Big Dreams

Their ventures are as diverse as the Commerce and MBA graduates who plan to launch them, with help from QSB’s Dare to Dream internship program. This year’s interns are receiving up to $15,000 in funding to help them kick-start their new ventures. They’ll also have access to office space and an extensive network of contacts through QSB and the School’s Centre for Business Venturing.

Simon Hamilton and Ricky Chandarana, both MBA’11, are poised to launch Cibo Systems, which also scored a $150K business loan through the QSB-PELA CFDC competition. Their offering is a restaurant management system that covers conventional customer processes while leveraging social media.

Ali Khokhar, BCom’11, and Noman Hussein, BA’11, are launching Zaika Tiffin & Caterers, targeted towards the South Asian population in Kingston. Halal Pakistani and Indian meals will be produced and delivered to the doors of customers who hunger for authentic South Asian cuisine at home or at catered events.

MBA’11 classmates Travis Ratnam and Arthur Lui are the co-founders of Mangopolis Inc., a new entry in the online learning arena. They plan to launch a new kind of test preparation tool that will be accessible through web browsers and mobile phones.

Sammy Sing, BCom’11, is developing Price Buster, a mobile commerce network that provides retailers with information to create better promotion strategies while providing customers with purchasing incentives and price-comparison information by using their mobile devices.

“We’re very grateful to have this internship,” says Arthur, echoing sentiments expressed by all the interns. “Without it, we’d have to run this as a bare-bones operation.”

Adds Travis, “Working side-by-side with the other start-ups and having access to the interns who’ve gone before, hearing about their successes and failures—all this creates a mini-incubator for start-ups, so we’ll all be able to learn from each other.”