Four ventures working in social innovation have been named 2023 regional champions at an event staged by Enactus Canada, a national charity and experiential learning platform for post-secondary students, which is part of a global network.

The winning ventures won The Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge and The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge at a snowed-in event in Halifax.  

The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge regional champions are:

Dalhousie University -- New Venture Marketplace, a group that helps break down socio-economic barriers many newcomers face when starting a business. The team hosts a marketplace at key times throughout the year and provides new entrepreneurs with the platform and opportunity to showcase their business free of charge. 

Saint Mary’s University – Options Online which provides free entrepreneurial education to at-risk youth through a series of learn-at-your-own-pace online workshops.

The Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge 2023 regional champions are:

Saint Mary’s University -- Square Roots, which solves a two-part problem by eliminating food waste through the sale of imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste.

Memorial University of Newfoundland -- Project R3D, a group that is solving the global plastic problem by taking refuse plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills and the ocean and creating filament for 3D Printers.

All regional champions will now move on to compete nationally in the final rounds of competition May 1 to 3 at the 2023 Enactus Canada National Exposition in Montreal.