The Sobey School of Business at St. Mary's University this month will host the 2018 Starting Point Student Entrepreneurship Conference, a three-day event that brings together student entrepreneurs for a series of classes, seminars, and presentations.

The conference will host many events for its student participants, including master classes, funder speed-dating and an entrepreneur “triathlon”. Opening ceremonies for the conference will start at 6 p.m. on Feb.20.

Tristram Stuart, an entrepreneur, food waste advocate and the author of such books as The Bloodless Revolution and Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, will give a keynote address on the second night. Stuart is the founder of Toast Ale, a brewing company that makes beer from surplus bread scraps. His speech will be open to the public.

There will be a few changes to the conference this year. Starting Point will now offer its master classes -- sessions taught by entrepreneurs -- over the course of two days instead of one. Organizers say these classes are always the highest-rated events at the conference so they decided to spread them out, as well as adding an additional session.

Attendees will learn from the founders of local companies such as Skyline, Halifax Paper Hearts and A Million Moving Parts.

As another new aspect for the 2018 conference, Starting Point is opening its doors to student entrepreneurs in high school. About 50 students at the high school level are expected to attend.

This is the fourth year for the Starting Point conference, which aims to “change the world through entrepreneurship” by teaching students to hone their entrepreneurial ideas.

You can read more on and register for the event here. 

Disclosure: SMU is a client of Entrevestor.