There’s more than one way to be an entrepreneur. And not all of them involve coming up with an idea.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) is a popular avenue for aspiring entrepreneurs that involves buying a pre-existing business and scaling it towards a new level of success.
On October 26-27, Morrissette Entrepreneurship partnered with Shamez Virani, HBA ’06, and Braydon Myers of Alcorn Partners, to provide 20 students with the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.
The two-day program held at the Ivey Business School, included a variety of sessions from search and screening opportunities, to operating businesses with long-standing legacies. Each interactive session included real-life case studies that gave students a comprehensive outlook of the field, along with the challenges and rewards of acquiring and running a business.
The exclusive program was first introduced last fall and drew over 100 applications for its 2nd iteration.
ETA has a long history in the United States, thanks to programs at Harvard Business School and Stanford Business School. In Canada, Ivey has made a significant mark with the country’s first successful search fund being founded by Erik Mikkelsen, HBA ’06, and Rob Cherun, HBA ’04, of Auxo Management. They purchased a Toronto-based video surveillance firm and have since grown the venture through additional acquisitions and expansions, from 55 to over 1600 employees across North America.
The 2024 program included a host of guest speakers including Brenden Lee, Founder of SearchX, Greg Duggan, Co-Founder and CEO of Alcorn Partners, Ryan DeCaire, HBA ’14, CEO, Paw Prosper and Founding Partner, 3GP Capital, and formerly President of Geroline, and Erik Mikkelsen, HBA ’06, Managing Partner of Auxo Management and President and CRO of Stealth Monitoring.