Local businesses benefit from UCalgary grad students' expertise

Time and talent can sometimes be in short supply for startups and non-profits. However, students with a Haskayne School of Business program provide valuable assistance and gain real-world experience at the same time. 

From startups in the food and energy fields to a non-profit helping the brain-injured, the Propel Business Project provided more than 4,500 hours of tailored consulting work to 93 Canadian organizations by MBA and Master of Management students earlier this year. 

Gifts from the RBC Foundation, George Church, the Hunter Family Foundation and the Woitas family provided compensation for the students’ time, allowing the employers to benefit from 50 hours of consulting each. 

“It’s one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had during my MBA,” says participant Vignesh Vembu. 

Propelling backend systems for brain-injury non-profit  

Vembu says he wanted to apply business skills while contributing to a meaningful cause, and the Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured (ARBI) needed help streamlining its financial and data processes.  

“We've been doing most things manually," says Aubrey Soulliere, operations, people and culture director at ARBI and Vembu’s project manager. "I needed help from someone who really understands data analysis and efficiency.” 

It was the perfect fit. Vembu’s work assessing and automating donation, onboarding, and other internal processes is projected to save ARBI $11,000 annually. 

“I’m just so grateful for Vig. The team is so grateful for him,” says Soulliere. 

Vembu says Propel wasn’t just about gaining experience for him, it was about doing work that really mattered. 

“What stood out the most for me is how deeply rooted they are in compassion,” says Vembu. “Every single person at ARBI, from leadership to volunteers, really believed in giving those patients a second chance.”  

Propelling technical assessments for geothermal energy startup

Quinby White, a Haskayne MBA student, knew she wanted to work in geothermal energy and leveraged Propel to expand her experience in the industry. 

She self-sourced her company pair Crbon Labs, a startup that reduces emissions by plugging inactive and orphaned oil and gas wells for corporations seeking carbon offsets.  

Co-founder and CEO Cory Bergh says he saw an opportunity to contribute to White’s academics while also gaining value from the work hours Propel enabled; something not originally included in Crbon Labs’ general and administrative expense budget. 

“I found her very professional, and extremely intelligent. We would not have been able to get to this stage without the support she provided,” says Bergh, who tasked White with researching carbon credit protocols, well site-conversion economics and starting an algorithm to help Crbon Labs score well quality.  

For White, the biggest milestone was defining her goals role-wise after Bergh suggested consultant be her title at Crbon Labs. 

“It just pieced together the direction that I wanted to take my career,” says White. 

Propelling profit analysis for a community coffee shop 

During applications for Propel, Haskayne MMgmt student Temmy Adebisi was already a regular customer at Fenyk Coffee & Social café — brewing the perfect blend for a collaboration. 

Her project manager Pardeep Sooch founded Fenyk to foster community in Calgary and support other local stockists. He says Adebisi was a great match because she was comfortable with the people and culture of the café. 

“The degree of comfort that she has with the staff is huge because they respect her as much as she respects them,” says Sooch. 

Sooch let Adebisi lead waste and inventory management as well as cost analysis, accounting for key items like napkins, coffee cups, lids, syrup and other consumables.  

He says she gave the company valuable insight while preparing to open their second Calgary location in Canada Olympic Commons in June. 

Adebisi says it was fun to use skills she picked up in a challenging managerial accounting class. 

“In terms of growing, I was applying skills that can be easily transferred between industries, and I think that's really cool,” says Adebisi. 

How to apply

Propel Business Project applications open in the fall. 

Small businesses, early-stage ventures, non-profit organizations and social enterprises can submit their interest to join the Propel Business Project using this form. The team will reach out in September when the formal application process opens.  

Haskayne graduate students who are interested in taking part in the 2026 program can stay tuned for more information in the fall semester. The next cohort will begin on Jan. 12, 2026. 

To support Propel or inquire further, email propel.projects@haskayne.ucalgary.ca  

Learn more about the Haskayne Master of Management and MBA programs.