Entrepreneurship for the Next Generation
Typically, entrepreneurs with decades of experience win awards for their achievements and are inspired to give back. Two 26-year olds, Amit Sandhu and Rattan Bagga epitomize a new breed of entrepreneurs. Both have been named as Canada’s top 20 young entrepreneurs for the first annual FuEL (Future Entrepreneurial Leaders) Awards. Along with both being recognized for their achievements and aspirations as entrepreneurs under the age of 30, the two friends and entrepreneurs in polar opposite industries, share some other unique commonalities.
While they are standouts in their respective professions for their creativity, leadership, ingenuity – running their multi-million dollar conglomerates, they also share a passion for inspiring high school students to realize successful futures through entrepreneurship. As Program Coordinators for TiE Vancouver’s Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Global Program, Sandhu and Bagga are committed to bridging the gap between students learning about entrepreneurship directly from real life entrepreneurs.
“A huge congratulations to Mr. Sandhu and Mr. Bagga, who stand out from the crowd, not least because of their determination, creativity and self-belief. Being at the helm of their own corporations is not for the faint hearted – and these young entrepreneurs show incredible fortitude and tenacity,” noted Vik Khanna, President of TiE Vancouver and COO of Faronics Corporation. We are very fortunate they are leaders within our TYE program. They bring deep experience and inspiration to the students in the program.”
Students within the TYE Global Program traverse an interesting cross-section from various schools and cities in the Lower Mainland, are in grades 9 to 12, and learn new skills, while they formalize a business-savvy foundation. In addition, the aspiring young entrepreneurs solidify their skills by mapping out a realistic business plan in early 2012 and work in teams to compete in the program’s local business plan competition.
Sandhu, who is a Richmond, BC native is the CEO, of Ampri Group, one of Richmond’s preeminent Real Estate Development & Investment conglomerates. At the age of 19, Sandhu adopted a pilot eco-friendly building program and then at 22 years old, forged relationships with the arts community to include public art within the group’s residential communities, while also raising funding for a local school affected by arson.
Bagga, a Vancouver resident for the past 13 years, is the CEO of New World Natural Foods and Jiva Organics – Canadian corporations focused on bridging the gap on accessibility to sustainable organic and healthy food to the average consumer. Both companies, based in Burnaby BC, respectively focus on food manufacturing and distribution of 2500 products. He aspires to change the perception of organic and healthy food from obscurity to mainstream accessibility. The FuEL Awards take a unique and innovative approach by engaging Canadians of all ages and walks of life in determining the winners. The program integrates today’s most popular social media tools to attract nominations, applications and votes for the candidates. Votes from the general public constitute 20% of each candidate’s total score, with the remainder determined by a panel of judges from the entrepreneurial community.
About TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Global Program: TYE Global empowers youth in Grades 9 to 12 to become the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. This unique program enables high school aged youth to learn about the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, while nurturing creativity, self-confidence, leadership and overall development. Seasoned entrepreneurs and mentors provide coaching skills along with teachings from a business-focused curriculum. The program culminates with a global competition, which, in previous years has been held at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Raleigh, North Carolina. This year’s program also includes eight US cities (Atlanta, Austin, Boston, the Carolinas, Seattle, San Diego and Washington DC), six Indian cities (New Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Hubli, Kolkata and Ahmedabad), Melbourne, Australia, and London, England.
About TiE Vancouver: TiE Vancouver is a not-for-profit B.C. organization committed to fostering entrepreneurship, supporting its members and showcasing the best business minds our great city has to offer. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE Vancouver’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs. TiE Vancouver is Talent, Ideas & Enterprise.
About PROFIT Magazine: PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success is Canada’s preeminent publication dedicated to the management issues and opportunities facing small and mid-sized businesses. For 29 years, Canadian entrepreneurs and senior managers across a vast array of economic sectors have remained loyal to PROFIT because it’s a timely and reliable source of actionable information that helps them achieve business success and get the recognition they deserve for generating positive economic and social change.
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JKAUR Media & Public Relations
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