History of Entrepreneurship

Eric Morse becomes Executive Director of the Institute and the first full-time faculty member in the field of Entrepreneurship.

Lisa Colnett Chairs Entrepreneurship Advisory Council

Ivey introduces the New Venture Project, the foundational entrepreneurship course at the business school.

The Institute partners with KPMG Enterprise to create the QuantumShift™ program for mid-sized entrepreneurs.

Ron Close becomes Chair of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.

Ivey introduces the Certificate in Entrepreneurship for HBA & MBA Students; a suite of courses designed to provide students the resources they need to launch their entrepreneurial careers.

David Anyon becomes Chair of Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.

Pierre Morrissette, MBA ’72 provides a gift of $2.5 million, creating the Pierre L. Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship

Stewart Thornhill becomes Executive Director of the Pierre L. Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship.

David Wright becomes Chair of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.

David Simpson becomes Interim Executive Director of the Pierre L. Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship.

The Institute introduces the Ivey Entrepreneurship Bootcamp headed by Ash Singh, HBA '04.

Eric Morse returns to lead the Institute as Executive Director.

Institute adds undergraduate students to the Ivey Business Plan Competition.

The Institute partners with Western University to launch the first on-campus accelerator, The Western Accelerator.

In partnership with Ivey Academy, the Institute launched the FamilyShift Program, led by Dave Simpson, for next-generation leaders of family enterprises.

The Institute launches The Entrepreneur Podcast with Eric Morse and Eric Janssen as hosts.

Formation of the Morrissette Entrepreneurship Advisory Board led by Pierre Morrissette and Christian Lassonde.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute launched a virtual entrepreneurship course for all Western alumni titled, "Master the Entrepreneur Skillset."

Paul Sabourin becomes Chair of the Morrissette Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

Launches first edition of Western Angels' Demo Day, designed to bring together entrepreneurs and investors from the Western Community.

Investment from the Pierre L. Morrissette Family Foundation provides campus-wide access to entrepreneurial research, education and programming. The Institute is renamed Western Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship Powered by Ivey.

Morrissette Entrepreneurship launched the Founders Program, which provides selected students access to education, mentorship, a tuition bursary, and the opportunity to grow their entrepreneurial network on campus.

Morrissette Entrepreneurship partnered with RBC Future Launch and The Globe and Mail to launch The Founder’s Journey; a free online course that provides the step-by-step process of nurturing and growing a new venture.

$10M gift from Ronald D. Schmeichel gives rise to an entrepreneurship-centric building at Western University; the first of its kind in Canada.

Alexa Nick becomes Chair of the Morrissette Entrepreneurship Advisory Board

Morrissette Entrepreneurship launches the first Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) program for students in partnership with Shamez Viran, HBA '06.

Morrissette Entrepreneurship in partnership with Desjardins Group launched a new speaker series last fall to inspire students with stories of entrepreneurs from a variety of industries

The Institute partners with the President of Western University to launch The President's Challenge, an entrepreneurial competition seeking answers for Canada's healthcare crisis.

The Institute partners with the President of USC to launch USC Entrepreneurship Challenge, an entrepreneurial competition to better support other students in their everyday life.