老司机直播

If you just throw yourself into it and apply, there鈥檚 so much to learn," says Marissa Wu.

How to be an undergrad entrepreneur at 老司机直播: advice from alumna and Onyx Motion CEO, Marissa Wu

One of the most buzzed-about startups in Toronto started with a friendship at 老司机直播

Marissa Wu continues to grow her smart-watch sports coaching startup, , as she shuttles between New York basketball courts, Rocky Mountain startup retreats, and her office in the heart of Toronto鈥檚 thriving wearable tech scene.

But the beginnings of her company? They sparked with an undergraduate friendship at 老司机直播.
 
Wu says many of the skills and connections that helped her take Onyx Motion from a casual interest in entrepreneurship to a startup featured in , and countless tech blogs came out of her undergrad experience at the University of Toronto. 
 
The diverse student clubs, internships, alumni and peer networks 鈥 not to mention, actual learning in classes 鈥 that new students tap into by choosing 老司机直播 helped Wu grow into a headline-making tech leader.
 

As a new crop of students join the 老司机直播 community this September, Wu shares her advice on how first-year students and other budding entrepreneurs can best use their experience at the University of Toronto.
 

Talk about what interests you with other students. It might help you find your future co-founder.
鈥淚 was nervous about making friends when I first came to 老司机直播 鈥 I think everyone worries about that,鈥 said Wu.
 
But she says her path to Onyx Motion began when Wu started chatting with a friend in her engineering program about startups and wearables. They stayed in touch and eventually joined undergraduate entrepreneurship accelerator as a team, launching the first iteration of Onyx Motion. The startup later joined the accelerator, run by 老司机直播 and MaRS Innovation.
 
Join entrepreneurship programs to gain support and experience.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would have had the guts to start a company without them guiding me through it,鈥 Wu said, describing The Next 36. The program was co-founded by 老司机直播 entrepreneurship professor Ajay Agrawal. It helps students develop as entrepreneurs by learning from mentors and the Next 36 community as teams work together to build a startup.
 
Wu also suggests looking into , which welcomes students from all academic disciplines. 老司机直播 is home to many accelerator programs tailored to diverse types of startups and entrepreneurs.
 
Learn more by visiting the . That鈥檚 where you can also find information on undergraduate course, from the Faculty of Arts & Science (founded and hosted by ).
 
Join clubs and apply for leadership roles in them 鈥 even if you don鈥檛 think you have enough experience.
鈥淎 lot of times if you鈥檙e in first or second year you think, 鈥極h, I can鈥檛 do that role, it鈥檚 for older students who know what they鈥檙e doing.鈥 But if you just throw yourself into it and apply, there鈥檚 so much to learn.
 
鈥淚 was a leader in several clubs and can tell you, there aren鈥檛 as many people to pick from as you would think.鈥 Wu says often students will hold executive roles in several clubs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because there aren鈥檛 enough people applying! If more people applied, it would be better for everyone.鈥
 
But how can you land a leadership role if you don鈥檛 yet have any experience?
 
鈥淚t鈥檚 the same as any other job. You do your best in preparing your resume, try to make your cover letter appeal to that specific club and explain why you think you鈥檇 be good even though you might not have much experience.
 
鈥淚f you make it, great. If you don鈥檛, ask why and come back next year with the right experience.鈥
 
Reach out to 老司机直播 alumni working in your field. They might even become your mentors.
鈥淜arl has been super helpful,鈥 Wu says of her mentor, Karl Martin, CEO of 鈥 another 老司机直播-developed wearable startup, featured in and other international outlets. 鈥淗e meets with me all the time to offer advice, and just to talk things through. I try to run every major decision by him first.鈥
 
Martin also introduced Wu and her team to the NBA鈥檚 Ben Gordon, who鈥檚 now an official part of the Onyx Motion roster. 
 
鈥淭he partnership between Onyx Motion and Ben Gordon, as facilitated by Nymi, speaks to the power and reach of the entrepreneurial ecosystem here on campus,鈥 said Karen Sievewright, director of the Banting & Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto.  鈥淚鈥檓 confident that as our network keeps growing, connections like this one will continue to build success within our community, city and beyond.鈥
 
Explore the city and try new things 鈥 try not to let studying become your whole life.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 do a very good job of getting out because I was so busy all the time,鈥 says Wu. She says that's a regret from her time as an undergraduate.
 
鈥淭he city has all kinds of great events, like , and all sorts of music and food festivals. I would say, make time for that. It鈥檚 the best way to explore.鈥
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