushina, named 2021 Bergeron Medal Recipient
Each year, a top graduating student from the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University is awarded the Bergeron Medal by the Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (BEST) program. The award goes to a [...]
Students pitch business ideas as part of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Ventures course
In early April, nine groups of students from the Lassonde School of Engineering and the Schulich School of Business at York University pitched their business ideas as part of the BEST Certificate’s Entrepreneurship and Technology Ventures course (ENTR [...]
BEST Startup Experience 2021 – Transform Your Business
The BEST Program, at the Lassonde School of Engineering, hosted the BEST Startup Experience from March 5th – March 7th. “The BEST Startup Experience offers students a unique opportunity to be immersed in solving [...]
9th Mercier Seminar Series – Do What You Love
On January 28, 2020, BEST Program virtually hosted the 9th Mercier Seminar featuring keynote speaker, Susan Niczowski, Founder and President of Summer Fresh. Susan presented to over 200 York University students promoting the vision [...]
BEST Entrance Award Recipients – Fall 2020
Congrats to the 2020 BEST Entrance Award recipients. This Award recognizes evidence of entrepreneurial initiatives (leadership and/or involvement in enterprising activities) at high school and is awarded to incoming Lassonde students at York University. Recipients are: Ayana [...]
TOGETHER 2021 Ignites Student Entrepreneurs in India and Canada
Schulich School of Business and BEST at Lassonde School of Engineering partnered with Startup India to kick off TOGETHER 2021, a seven-day virtual Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and Venture Competition earlier this month. Backed by global organizations, leading entrepreneurs and [...]
UNHACK 2020: Design Solutions, Impact Lives
On November 20th - 22nd, Lassonde’s BEST Program hosted UNHack 2020; a 3 Day experiential learning Design Sprint. Over 230 participants engaged in an intensive interactive online experience, learning about the Design Sprint process, [...]
DrCar: A Lassonde-Schulich Startup wins most Impactful Tech Award.
It was the beginning of the lockdown in April 2020 when Utkarsh P. (BSc ‘21) and Abhinav S. (MBA’ 20) sat across a dinner table lamenting about their mechanics and car repair experience. After discovering [...]
DrCar and Engamio win BEST Most Impactful Technology Application Award at Schulich Startup Night 14
With the ongoing pandemic, Schulich Startup Night (SSN) took place virtually in November 2020, with a pitch competition and fireside chat. This bi-annual event gives students and alumni an opportunity to pitch their business ideas [...]
8th Mercier Seminar Series – BE BOLD,DREAM,BEGIN.
On October 27, 2020, BEST hosted the 8th Mercier Seminar featuring keynote speaker, James Temerty, Founder of Northland Power, philanthropist and business executive. “Be Bold, Dream, Begin” are the keywords that James Temerty lives by as an entrepreneur. At his early young age, he always sought to do things differently and was [...]
Pueblo Science’s Hackathon
Sustainability-themed low-cost science experiments created by students around the globe at Pueblo Science’s hackathon BEST/Lassonde had the honor of supporting this Hackathon and have Lisa Cole, Director of K2I Academy at Lassonde School of Engineering, [...]
Virtual STEM Entrepreneurship bootcamp 2020
Young innovators attend virtual bootcamp to help bring STEM projects to market Ten bright minds from Canada’s science fair community alongside with 17 other students (incoming Lassonde students and other high school students) wrapped up [...]
Second Cohort of the BEST Certificate Graduates
BEST Lab is so proud as they have the second cohort of the BEST Certificate graduates. The BEST Certificate is a transcripted certificate that integrates technology, law, and business into creative problem-solving and innovation [...]
Bergeron Medal Recipients 2020 – Theresa & Semi
Each year, a top student graduating from the Lassonde School of Engineering is selected to receive the Bergeron Medal in recognition of their academic and entrepreneurial achievements in the Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and [...]
Playcoco wins BEST Most Impactful Technology Application Award at Schulich Startup Night 13
In June 2020, Schulich Startup Night edition 13th took place virtually. The bi-annual event attracted nearly 150 students, alumni and industry professionals and gave students and alumni an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a [...]
Scholars’ Hub – Innovation During times of Disruption
On Wednesday April 22nd, 2020, Dr. Maxwell shared insights from his research on the challenges of innovating at the York University Scholars’ Hub @ Home speaker series . In this lecture, following Albert Einstein's [...]
Intro to Design Thinking by Andrew Maxwell
BEST partnered with BattleSnake for the“Stay Home and Code” event, a two-week online programming league raising money for Food Bank Canada. On Tuesday April 21st, 2020 , Dr. Maxwell ran a live workshop about “Introduction [...]
Start-up focused on supporting Indigenous artisans wins pitch competition & coveted spot in BESTLab
In early April, five groups of students from the Lassonde School of Engineering, Schulich School of Business and the Faculty of Health at York University pitched their business ideas as part of the BEST [...]
Lassonde Students Win Global Case Competition
BEST Lab has supported a team of Lassonde students who won the global Engineering & Commerce Case Competition (ENGCOMM) hosted by Concordia University in Montreal. The international case competition hosted 14 teams from around [...]
Ernest C. Mercier Lecture 2020
On March 2, 2020 the Lassonde School of Engineering and Schulich School of Business hosted the annual Ernest C. Mercier Lecture in Entrepreneurial Science. The lecture featured keynote speaker Eva Lau, Co-Founder of Two [...]
Mercier Seminar with Karen Lai
On February 4th, BEST Lab hosted its 7th Mercier Seminar at Lassonde School of Engineering with Karen Lai, the President and CEO of KPM Power. Karen studied Mechanical Engineering and worked in industry for [...]
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
MAKE SOMEONE FEEL SPECIAL THIS YEAR! https://vimeo.com/380512315
BEST Pitch Award at Schulich Startup Night (November 2019)
On November 7th, BEST lab students pitched at Alumni and student category at Schulich Startup Night the 12th Edition. YuRide, a startup based in the BEST Lab, founded by Artem Solovey, Vladimir Martinsov and Yash [...]
BEST Entrance Award Recipients- Fall 2019
On November 26th, BEST Lab held a special ceremony for the 2019 BEST Entrance Award recipients which recognizes evidence of entrepreneurial initiatives (leadership and/or involvement in enterprising activities) at high school and is awarded to incoming [...]
6th Mercier Seminar – From Research Lab into the Universe
On November 26th, BEST Lab hosted its 6th Mercier Seminar at Lassonde School of Engineering with Dr. Benton Leong one of the co-founders of MapleSoft. Benton joined the University of Waterloo in 1980 and [...]
BEST Startup Experience
On the weekend of November 8th - 10th, Lassonde’s BEST Program (Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology) hosted its inaugural Startup Experience Weekend sponsored by Rogers and KPM Power. 200 High-School, College, and University [...]
The 5th Mercier Seminar: Breeding the Global Engineer, Engineering with Soul
On September 26, the BEST Lab hosted the 5th Mercier Seminar featuring keynote speaker, Dr. Mark Talesnick. He discussed design and sustainable engineering solutions concerning problems in developing communities during his talk, Breeding the Global [...]
Building a Better Drone for a “Workforce in the Sky”
Today’s drones are highly mobile, but lack the precision to perform contact inspections. Nikita Iliushkin’s firm, VPT, has come up with a unique rotor design that could lead to what he calls “a workforce [...]
Vector Propulsion Technologies (VPT)- BEST Lab Startup raised $250,000 and got accepted to HAX program:
Exciting success story for Linar and Nikita (VPT) who graduated from the BEST Lab. They raised $250,000 USD and they got accepted to HAX Accelerator (the World’s first and largest Hardware Accelerator). VPT is [...]
Engineering for Developing Communities (EDC) Course 2019-Ethiopia
Written by Hiba Haddad (one of the students who took this course) In Summer 2019 (July 21-August 14), BEST sent six students to the EDC program in Ethiopia. Putting the time I spent in EDC [...]
Canada-Wide Science Fair scholarship winners attend STEM bootcamp at York University
Nineteen students who earned scholarships at the 2019 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) attended a STEM Entrepreneurship Bootcamp at York University from Aug. 11 to 16. The event was organized by York University’s Bergeron Entrepreneurs [...]
Shad York 2019
Written by: Angela Zhou Edited by: Teo Capitano, Jessie Huang, Tristan Paranavitana, Lola Oyefeso, Sehaj Singh, Hossein Raeisi, Clare Tsai, and Thilini Wijesekera. Every Shad campus has a beginning. 2019 was the beginning of a [...]
SHAD York hosts Open Day
Throughout the month of July, the Lassonde School of Engineering has been host to SHAD York, a program that offers 56 high-school students from across Canada the chance to enjoy an outstanding experiential education experience [...]
First cohort of BEST Certificate Graduates:
BEST Lab is so proud as they have first cohort of the BEST Certificate graduates. The BEST Certificate is a transcripted certificate that integrates technology, law and business into creative problem-solving and innovation and [...]
Bergeron Medal Recipient: Mitchell Palmer
Each Year, one top student in the Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.) program will be identified and awarded the Bergeron Medal for their academic achievement in the B.E.S.T. program. This unique interdisciplinary [...]
International Experiential Learning- Technion-York Program
On April 29 to May 28, 2019, a group of eighteen students attended an entrepreneurship program at the Technion – Institute of Technology. Under the guidance of Program Directors: Dr. Andrew Maxwell, Helen Leighton, [...]
The BEST Lab represented the School at the 2019 Canada Wide Science Fair
The Canada Wide Science Fair (CWSF) brings science, technology, engineering and math out of the classroom – tasking youth with finding STEM-based solutions to real world issues. CWSF is a celebration of Canada’s brightest young [...]
York University designated a Canadian SHAD campus
On March 27, York University and SHAD executives joined for the public announcement that York University was being designated as a Canadian SHAD campus, joining the likes of Queen’s, Ryerson and McMaster universities. Including York University, [...]
BEST Prize for Most Innovative Idea at Launch Weekend
BEST Prize for Most Innovative Idea at Launch Weekend awarded to safety technology The Entrepreneurship Development Association (EDA) and the BEST Lab co-hosted Launch Weekend on March 15th – 17th at the Bergeron Centre. Teams [...]
BEST Entrepreneurship Prize at HackLassonde
BEST Entrepreneurship Prize goes to two sustainable solutions for ice & snow removal On March 9-10, HackLassonde (Sustainable Hackathon for a Sustainable Future) hosted over 200 high school and university students from across Ontario. The [...]
BEST Pitch Award at Schulich Startup Night (March 2019)
On March 7th, The BEST Lab Award for Most Impactful Technology was awarded to the company Novaly Studios by Max Vivier at the 11th Schulich Start-Up Night. Vivier, like many students, enjoys playing video games. [...]
Mercier Lecture: Dr. Allan Carswell – Entrepreneurs: Born? Or Created?
Ernest C. Mercier Lecture: Dr. Allan Carswell: Entrepreneurs: Born? Or Created? The BEST Lab presented the Mercier Lecture on November 7th featuring Dr. Allan Carswell as the guest speaker, and hosted more [...]
4th Mercier Seminar: How Start-ups Fail and Why A Few Succeed On Entrepreneurship as an Art
The BEST Lab presented the first Mercier Seminar Series event of the year on October 22nd. The Director of the BEST Lab at Lassonde, Dr. Andrew Maxwell, was pleased to welcome his colleague and [...]
Developing Innovative Capabilities and Mindset
Why developing innovative capabilities can make you more competitive Innovation is about responding to customers Innovation is a term thrown around a lot in business circles these days, but it’s often misunderstood. Innovation isn’t the [...]
Lyofresh Technologies 2nd place in the Food Security Social Innovation Challenge
Student startup Lyofresh Technologies wins $15,000 at World Vision Social Innovation Competition Student startup Lyofresh Technologies is one step closer towards bringing healthy food to everyone, anywhere. Founded by Nicholas Steele, a York University alumnus (MA ’18, [...]
Technion 2018
Lassonde, Schulich students visit Israel for an immersive learning experience Twenty-four students from York University took part in an experiential learning opportunity in Israel, focused on technology entrepreneurship. Every year, the International Experiential Learning partnership [...]
C- Lab Pitch Night
On March 7, C-Lab at The BlockchainHub based in BEST Lab organized the "Blockchain Startup Competiotion" where Blockchain start-ups presented their grounbreaking ideas to a panel of renowned judges and industry experts coming from all across [...]
3rd Mercier Seminar on “The World Most Innovative Cities”
3rd Mercier Seminar on “The World Most Innovative Cities” On January 15th, nearly 100 students heard and shared their opinions about the World Most Innovative Cities in the past, in the present and in the [...]
Lyofresh Technologies Tackle Food Waste featured Startup HERE Toronto
Super proud of Lyofresh Technologies BEST Lab Startup for this achievement. Looking forward to seeing them pitch at the LaunchYU Aird & Berlis LLP Market Entry Prize event this Thursday. https://startupheretoronto.com/type/profiles/lyofresh-technologies-tackles-food-waste-woes-with-low-cost-freeze-drying/
Abdullah Merei- “One to Watch” Bryden Award Recipient
Congratulations to our alumnus Abdullah Merei on receiving the “One to Watch” Bryden Award! Prof. Andrew Maxwell, Director of BEST was pleased to be a part of YorkU Bryden Award event and he appreciated Abdullah [...]
Christmas Video
Make Someone Feel Special This Year
BEST talked to Jess Joss, the Executive Director of York Angels
BEST had a great opportunity to talk to Jess Joss, the Executive Director of York Angels. York Angels is one of the top five groups of Angel Investors in Canada, and connects early stage ventures [...]
LaunchYU RevUP workshop on funding and Financing
On November 14th, Prof Andrew Maxwell was invited to share his insights into how to attract funding from Business Angels with 100 entrepreneurs attending the LaunchYU workshop. Drawing on his research, he shared insights into [...]
2nd Mercier Seminar on “Building Innovation Competencies”
2nd Mercier Seminar on “Building Innovation Competencies” On November 9th following a workshop with Lassonde and York faculty, more than 60 students heard insights into the future of university education from Dr. Thomas Carey (previously [...]
Lyofresh at Ontario Economic Summit
Lyofresh at Ontario Economic Summit On November 8th and 9th, Lyofresh was invited to the Ontario Economic Summit as a guest of York University. The event focused on the topic of a heavy investment in [...]
Lassonde Students Returned from EWB-Technion Course sponsored by BEST
Roger Carrick and Mitchell Palmer just returned from a 10-day sustainable community development course in Israel, combining community social work with sustainable development and engineering. Roger is a PhD student studying engineering design, and Mitch [...]
Professor Maxwell Presented at Dr. Tao’s Workshop
Professor Maxwell Presented at Dr. Tao’s Workshop On October 19th, Dr. Vincent Tao returned to campus to receive his Honorary Doctor Degree and be recognized for his academic and entrepreneurial achievements. As part of this [...]
Fresh Success: Lyofresh wins first prize at Schulich Startup Night!
It was an evening of accomplishments for Lyofresh Technologies (BESTLab Startup) and other student-run start-ups. Tuesday night marked the 8th Schulich Startup Night pitch event where Lyofresh Technologies achieved first place, winning the $2,500 prize, $15K [...]
Mercier Seminar on “Sources of Innovation for Entrepreneurs”
Standing room only for first Mercier Seminar on “Sources of Innovation for Entrepreneurs” The annual Mercier Lecture has been a very successful annual event, bring students from Lassonde and Schulich together to hear how [...]
BEST startup graduates LaunchYU program, wins award
September 29, 2017 Lyofresh Technologies is proud to have participated in Innovation York’s LaunchYU AccelerateUP business accelerator program, where over the course of four months and 24 workshop sessions the company has benefited from training, [...]
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies for Ladies
On August 3rd and August 9th, BlockchainHub the initiative at BEST Lab hosted meetings for Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies for ladies. “Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies for Ladies” series at BlockchainHub has been created for the ladies who [...]
Lassonde and BEST host Vincent Tao – Chairman and Founder of Global Earth Investment Group
On August 1st, Lassonde school of engineering hosted Vincent Tao, the chairman and founder of global earth investment group, accompanied by York’s president, Rhonda Lenton. [...]
Lassonde teams up with FIRST Robotics Canada
Dr. Terry Sachlos as part of a team with the Lassonde School of Engineering has partnered with First Robotics Canada to host the First Robotics competition from March 23-25, 2018. Read more HERE [...]
BlockChainHub Meetup
On July 20th, over 300 inquisitive minds from the York and Toronto technology community came [...]
BEST STEM Boot-Camp
On the last week of July, BESTLab hosted its first STEM Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, where some of Canada’s brightest young minds joined Lassonde incoming students to transform their science projects into viable businesses. This [...]
First Lego league (junior competition)
BEST Lab hosted First Lego league (junior competition) in partnership with Lassonde School of Engineering on May 13, 2017 [...]
BEST’s Bergeron Medal was awarded to Oskar Niburski
An annual distinction given to two of the top students in the BEST program will be awarded the Bergeron Medal for obtaining entrepreneurial achievements while at Lassonde. This year, BEST’s Bergeron Medal was awarded [...]
Ernest C. Mercier Lecture in Entrepreneurial Science 2016 – Featuring Mr. Suneer Singh Tuli!
“Connecting the Forgotten Billions” Thursday, February 5, 2015 Robert E. McEwen Auditorium Schulich Business School, York University Presented by: Mr. Suneer Singh Tuli Founder and CEO of DataWind Ltd. Raised $30 million IPO [...]
Mercier Lecture and Workshop 2017 – Featuring John Baker!
Click to Visit the Website! Read More Here Mercier Lecture Invitation Mercier Lecture Workshop Invitation
Entrepreneurship Development Association- Workshop #5
Marketing and Sales Strategies for Startups Join us to learn: How to market your product and/or services to potential clients The importance of subscriptions Client acquisition vs client values Click here for our facebook page
Technion Info Session #2!
Topic: Information Session on International Experience Program Date & Time: Monday, 6th Feb; 1:00 – 2:30 pm Venue: Bergeron Centre Room 125 Description: Participate in a 3-week program focused on Entrepreneurship at Technion University in Haifa, Israel, in the summer of 2017 [...]
Startup Weekend 2017!
Startup Weekend is a 54 hour event that brings together York Region designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and experts from all domains to do amazing things. All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is [...]
Startup Updates
Alpine Express: Olivia went to the Toronto Snow Show last month and learned about many ski resorts, manufacturers, and trainers. It was a great networking opportunity, and some of the people have expressed interest in [...]