“I don’t think I could have picked a better school than Dal for what I wanted to do,” says Bachelor of Commerce graduate Costa Zafiris. He describes the education he received at the Faculty of Management’s Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship as “groundbreaking stuff” that opened his eyes to the possibility of being an entrepreneur and innovator.
Costa credits Dal’s Starting Lean initiative, which uses experiential learning, teamwork and real-world experience to get student entrepreneurs off to the right start. “In class, we had to pitch to other students and mentors, and you’re facing criticism every week. A lot of people get protective of their ideas and take the criticism personally, but it’s there to make you better. It was the best course I ever took.” He has high praise for Starting Lean professors Ed Leach and Mary Kilfoil, who he says are “doing new things, amazing things. I’ll do anything they ask once I graduate.”
His education gave Costa the skill and confidence to start two companies while still in school. The first was Student Shine, a property services business. He and partner Callum Mayer started it during their entrepreneurial co-op work term. “At the beginning of the summer, we were taking any job we could get, for almost any price. We had to learn the hard way what our time was worth and how to communicate that to the customer.”
The second business, and Costa’s current passion, is PlayPeanut.com, a social gaming platform for sports nuts. It was one of five businesses accepted into Dalhousie’s Starting Lean Summ'erUP business accelerator program. “It was awesome,” he says. “It let us turn our idea into a summer job, and now we have a product we can sell and grow.” The next step? Getting PlayPeanut into a more intensive accelerator, where he and his partners can capitalize on the interest it’s already generating.
On the ice, in the boardroom
Costa also found time to build his business savvy in other ways while a student. Startup Weekend, a 54-hour event where teams pitch ideas, create products and launch companies, was hosted by Dal in November 2013. His team won the People’s Choice Award. As well, he was an active member of the Dalhousie chapter of Enactus, a community of student, academic and business leaders promoting entrepreneurship. He was nominated for Student Entrepreneur of the Year, attained his Entrepreneurial Skills Program certificate and was semi-finalist in the Canadian Business Model Competition.
All this and playing two seasons of varsity hockey didn’t compromise his academic performance. In 2013, he was named a CIS Academic All-Canadian, an award that recognizes exceptional student-athletes who achieve an academic standing of 80 per cent or better while playing varsity sports. In his final academic term, he also achieved Dean’s List status.
Born and raised in Halifax, Costa spent a year after high school playing junior hockey in New Jersey. At first, he wasn’t sure it was the right decision, but now reflects on how it helped him get to where he is today. “Looking back, I wouldn’t change anything,” he explains. “Hockey is a full-time commitment, and you learn to handle the ups and downs. It’s the same with entrepreneurship—there are going to be highs and lows, and you have to stay focused and not let your emotions take over.”
It’s no wonder he has a passion for enterprise. Both his parents and older sister own businesses. His younger brother, Alex, is also studying commerce at Dalhousie’s Rowe School of Business.
Costa is confident that the entrepreneur’s life is the life for him. “Nothing’s more challenging than entrepreneurship. Hockey wasn’t as challenging; school work wasn’t as challenging. It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done, and I love it.”
This article is part of a series on our newest graduates. These profiles are also published in the 2014 Fall Convocation Keepsake, which is distributed at Convocation ceremonies. For more on Convocation (including live webcasts), visit the Convocation website.