That's exactly what market2world communications founder and CEO Nathan Rudyk, along with Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien, did Tuesday at A.Y. Jackson Secondary School in Kanata.
Armed with dozens of copies of The Entrepreneurial Effect – a locally-produced book co-written by Mr. Rudyk, along with the likes of Terry Matthews, Adam Chowaniec, Debbie Weinstein and other tech moguls – the pair spoke to an entrepreneurship class on the merits of sound business practices and other important aspects of entrepreneurship.
Mr. O'Brien spoke on the evolving technology industry in Ottawa, adding emphasis is shifting from traditional telecom to mobile applications, social networking and digital media firms. That echoed comments made late last year by OCRI CEO Claude Haw.
"Just before the holidays it was my pleasure to attend the founding event for Generator, Ottawa's new digital media cluster," said Mr. O'Brien, who founded Calian back in 1982 and dropped off a copy of the book for each student. "The enthusiasm and energy there was reminiscent of the early 'silicon valley north' momentum that generated success for companies like Calian, Mitel and Cognos.
"The coming decades present a tremendous amount of opportunity for Ottawa as we experience a renaissance in the knowledge industry sector and establish ourselves as Canada's Creative Economy Capital," continued Mr. O'Brien. "Initiatives that the School Boards and OCRI are taking to make sure we have a generation of entrepreneurs ready to seize those opportunities are important investments in the sustainable social and economic prosperity of Ottawa."
Mr. Rudyk, an OBJ Forty Under 40 recipient in 2001, emphasized the need for business development in early-stage companies and the importance of the "charisma factor" as a public relations tool.
