Applied Science Stars
—people making a difference
An entrepreneur in the truest sense—Winnie Lai
By ErinRose Handy
Entrepreneur: n. A person who has a new enterprise, venture or idea and assumes significant accountability for the risks and responsibility for the outcome.
Winnie Lai is an entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word.
Graduating this spring with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics with a Minor in Commerce, she is equipped with the technological know-how and the business acumen to be successful.
“I have been able to develop a future for myself by studying engineering. For me, my education at UBC has been about much more than just getting a job—it’s about acquiring a set of skills that enables me to chart an independent course in life.
Through engineering, I’ve gained the solid technological, problem-solving ability that you won’t find in other programs. Other areas can be self-taught or acquired, but I couldn’t have learned engineering on my own,” says Lai.
If she has any advice for incoming students, it would be to avoid focusing too much on school and marks, and instead, take the opportunity to reflect on how learning is applicable—take the time to develop invaluable friendships. The AOE sorority at UBC has been an especially supportive group for Lai. The lessons and ability to develop a network have all been relevant to her future as an entrepreneur.
Future as an entrepreneur
Although you wouldn’t know it from Lai’s unwavering commitment, the decision to dedicate her future to entrepreneurial endeavors is fairly recent. Lai describes an epiphany she had this past fall.
“In November, I had job offers from previous Co-op employers, but I felt like I was having a quarter-life crisis—I just wasn’t excited about working for someone else’s company,” says Lai. “I went to a seminar that helped me rank my values and I learned that being able to do what I want is most important to me. I want to be able to fire myself if I’m not doing a good job. I’m incredibly excited about working for myself.”
Lai loves the control of choosing her own destiny and embraces the responsibility that comes with it.
As Lai leaves UBC with her degree, she’ll also embark with a swath of experience.
Experienced entrepreneur
Lai has started a few businesses while at UBC. Her most recent venture, Clinicbook (www.clinicbook.ca), a website that provides real-time information for medical clinics to interface with the public, has recently earned its first revenue. The portal for healthcare provides critical information such as wait times and directions as well as the location of sponsoring pharmacies.
She is also co-founder of Aegis. Developed through a partnership formed in APSC 486/New Venture Design course, Aegis’s main product is software that connects students, teachers and parents through an online portal containing grades, assignments and other relevant information.
Lai rounds out her résumé with leadership positions, serving as the President of the Vancouver Student Entrepreneurship Association where she leads a team of enthusiastic advocates to promote and advance entrepreneurship in student bodies around the Vancouver area. She notes it’s important to market entrepreneurship as much more than technology.
“It’s interdisciplinary, you have to—or you get to—do everything from the tech side to accounting,” she says.
Lai also serves on the Economic Development Committee of Vancouver, where issues on innovation, productivity and economic growth are addressed. She has recently been appointed Volunteer Director of Vancouver Enterprise Forum (VEF) Momentum, a networking forum for technology entrepreneurs.
“I want to give back—to contribute as much as I can—the past five years at UBC have provided the foundation for my future success and opened many new doors. I used to be shy, a very different person. I’ve had tremendous career and personal development.”
She exudes excitement, passion and ambition as she explains that this new chapter of her life comes from the heart.
“And at the end of my days, I want to make sure my autobiography is worth reading.”
Making a difference
If Lai could write the future chapters of her book, how will she be known for making a difference?
“I want to be known as the Mark Zuckerberg of Vancouver….I want to put Vancouver on the map for entrepreneurship. I want UBC to discover and capitalize on the innovation and entrepreneurship we have, to help the university discover its potential and be known as the start-up school.”
She’s dedicated to doing just that and is working with the new entrepreneurship@UBC initiative to move this goal forward.
“I have always loved to take things apart—and in doing so, have learned how they operate. Now I’m putting things—new businesses—together. I hope to inspire young entrepreneurs and women in engineering,” says Lai.
Visit Winnie Lai’s blog at: www.winnieyklai.com
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