REI

The Ryerson Entrepreneur Institute (REI) helps students and alumni bring their entrepreneurial ideas into reality through the StartMeUp Program, education, resources, funding, research and outreach.

REI is a university-wide program, initiated by the Office of the Provost, to motivate students and alumni to actively discover new for-profit and non-profit innovations and act on them to start up new businesses, non-profit organizations or community programs.

Entrepreneurship is traditionally viewed as a business activity that falls within the academic discipline of management. However, as self-employment and community service are increasingly seen as viable career paths for all students and alumni, the ability to spot opportunities, innovate, create value and mobilize teams of people to achieve shared objectives has become a foundational skill for all university graduates. When combined with institutional access to resources and funding, we hope to unleash the enterprising spirits within Ryerson and help them bring their ideas into reality.

REI was created in 2008 to leverage the efforts of our award-winning Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, and the Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department of the Ted Rogers School of Management to make innovation and entrepreneurship support more accessible to all students and alumni from the university across diverse faculties. We do not apply a one-size-fits-all process, but rather we are attuned to the highly diverse values, language, and approaches that different faculties, students and alumni bring to their new ventures.