Who am I:
Manu is currently engaged with the Ottawa Centre for Research & Innovation (OCRI) as the Manager of Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Support, a role in which he manages, facilitates and supports Youth Entrepreneurship programs in the Ottawa-Hull area. Manu is the developer and manager of “TalentBridge”, OCRI’s flagship youth entrepreneurship and youth leadership development program. In his role at OCRI, Manu is closely associated with a number of Ottawa youth entrepreneurship programs, including the Foundry Program, the EIEF program of the Faculty of Engineering in University of Ottawa, the Wes Nicol Business Plan Competition and the Tech Venture Challenge (TVC). Manu is also the primary liaison between OCRI and the youth entrepreneurship initiatives in the three post secondary educational institutions in Ottawa. During his stay in Carleton University, Manu played a significant role in the development of the Carleton University Foundry Program. His experiences and learnings from his Foundry relationship were instrumental in the development of the OCRI Talent Bridge Program. Foundry and TalentBridge are programs are widely recognized in the Ottawa community for their innovative approach towards youth engagement and talent development. Through the Entrepreneurship Centre in OCRI, Manu provides frequent business consultations and mentorship support to student led startups from Carleton University and University of Ottawa. He is also a member of the selection committee for the CYBF (Canadian Youth Business Foundation) and he served as a member of the ICT committee of HIO (Hire Immigrants Ottawa) in 2008-2009.
Manu has over 11 years of professional experience in technology management and business development. His diverse educational background includes a degree in Engineering with a B-Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering from G.N.D.University and a M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois. He also holds a MBA in Organizational Behavior & Technology Management and he is currently on an academic hiatus from his Ph.D. program in Organizational Behavior & Change Management at Carleton University. Prior to his engagement with OCRI, Manu served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Trillium College, a role in which he led and managed strategic, tactical, and short-term operations of the forty people strong organization. Before working with Trillium College, Manu was the Program Manager of the Carleton University Foundry Program - a program that he helped develop and manage - and he was also the Associate Director of the Shad Valley Program delivered on Carleton University Campus. Manu has an active interest in Youth Entrepreneurship, Talent Development and Change Management and he serves as an advisor with a number of Ottawa based early stage technology startups. Manu is proud to be a founding member of SMART Chillies, an Ottawa based social media consulting company, and OAK Computing, a recently founded Ottawa based web and application development company. Manu is also a partner with S.S.Enterprises, an Ottawa based boutique Market Analysis and Business Development Consulting practise that he cofounded with his sister Kanu Sharma in 2006.
In his professional journey, Manu has had the pleasure of learning and working with some great souls and minds - people who have been great friends and mentors and who have left a lasting impression on his outlook towards life, his approach towards his work and his ability to synthesize challenges and come up with solutions. Primary, and worth mentioning, would be Kanu Sharma (from since ever), Jane Whitener (from his UIC days), Jay Payette (from his Sprott days), Luc Lalande (from Foundry) and Stephen Daze (from OCRI). Lately, his work and relationship(s) with Obaid Ahmed, Aneil Hussein, Hope Chuchinawat, Dave Hunt, Grant Moore and Sonia Riahi have been a source of great inspiration and a driver for pursuit of excellence.
Why this Initiative:
This web presence has been created to develop a platform for all of us - those with an interest in and passion for the untested and untried - to consolidate our views, knowledge and best practises around entrepreneurship for the common benefit of all of us … and ofcourse the rest of the world … Well who can forget the world. The very nature of “Entrepreneurship” dictates that one (who is interested) should always be plugged into what is going on, and should always be on a lookout for compatible talent. The idea here is to keep it provocative, thoughtful and slightly over the edge - while giving everyone access to what we know about entrepreneurship and venture creation.
This is not a monetization play, but an attempt to bring out all the brilliant thoughts that we so religiously carry around with us. Welcome again and please contribute as much as possible.
Manu Sharma (a.k.a “Manu”)
