U. Toronto Invests in Rotman Innovation, Data, and Entrepreneurship
Innovation, entrepreneurship, data, and analytics all play significant roles at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. As a global center for research and academic excellence in business and society, Rotman is known for bringing together diverse views and initiatives. So, it should be no surprise that this month the Rotman School announced increased investment, from different sources, in three areas:
- $25 million in funding for the Creative Destructive Lab (CDL)
- $4 million in new funding for data and analytics initiatives
- $2.5 million to the Creative Destructive Lab Health Stream and additional financial resources in support of the Behavioral Economics in Action at Rotman (BEAR) research center.
Creative Destruction Lab Receives $25 Million
Founded in 2012, the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) was created to address failure in the market for judgment. As a seed stage program, its goal is to help science-based companies become scalable by pairing founders with experienced entrepreneurs and investors. The nine-month program covers everything from commercialization of products to R&D and maximizing equity-value creation.
To increase the CDLs ability to help young companies, the Canadian government announced a $25 million investment in the program. The investment will allow the CDL to accelerate the commercialization of science in Canada while hopefully also attracting more investment in ventures and more intellectual property. Over four years, the CDL will help more than 1,300 science-based ventures and could create up to 22,000 new jobs.
In a recent press release, Minister Bains says:
“Creative Destruction Lab’s exciting project promises to unleash a new wave of start-up innovation across Canada, creating thousands of middle-class jobs and further securing Canada’s position as a world leader in the AI field. Our government is proud to make investments that will help turn hundreds of innovative ideas into the good jobs and companies of tomorrow.”
The investment will also help the CDL gain insight into the success of science-based startups. In particular, ventures harness new technologies such as AI, energy, health, smart cities, and space and quantum technologies will be targeted. There will also be a boost for young women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in the hopes of inspiring representation in the next generation of business leaders.
“This is a tremendous moment,” Tiff Macklem, Dean at the Rotman School, says. “Thank you Minister Bains, the Government of Canada and everyone that saw the vision and opportunity of the Creative Destruction Lab.”
The investment was made through the Strategic Innovation Fund; a program focused on attracting and supporting high-quality business investments across all sectors of the economy.
$4 Million for Data and Analytics
Data and analytics are an essential area of study at the Rotman School as evidenced by the launch of the new Master of Management Analytics (MMA) program as well as the TD Management Data and Analytics Lab. So, it makes sense that when the TD Bank Group (TD) was looking for a way to support the Rotman School, they decided to give $4 million in funding to explore real-world data and analytics applications.
Christian Nelissen, TD Senior Vice President of Enterprise Data and Analytics, says in a news release:
“Data and analytics are the engines powering the future of Canada’s economy. That new reality means building talented teams that have a deep understanding of the potential of data and analytics, in financial services and beyond. We are looking for visionaries who can see what’s possible—things we might not even have thought of yet.”
Specifically, the funding will go toward development and staffing of the TD Management Data and Analytics Lab, which launched in 2017. The goal of the investment is to improve student development and engagement in data and analytics, and to add expertise and resources for industry projects and cutting-edge analytic thinking. The Lab also offers workshops, hackathons, guest speakers, academic collaboration, and seed funding for the Rotman FinHub.
“By collaborating with TD, we are giving students the opportunity to engage in data-focused problem-solving,” Dean Macklem says. “We know our students are eager to take on new roles in the evolving field of data and analytics and this generous investment will allow us to move more quickly to further expand our data analytics programming and opportunities.”
Investing in Healthcare Innovation & Behavior Economics
Last, but certainly not least, TD Bank Group announced additional investments in two initiatives: innovation in healthcare and behavioral economics.
The first investment from TD is $2.5 million over five years for the Creative Destruction Lab Health Stream, which focuses on biotechnology, bioinformatics, diagnostics, and digital care. This investment will help aspiring entrepreneurs bring technological innovations to the market in the healthcare industry.
Andrea Barrack, TD’s Vice President of Global Corporate Citizenship, says:
“We know that the long-term success of our business depends upon the resilience and health of the people we serve. We’re thrilled to support the CDL with this contribution, which will help accelerate advances in healthcare through fresh thinking and entrepreneurship. At TD, we have a history and meaningful purpose of helping to enrich the lives of customers, colleagues and communities.”
The second investment from TD comes in the form of an agreement to bring additional behavioral finance resources and applications in support of the Behavioral Economics in Action at Rotman (BEAR) research center. As a founding member of BEAR, TD hopes to be able to better examine and research the underlying emotion and behaviors that push financial decision making. Also, the investment will help continue to implement behavioral finance tools into wealth management.
“Being one of the founding members of BEAR will further contribute to TD’s commitment to advancing the study and real-life applications of behavioral finance,” says Dave Kelly, Senior Vice President of TD Wealth. “The work we have done to-date with Rotman has been instrumental in enhancing the advice and services our advisors provide to our clients. Research by BEAR will enable us to better understand the underlying factors that help drive financial decision making so we can connect with our clients on a deeper, more meaningful level.”
The 5 Highest Paid Toronto Internships for MBAs
Toronto is Canada’s largest city and home to leading companies in both business and finance. There’s a particularly large concentration of banks as well as media companies, publishing firms, telecommunication, IT, and film production companies. There’s a little bit of everything in the city including top MBA programs such as McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, and York University’s Schulich School of Business.
But where should you look for paid Toronto internships? First, the industry you choose matters. According to the 2018 employment report from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, you should stick with three industries if you want to earn the most money: law/legal services ($18,000 per month), consulting ($6,332 per month), and financial ($5,623 per month).
Specifically, you might want to check out these five high paying internships in the Toronto metro.
The 5 Highest Paid Toronto Internships for MBAs
Sun Life Financial is a Canadian financial services company headquartered in Toronto. It is as one of the largest life insurance companies in the world, spanning back to 1865. The company pulls in around $28.5 billion in revenue each year, with over 30,000 employees worldwide.
MBA students looking for an MBA internship have multiple options. In particular, there are positions in finance, HR, and real estate. There are also co-op options in the Business Leaders Internship Program. This program gives students ten weeks to work in a number of functional areas to learn where they can be successful.
According to Glassdoor, interns can expect to earn:
- Salary: $3,166 – $4,333 Per Month
Ontario Power Generation, owned by the government of Ontario, is responsible for half of the electricity generation in the Province. The company uses nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, gas, and biomass electricity. The energy diversity helps pull in about $4.73 billion in revenue each year, employing 10,840 people.
For MBA students, the company offers both winter and summer internship opportunities. Interns analyze new business opportunities, pitch marketing, complete customer research, and perform business model development.
Glassdoor reveals that an average intern earns:
- Salary: $4,160 – $5,440 Per Month
BMO Financial Group is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company. It’s one of the big five banks of Canada and is the fourth-largest by market capitalization and assets. In fact, it’s one of the ten largest banks in all of North America with $21.7 billion in revenue each year and 45,200 employees.
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An MBA internship at BMO can cover a variety of job functions from financial modeling analyst to program management, investment banking, and capital markets. Through the program, students gain hands-on experience working with a team of seasoned professionals.
According to Glassdoor, an MBA intern can expect to earn:
- Salary: $3,000 – $4,160 Per Month
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a multinational financial services company and the largest bank in the country by market capitalization. It services over 16 million clients worldwide with personal banking services and products. 2017 estimates were around $40.6 billion in annual revenue with 79,000 employees.
RBC is home to a robust internship program with opportunities to work as a data scientist, business analyst, capital markets advisor, global equities, and more. Each internship program provides MBA students with the chance to work as a strategic advisor across a variety of industries from energy to health care, technology, real estate, media, and more.
As an intern, you can expect to earn a good salary according to Glassdoor:
- Salary: $4,833 – $5,166 Per Month
TD Securities is another Canadian investment bank and financial services company, offering advisory and capital market services. It is particularly known for providing expertise in corporate and investment banking, capital markets, and global transaction services. In 2016, TD Securities earned $3.03 billion in revenue with just 3,800 employees.
As far as internships for MBA students, there are many interesting 10-week options with business tracks in corporate and specialty banking as well as retail and product. These internships provide practical, hands-on experience, and can lead to participation in the 12-month MBA Associate Track Program post-graduation.
Based on intern salaries submitted to Glassdoor, MBA students can expect to earn:
- Salary: $3,250 – $4,166 Per Month
How Toronto Schools Can Help You Pay for Your MBA
Earning your MBA can be an expensive prospect. In Canada, tuition at the most expensive MBA programs can cost more than $100,000 for full-time and part-time students. This can be difficult for some low-income applicants.
So, what are some Toronto schools doing to help offset the cost of tuition, living, and other expenses to pay for your MBA? Continue reading…
