No experience needed. No pressure.
Just start by exploring.

Entrepreneurship

What we mean by 'entrepreneurship'

At Bow Valley College, entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting a business. It’s a way of thinking and learning that helps you identify problems, explore opportunities, and turn ideas into action in your career, your community, or wherever you’re headed.

Entrepreneurial thinking will help you:

  • spot opportunities and challenges,
  • solve real-world problems,
  • test ideas before committing to them,
  • work with others across perspectives, and
  • adapt when things don’t go as planned.

Starting a business is one possible outcome — not the expectation. You can use entrepreneurial skills in many ways: as an employee, a creator, a community leader, or someone exploring what's next. That's why entrepreneurship at Bow Valley College focuses on hands-on learning, not theory alone.

Think entrepreneurially,
wherever you’re headed.

Three young women who are students sitting together indoors on a bench, talking and laughing. They have notebooks and bags beside them, enjoying a friendly conversation in a bright, sunlit space.
A group of young people in a gaming room sit around a table while one person stands at a whiteboard explaining a strategy with diagrams. Monitors display a video game, and the room is lit with blue and orange lights.

What the experience looks like

At Bow Valley College, entrepreneurship is learned by doing.

Real growth happens when you put ideas into action. Outside the classroom, you’ll practice your skills, try new approaches, and connect with others through workshops, applied projects, mentorship, and real-world challenges.

Learn

Build practical skills through workshops, courses, and activities focused on problem solving, creativity, and real-world application.

Experiment

Test ideas through projects and challenges in a low-risk environment - where learning matters more than getting it "right."

Connect

Learn alongside peers, instructors, mentors, and community partners - gaining new perspectives and support along the way.

Reflect

Build confidence by understanding what worked, what didn’t, and how to apply what you’ve learned to what comes next.

You can engage at your own pace - alongside your studies, not on top of them.

Participation is flexible and can take many forms. You can choose what fits your schedule and goals, without pressure to commit beyond what works for you. Some activities take only a few hours, while others run over several days or weeks. You may work independently or collaborate with others, and some experiences are open to all students while others are connected to specific courses or programs.

By taking part, you can:

  • Build practical skills through hands-on experience
  • Strengthen your confidence by applying what you learn
  • Explore new ideas, tools, and perspectives
  • Connect your learning to real-world situations

Each experience offers space to try, reflect, and grow.

Explore more

This is for you if you are...

psychiatry

Curious about new ideas

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Interested in solving problems

star_shine

Looking to build practical skills

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Unsure where to start but want to explore

There is no single path.

You can change direction as your interests evolve.

Support without pressure

Learning entrepreneurship can feel uncertain — and that’s expected.

At Bow Valley College, support is built into the experience so you can learn, try things out, and adjust without the pressure to succeed on the first attempt. Participation is flexible. You can choose what fits your schedule and goals, without pressure to commit beyond what works for you.

What support looks like:

volunteer_activism

guidance from instructors and facilitators

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opportunities to learn from mentors and peers

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access to college and community resources

partner_exchange

feedback focused on learning, not perfection

psychology

space to reflect, reset, and try again

Two women sit on a bench in a bright, modern space, smiling and chatting while using a laptop and a tablet. One wears glasses and braids; the other has an afro and wears glasses.
A person stands and speaks to a group of four people seated around a table in a brightly lit room, with large windows and light curtains in the background.
Two women sit on the floor between bookshelves in a library, smiling and reading a book together. One woman holds a pencil and wears glasses; both appear engaged and focused on the open book.

Types of support

Instructions & Faciliators

Experienced educators guide activities, explain expectations, and provide feedback as you work.

Peer Learning

You’ll have opportunities to connect with other students - sharing ideas, asking questions, and learning together.

Mentors

Where available, mentors from within the institution or the broader community may offer insight based on their lived and professional experience.

If you have questions, feel stuck, or just need to talk something through, there are people here to help. Support is available during scheduled sessions and activities.  Some programs may also offer follow-up conversations or office hours.

Get in touch

Current opportunities and what's coming up next

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Workshop/project/event name

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March
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Workshop/project/event name

Location of workshop/project/event
Detailed description goes here, and link to register if applicable.
March
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Workshop/project/event name

Location of workshop/project/event
Detailed description goes here, and link to register if applicable.
See all opportunities

Ways to get involved

VentureQuest

This is our flagship student entrepreneurship program, a 5-month long competition, free to enter for any active Bow Valley College student, where students can win up to $10,000. Started in 2014, VentureQuest has seen over 100 students design and launch their own companies, and shared in over $150,000 in prizes.



Students are coached through the process of ideation, selecting a target market, their sales and marketing strategy, business finance, and finally – putting together a compelling business plan and learning how to pitch their business to investors or potential customers.

Think you have what it takes?
Learn more & enter

Indie Ignition

Indie Ignition helps entrepreneurs in the Calgary region quickly develop and launch their creative and digital entertainment business ideas in three key areas: Esports Business, Game Development, and Film & Animation. 



The program is designed to take new founders through the ideation and validation stages of a business venture. This establishes a higher level of confidence as an entrepreneur and competence as a business owner. Indie
Ignition runs in 12-week cohorts with a separate cohort for each industry stream.

Learn more

Introduction to Entrepreneurship
(MGMT2901)

This course explores both the creation of an entrepreneurial venture as well as the development of an innovative, entrepreneurial and team approach to business. Students are challenged to develop an entrepreneurial mindset through engagement in a process that includes identifying entrepreneurial opportunities, testing business model attribute hypotheses, and presenting an entrepreneurial opportunity. Working through this process builds awareness of the experiences an entrepreneur will have in practice.



This course is offered through our Business Administration General Business Major diploma program.
Learn more about the
BA Diploma Program

When you’re ready, there are different ways to take your next step.

Start where you are. Choose what fits your interest, experience, and availability. There's no single starting point — just the one that's right for you.

Ready to Engage

View workshops & events
Take part in workshops, events, or hands-on learning opportunities that help you test ideas and build skills.

Already Studying

Get in touch
Find ways to add entrepreneurial learning to your program through projects, mentorship, or applied experiences.

You can change paths at any time and there’s no expectation to move faster than you’re ready for.

Entrepreneurship is a journey of learning.
We’re here to support you wherever yours begins.