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New businesses, especially ones focusing on futuristic technology, are increasingly being seen as the much needed boost to local and national economies. In an era with numerous agencies, including pre-incubator initiatives (such as the Nova Scotia ICT Sandbox) and incubators, encouraging members of our community to embrace entrepreneurship, The Next 36 is looking to catch them young.

The Next 36 (thenext36.ca) works to groom budding Canadian entrepreneurs into successful business persons through education and mentorship. The program is growing in demand each year, with over 630 applicants from 45 different schools across North America registering this year alone to compete for a coveted spot at the National Selection Weekend.

Jeremy Tupper, a recent graduate from the Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) program at Dalhousie's Faculty of Computer Science (FCS), is among the 38 chosen for The Next 36's National Selection Weekend.

Originally from London, ON, Tupper moved to Halifax in 2010 in a journey that led him to Dalhousie. At Dalhousie鈥檚 FCS, he discovered that his true passion was in technology and coding. His love for programming, especially creating apps for mobile devices, saw him win awards, notably at the Apps4Halifax Open Data Contest and at Dalhousie鈥檚 own Dal App Challenge.

However, it wasn鈥檛 until Fall 2013 that he realized his entrepreneurial spirit. 鈥淚 got really into entrepreneurship after attending a Start-Up weekend event,鈥� says Tupper, adding that it was where he was introduced to the Starting Lean initiative, run by Faculty of Management professors, Ed Leach and Mary Kilfoil. He won the People鈥檚 Choice Award at the Start-Up Weekend, and continued his entrepreneurial adventure in the Starting Lean course with his team members.

During his time as part of the Starting Lean course, he learned about The Next 36. 鈥淚 wanted to participate in the Next36 because I have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and it is an incredible opportunity to learn from and get exposure to some of the best in Canada in their respective fields,鈥� Tupper continues, adding that the networking, educational value and business opportunities provided by The Next 36 are unlike any others offered in Canada.

Tupper was one of the finalists chosen for an intense selection weekend that involved many interviews, exciting talks by guest speakers, and many motivated participants. The organizers selected 38 from the finalists and divided them into teams. Each of these teams have to work on a business idea and launch a venture over the next eight months. They will have access to several resources at The Next 36 to help them with their ventures.

While working remotely with his new team on their venture, Tupper is also strengthening his coding skills in the Web Development course at Bitmaker Labs (bitmakerlabs.com) in Toronto, having recently moved there. 鈥淚 want to inject myself right into the tech scene here in Toronto,鈥� adds a determined Tupper.

His interests are beyond merely business ventures and programming. In the past, he has been an active athlete, playing soccer and football, trying his hands at snowboarding and surfing, also having competed with the 黑料吃瓜网Cheerleading team and 黑料吃瓜网Dance. It just goes to show that a computer science graduate can aim for a lot more than just a programming / technical experience.

With his zeal for continuous learning and improving his skills, and his ability to transform his ideas into business ventures, Tupper is no doubt creating and soaring into an exciting future; an adventure no less.