FAQ

1 ) Am I a full-time undergraduate student?
Full-time undergraduate students are those who are currently taking a minimum of 9 credits (3 courses per semester).

2 ) Am I an eligible graduate student?
For the 2011 SFU Student Entrepreneur of the Year competition, eligible graduate students who want to enter have to have graduated in Spring (June) 2011 or later.

3 ) Am I considered an SFU student?
As mentioned above, current and graduate students (Spring 2011 & later) studying at Simon Fraser University are eligible to enter for the SEY Competition. As well, students who are part of external/joint-partnership programs administered by SFU, eg. Masters of Digital Media program at Great Northern Way campus, are also eligible for this competition.

4 ) Does my business have to be incorporated?
No, it does not. The SEY competition only requires students to have started offering a product/service to customers as of April 1st, 2011 with a pricing structure/distribution process in place.

5 ) Does my business have to be a for-profit?
No, it does not. The SEY competition is open to non-profit businesses as well. Thus, as long as your business provides a service to customers as of April 1st, you are open to for the competition.

6 ) My business isn’t based in Canada. Can I still apply?
Yes! As long as you’re the founder/co-founder of the business and own at least 50% of the company (or 75% cumulatively if entering as a team), you are eligible to enter the competition.

7 ) Does my business have to have a pricing structure?
No, it does not. The SEY competition requires students to have started offering a product/service to customers as of April 1st, 2011. The criteria mentions having a pricing structure AND/OR distribution process in place, so having either one should allow your business to be eligible for entry.

8 ) Do I have to attend every workshop to be eligible to compete?
No, you do not. These workshops are catered towards students who are interested in entrepreneurship so they can come and learn about how they can pursue their business ideas for the future.

9 ) I don’t think my business is of high enough caliber to compete against these winners from past years! Should I still enter?
Yes! Even if you don’t end up as a finalist, our preliminary judge will offer great feedback for your business that will help you in your future success. This is a great opportunity to gain some business exposure as well. You won’t know until you try!

10 ) Why does the networking reception cost $25?
This entire program was entirely funded by our proud sponsors, and completely organized by volunteers from SIFE Simon Fraser. The proceed we make from selling these tickets will be used to subsidize the cost of holding the reception taking place on November 19th, 2011 to offer a better atmosphere for all our attendees. Any profit that we make from this program will go back towards SIFE Simon Fraser to fund our future community-based projects. None of this money goes back into our pockets.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to CONTACT us.