The Stu Clark Investment Competition, Canada’s premier graduate level business competition, begins today, March 31, and its namesake, Stu Clark will be in attendance and celebrated for his recent $3 million donation.

Mr. Clark graduated with a B.Comm (Hons) from the University of Manitoba in 1976 and over the years has donated millions to the school to establish the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship. His recent $3 million donation will establish a Chair in Entrepreneurship, build capacity for the Stu Clark Centre in the I.H. Asper School of Business, and establish a Distinguished Speaker Series.

Mr. Clark will present a cheque to Dr. David Barnard, President of the University of Manitoba, in the Crystal Ballroom of the Fort Garry Hotel on March 31 at 5:30 p.m., at the kickoff of the competition.

“My university experience helped create the opportunities that I’ve taken advantage of in my life,” Clark told the University. “I have a passion for entrepreneurship: I’ve started a number of my own businesses, sold them, profited from them and now it’s time to give back.”

“The University of Manitoba is immeasurably grateful for Mr. Clark’s generous gifts, both past and present, which support the pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship among our students,” Dr. Barnard said.

This year’s Stu Clark Investment Competition will see 16 teams vie for the top prizes in the three-day competition that tests teams on their elevator pitches, as well as their tradeshow and formal pitches to investors.

The prize pool is over $80,000, with first place winning $20,000. What is more, previous winners of the competition have raised in excess of $10 million in private equity.

The U of M team consists of MBA candidates AlexVarricchio and Reba Cacatian. Their company, Northbright Diagnostics, is pitching a new system for detecting caries in teeth using light rather than the traditional X-ray and dental tool option. The technology was developed by the National Research Council’s Institute for Biodiagnostics in Winnipeg.

This competition is part of the prestigious Venture Labs Investment Competition and is one of only 24 such competitions in the world. It is also the premier international graduate level competition held in Canada. The teams will be showcasing new technology developed by them or created at their respective universities to panels of potential investors. This year’s judges, who are also potential investors, are coming in from as far away as London, England.

For more information please contact Robert Warren, Executive Director, Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, at 204-292-8092 (warrenr@cc.umanitoba.ca),

Or Sean Moore, public affairs, University of Manitoba, at 204-474-7963 (sean_moore@umanitoba.ca).