How Tolu Sami used a student-in-residence placement to sharpen his entrepreneurial edge

Experience Ventures connected this University of Ottawa student with real-world innovation at Invest Ottawa

For fourth-year economics student Tolu Sami, a student-in-residence placement with Invest Ottawa was a chance to build practical skills, form lasting connections, and deepen his commitment to entrepreneurship.

The placement was arranged by the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub and Experience Ventures — a program powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative (I-WIL). The program’s goal is to enable college and university students to practice entrepreneurial thinking alongside real-world innovators.

Sami, who is deeply involved with the Entrepreneurship Hub and a member of the social impact club Enactus, saw the opportunity as a natural fit.

“I had been to an Invest Ottawa Ignition event the prior summer and really enjoyed it. I liked learning about the startup community in Ottawa,” he says. “And I just thought, why not apply?”

During his placement, Sami assisted the Client Experience Coordinator with program delivery, supporting a rotating group of early-stage startup founders.

“There are 20 companies onboarded every cohort, which lasts for about two and a half months,” he explains. “I was attending the workshop meetings, meeting the founders, networking — and seeing if they needed any support.”

He also took on a side project, evaluating Invest Ottawa’s website to identify inefficiencies and improve user experience. But the biggest challenges and rewards came from the people he met along the way.

“There was a big emphasis on the networking aspect — being comfortable talking to founders, being comfortable introducing yourself,” he says. “I describe myself as a people person, but I wouldn’t describe myself as the best networker, prior to this experience.”

That changed quickly.

“I had to get good at distilling my value down to a 30 to 90 second quick pitch,” he explains. “Explaining who I am, what I’m doing, and why it even matters.”

One of the key relationships Sami built was with Abby Donald, the coordinator he worked most closely with.

“She was extremely flexible with my background and everything else I had going on. Very good at communicating and expressing what she wanted out of a task, no matter how big or small. She’s somebody I’d even describe as a mentor.”

The placement wrapped up with a final presentation to Invest Ottawa staff, where Sami shared his learnings and proposed strategies to recruit more women and diverse founders for the Ignition program.

The experience didn’t just reinforce his interest in entrepreneurship — it opened new pathways.

“There was the chance to connect with a lot of good industry partners at the Invest Ottawa events,” he says. “That sparked my interest in VC — just learning about what that’s like.”

Since completing the placement, Sami has joined Front Row Ventures, Canada’s first student-led venture capital firm, where he’s currently part of their summer training program, Field Trip. At the same time, he’s pursuing his own entrepreneurial ideas through another Invest Ottawa initiative called Summer Company.

“I’m working on my own business over the summer through Invest Ottawa,” he says. “So I still have the chance to stop in at Invest Ottawa every week.”

When asked how his studies in economics compare to the experience he gained through programs like Experience Ventures, he’s candid.

“My studies have very little to do with the extracurriculars I get myself involved in,” he says. “A lot of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in my time at university have aligned more with what I see myself doing after university.”

His favourite part of the placement was the in-person events.

“Obviously online is one thing, but we’re human. I feel like we need that in-person interaction,” he says. “Some of the conversations at those events — even if they didn’t lead to a big idea — just those connections, I looked forward to them. It’s a beautiful space. Anytime you’re in Ottawa, you have to check it out.”

He’s also enthusiastic about recommending Experience Ventures to other students.

“It gave me tangible insights into where I see myself headed post-university. But also, it taught me a lot about myself and helped me get out of my comfort zone. I think that’s the most important thing.”