Skills Ontario Provincial Entrepreneurship Showcase

 

We are excited to announce the return of the 

Skills Ontario Provincial Entrepreneurship Showcase! 

 

April 29, 2025 12pm - 1:30pm - Virtual Event

 

May 6, 2025 12pm - 2:30pm

Toronto Congress Centre - Cohen Ballroom 

 

Registration opens February 2025

 

 

About this Event

Set to be held in the afternoon of Tuesday, April 29th (virtually) and Tuesday, May 6th during the Skills Ontario Competition, this conference provides a springboard for aspiring student entrepreneurs to display/present their business ideas. In addition to showcasing their enterprises, students at both the in-person and virtual event alike will receive valuable feedback from successful and knowledgeable industry entrepreneurs and mentors. Those who are unable to attend the in-person event can participate via a Livestream. Select students will present for 3 – 4 minutes for the in-person event and those attending on Livestream.

The conference will be delivered in both English and French; feature an inspiring keynote speaker; food and beverages will be available for all attendees. The showcase is designed to give students from across Ontario the opportunity to present their entrepreneurial projects to a diverse network of industry and community partners and receive valuable feedback about their ideas while building professional networks that will guide them towards future endeavors.

.

Keynote Speaker

Lesley Hampton

 

Lesley Hampton is an Anishinaabe artist and fashion designer focused on mental wellness and body neutrality in fashion through the lens of the Indigenous worldview.

Lesley is a member of Temagami First Nation, and she identifies as an adult 'Third Culture Kid' with her formative years spent in Canada's Arctic and Atlantic, Australia, England, Indonesia, and New Caledonia. This amalgamation of her Anishinaabe Indigeneity and her international upbringing nurtured a passion for socio-cultural causes as she uses her work as a catalyst for research, conversation, and community building.

Named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Local: Toronto list and the number one Canadian brand to keep your eye on by VOGUE, Lesley has styled campaigns for the Toronto Raptors, modelled for Nike, created custom designs for The Toronto Maple Leafs, and has been a Guest judge on Canada’s Drag Race.

An inspiring speaker on Indigenous entrepreneurship and diversity in fashion, Lesley has been a guest lecturer at Parsons School of Design in New York City and had fireside chats at Toronto Metropolitan University. 

The brand has showcased at White Milano Trade show during Milan Fashion Week, Canadian Curated Collections during London Fashion Week, Toronto Fashion Week, and Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival, and has dressed celebrities such as Lily Gladstone (Killer of the Flower Moon),Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs), and Tantoo Cardinal (ECHO).

Lesley was the recipient of the 2023 Young Aboriginal Entrepreneur Award from the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business, the 2021 Indspire Awards Youth recipient, and the Fashion Impact Award at the 2021 Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards.

 

 

Part of the Skills Ontario Competition. Where The Future Performs!

 

LEAD SPONSOR 

  

Questions?

Please email hbastianelli@skillsontario.com for any inquiries related to this event.