The first by a charitable foundation in Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg Foundation (UWF) has created a new initiative where graduate students and faculty members working on cutting-edge research projects pitched their ideas to a select group of local investors for a chance to receive funding for their projects.
From alternative methods for testing chemical toxicity in the Canadian arctic, and the effect Indigenous police forces have on improving relations with Indigenous communities, to research on the health benefits of early life maternal diets in infants and the link it shares with later-life health outcomes for offspring, investors heard presentations and had a chance to ask questions.
"The idea behind this new initiative we've called the Venture Fund Group, was designed to connect a younger generation of donors with researchers working to solve key scientific and social challenges," said Javier Schwersensky, UWF President and CEO. "The strength of this group comes from both the generosity of its members, and the freedom they have as investors to choose where they believe their funding will have the greatest positive impact."
As part of the Venture Fund Group, each investor can pledge up to $5,000 of their own capital towards the group's pool of funds that the UWF will match dollar for dollar. Some investors have also tapped into their networks and raised an even higher amount in support of UWinnipeg's researchers.
The five investors, each with a connection to UWinnipeg or the Collegiate, are: Liz Choi, CEO of the Education of Canada Group; Jaclyn Christie, Vice President of Marketing at Payworks; Vinay Iyer, a Senior Enterprise Account Executive in Amazon Web Services Financial Services; Rohith Mascarenhas, Director, Regional Underwriting Operations for the Central Region at Wawanesa Insurance; and Liz Simmie, Co-founder of Honeytree Investment Management.
"I went into the meeting thinking it was going to be like Dragon's Den, which it certainly was, but it was also an enjoyable afternoon of graduate level lectures on a broad range of highly interesting topics," said Simmie. "What I enjoyed the most is learning about four completely different areas of graduate and faculty research going on at UWinnipeg, straight from the experts. Being a part of this initiative will help bridge the activities of the school's key stakeholders - students and faculty - with those willing to invest in their wonderful research and education."
