May 26, 2025
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Enactus team earned top honours in five categories at the Enactus Canada National Exposition held in Calgary from May 6 to 8.
More than 50 Enactus teams from postsecondary institutions across Canada participated in the national competition, which challenges students to leverage entrepreneurship to create social and environmental impact.
The Laurier team showcased three student-led enterprises: Kuponya Innovations, a climate-resilient, rapid-assembly pre-fabricated housing solution designed to address the housing crisis in Canada’s North; Sapphire, Canada’s first comprehensive program aimed at supporting postsecondary students with autism to transition into sustained employment; and the team’s newest venture, Sustain by Verdanza Tech, an AI-based application designed to reduce household food waste.
Laurier's Enactus team placed second at the Enactus National Exposition.
Kuponya Innovations won the national championship in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, which recognizes projects that teach and implement entrepreneurship skills. Founded by Laurier student Jordan Prentice, Kuponya Innovations “house in a box” kit aims to provide residents in Northern communities with the training and resources to assemble and maintain their own homes and build businesses around their housing needs.
Over the next three years, Kuponya Innovations aims to build 49 homes, house 75 people, create 392 jobs and generate $6.7 million in revenue.
The project also claimed the CWB Indigenous Inclusion Project Accelerator Best Project award, which seeks to advance reconciliation through systemic equity and collaboration, as well as the Alterna Savings Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Project Accelerator Best Project award, which recognizes projects that address the United Nations’ SDGs.
Through its work in the North, Kuponya Innovations addresses multiple SDGs, including Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).
Kuponya Innovations won three of five national awards for their sustainable, climate resilient housing solution.
Launched just this year, Sapphire won the national championship in the Desjardins Youth Empowerment Challenge, which supports initiatives that develop skills and leadership among young adults aged 25 and under. Since its launch in October 2024, Sapphire has supported 32 autistic postsecondary students at Laurier and is currently working to secure summer internships for 11 of those students.
Sapphire also received the PC Financial Resilience Project Accelerator Best Project award, which recognizes initiatives that support underserved populations, including visible minorities, Indigenous communities, people with disabilities and women.
Sapphire claimed two national awards for their work supporting autistic postsecondary students' transition to work.
“The student changemakers within Enactus Laurier continue to impress with their innovation and commitment to making a difference in the world,” says Laura Allan, director of innovation and entrepreneurship at Laurier and faculty advisor to Laurier’s Enactus team. “Kuponya Innovations and Sapphire truly stood out at the 2025 Enactus National Exhibition, demonstrating how powerful entrepreneurial ideas can drive real change. It’s incredibly inspiring to see these young leaders take such bold steps toward creating positive impact.”
Enactus Laurier placed second overall in the national competition, finishing as the first runner-up to the winning team from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.
At Laurier, students discover their purpose and apply their education to drive positive change through entrepreneurial action. As one of only five Ashoka Changemaker Campuses in Canada, Laurier is recognized globally as a leader in entrepreneurship and social innovation education.
