Graduate ready: UBC Sauder students gain entrepreneurial skills and an edge in the job market

UBC Sauder School of Business is globally recognized for its progressive approach to teaching business. By offering opportunities to design business solutions that address real-world problems, students gain skills and boost their qualifications – making them stand out in a competitive job market. As Terry Zhang learned in his New Venture Design (NVD) course, UBC Sauder also helps students turn their class projects into scalable startups. 

Teaching the steps of venture building through action-based learning    

Terry Zhang is learning as he leads. The UBC Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) student is Co-Founder and Head of Finance and Strategy of Metallyze, a venture conceived through NVD, a course jointly offered by UBC Sauder and UBC’s Faculty of Applied Science. Working in teams of six, students identify a societal problem then build a product and business plan to launch a viable startup.  

Zhang’s team of three business students and three engineering students picked the problem of industrial water contamination then built a high-tech solution. 

“Untreated wastewater is a huge problem in the world,” says Zhang. “It damages ecosystems and is a risk to human health. Metallyze helps industrial facilities detect heavy metals in wastewater in real time. By providing continuous, accurate data via a secure network, companies can quickly address contamination spikes, optimize treatment processes, and ensure regulatory compliance. They no longer have to rely on labs to test their water samples, which is costly and time-consuming.”

"New Venture Design supports students to think outside, take risks, and learn what it’s like to work in Canada’s tech startup sector."

While the engineering students designed the prototype, Zhang helped build the business plan.  

“My role included aligning our business case with our vision and the technology. I built a financial model showing our cost structure and projections and then I shared those insights in an understandable way.”

Although Metallyze is less than a year old, it’s steadily gaining industry exposure. Over the summer, the team made the Top 25 list at the 2025 New Ventures BC Competition, which attracted 200 B.C. companies. The team also entered two American university competitions and won almost $20,000 in prize money – funds that are being used to prepare Metallyze for market launch. 

Connecting students with future employers and business partners   

One of Zhang’s favourite parts of the course was meeting successful entrepreneurs who volunteer with NVD. According to UBC Sauder Adjunct Professor Clayton Racine Weir, connecting with startup owners is an essential part of the learning process.   

“As venture builders, the students are experiencing the same highs and lows as veteran founders—celebrating when the market validates their ideas and learning quickly when it doesn’t,” says Weir, an NVD instructor. “They also learn how to take (or leave) advice from industry experts and influential people and get the most out of those business connections.”

UBC Sauder invites alumni to join a collective dedicated to student entrepreneurship  

Building on NVD’s partnership with entrepreneurs and business leaders, the school recently launched a new alumni group called The Collective. Representing different sectors of the economy, these alumni will support student activities and ensure entrepreneurship and innovation continue to thrive at UBC Sauder for years to come. 

Zhang, now in his final year of his BCom program, can see himself joining The Collective after graduation.

“You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company founder in order to give helpful feedback. Sharing small things is helpful too, like mistakes you made and what you learned from the process,” says Zhang. “Entrepreneurship is not just about building your own venture, it’s also about giving back and helping others grow their ventures too.”