UCalgary Students Supercharged by New Program

One of Canada's fastest-rising B2B digital transformation firms aims to disrupt the traditional student internship and startup incubation model. Bison & Bird has officially launched the Red Dogs in Residence? program. You’re probably wondering what a Red Dog is and why they reside at Bison & Bird. Well, new bison calves are affectionately known as “red dogs” because of the colour of their fur at birth. These baby bison are a symbol for the Red Dogs in Residence program and an extension of the Bison & Bird brand.

Being a Red Dog isn’t for the faint of heart, as these up-and-coming stars are expected to put action behind their ideas. Execution is the main focus regardless of the outcome, as the experience is modelled on the Five Phases of the Customer Journey. Support is provided weekly by Bison & Bird’s technical and business experts, and Red Dogs have access to the office, software licenses, and other company resources. The other half of the program focuses on providing participants with meaningful workplace skills and resume-ready certifications to help launch their careers (should their innovative idea fail to scale). The program's 'two birds, one stone" principle ensures that each participant gains multiple and valuable outcomes for every hour of their time.

As Ryan H. explains, some of the biggest challenges for young entrepreneurs aren’t the most obvious. They [young entrepreneurs] typically don't put enough emphasis on their most valuable asset - time and the cost associated with wasting it. Underskilled government incubators,?venture firms with empty promises,?and one-dimensional corporate internships consume more time than provide a meaningful return. Though well intended, most of these initiatives consistently miss two important parts of entrepreneurship. First, working with and getting feedback from an actual customer, and second, workplace experience that puts the ownness on them to make decisions knowing they are 100% accountable for the outcome.

They [young entrepreneurs] typically don't put enough emphasis on their most valuable asset - time and the cost associated with wasting it.

The Red Dogs in Residence program is open to computer science students attending the 加拿大卡尔加里大学 and successfully participating in ENTI-level courses delivered through the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Haskayne .

Invitations for the 2023/24 Red Dogs in Residence program occurred this past June, with the inaugural participants entering their 2nd year of computer science at the University of Calgary. Caleb Melin and Anthony Chan have already worked hard this summer, earning certifications on the 微软 Power Platform and having their product accepted to the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.

As the inaugural Red Dogs, both Caleb and Anthony agree that the exposure, support, and teamwork provided by Bison & Bird have been invaluable to their entrepreneurship journey. As cofounders of UniDate, they have been building version 1 of the platform, which is set to launch this fall.

Caleb explains that during a casual outing, he and Anthony identified an opportunity to create a safer and more appealing dating platform designed specifically for the university social scene. The main feature of UniDate is the ability to connect with verified students (from your university) and receive suggestions on activities that both people would enjoy. Recommended activities are rated for safety and include instructions on navigating them to avoid dangerous or uncomfortable situations.

Set to launch this fall, UniDate already has a waiting list of students excited about the product. Plans to expand the platform to other Canadian universities are underway, along with some exciting new features that users will love. The team invites you to join their Discord server to participate in testing, provide feedback and engage with the UniDate product feature roadmap.

Interested in learning more? The Red Dogs in Residence program provides practical skills and supports those young entrepreneurs who are action-focused and resourceful builders.

Visit or contact Bison & Bird for more details.