“Get out of the classroom.”
That was one of Dr. Mary Kilfoil’s favourite bits of advice for students when she was a professor of entrepreneurship at Dalhousie.
She wasn’t suggesting her students skip class, of course. Instead, she was urging them to expand their learning by engaging in the real world. Her curriculum was steeped in a belief that the best way to learn about starting a new business was to do so.
New businesses need potential customers, she’d explain, and odds were better you’d find them somewhere other than in a university classroom. Cold calls, surveys, emails, in-person meetings — the details of how you discovered possible customers didn’t matter so much as figuring out if a business was viable in the first place. If it wasn’t, you’d pivot or scrap an idea altogether and come up with a new one. The underlying point: don’t invest too much time or money in a business idea unless you’ve shown there is a market for it.
Some students in Dr. Kilfoil’s classes adopted the approach wholeheartedly, many going on to launch and scale successful businesses. Analyze Re, Iconic Brewing Company (formerly Sage Mixology), Site 20/20, GIT Coatings (Graphite Innovation and Technologies) and Spring Loaded Technology are just a few examples. Extra-curricular programming developed by Dr. Kilfoil and Dr. Ed Leach, a fellow Dalhousie entrepreneurship instructor and program director until 2016, further encouraged students to pursue their business ideas beyond their course work and sometimes even offered a path to seed funding.
“Mary was the wiser of the two of us and was fearless at advancing the needle for Dal on the local, national and global stage for innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Dr. Leach, recalling a remark from an associate in the field “that the larger benefit to the region was the talent we were developing rather than the startups themselves.“
“Following her retirement the two of us chose to use the same principles to convert the narrative for the growing pool of older Canadians from one of challenges to one of opportunity,” adds Dr. Leach.
We reached out to some of Dr. Kilfoil’s former students in the wake of her death last summer and gathered tributes shared with Dr. Leach about her impact on their lives and careers. What emerged showcases the breadth and depth of her legacy.
Impact on entrepreneurship education
John Gleeson, founder and general partner of San Francisco-based investment firm Success Venture Partners, recalls how Dr. Kilfoil's approach helped ignited his entrepreneurial ambitions.
"Mary was the catalyst behind all of this, and I have never again been part of an educational experience that solidified learning in such an impactful way," he says.
Gleeson praised the programming Dr. Kilfoil and Dr. Leach offered to Dal students, particularly the Starting Lean course and associated programming that was inspired a methodology that transformed how people thought about starting businesses.
"The Starting Lean program was undeniably a pivotal moment in my life," he said. "I often find myself reflecting upon and applying the invaluable lessons and frameworks I learned from the class."
Dr. Kilfoil was honored with the national Entrepreneurship Educator award from Startup Canada in 2014.
“Canada has lost an important leader in the entrepreneurship academic space,” Dr. Barbara Orser, professor emerita in the Tefler School of Management at University of Ottawa, said in a note to Dr. Leach.
Dr. Mary Kilfoil receiving the Atlantic Canadian Startup Canada Entrepreneurship Education of the Year Award in 2014.
Global impact
Dr. Kilfoil nominated Dr. Steve Blank, a U.S.-based global thought leader in the Lean Startup movement, for a Dalhousie honorary doctorate, which he received at a Convocation ceremony in May 2017.
“I know Steve thought the world of her. She certainly made such an impact at Dalhousie and beyond. I enjoyed working with her,” says Terri Vanech, a close associate of Dr. Blank’s.
Desh Deshpande, another U.S.-based thought leader and successful tech entrepreneur with research centres at MIT, University of New Brunswick, Queens University, and University of Massachusetts, recalled working with Dr. Kilfoil.
“I have a lot of fond memories of interacting with Mary,” he told Dr. Leach in a note after her death. “She was a caring and action-oriented person. Her passing is not only sad but a big loss to the world.”
Dr. Steve Blank delivering an address at Dal Convocation after receiving his honorary degree.
Mentorship and personal influence
Dr. Kilfoil's mentorship — along with Dr. Leach's — extended beyond the classroom, deeply affecting the personal and professional lives of those she interacted with.
"Mary and you have been our biggest supporters, and we are going to miss her terribly. We will always be indebted to both of you for taking us in and providing us guidance in our start-up journey," said Shivam Rajdev, co-founder of Analyze Re, in a note to Dr. Leach.
Shown right: An image of the Analyze Re team, including Shivam Rajdev, second from left.
A colleague in the Faculty of Management praised Dr. Kilfoil's ability to influence and inspire others through her own example.
"Mary was a highly admired colleague and friend, kind, generous with a brilliant and creative mind. She will be greatly missed," said Martine Durie Copp, former director of the Faculty of Management’s Centre for Advanced Management Education (CFAME).
Peter Moreira, founder of startup news and data platform Entrevestor, spoke fondly of Dr. Kilfoil’s generosity of spirit in a note to Dr. Leach following her passing.
“You and Mary have helped so many people . . . and we will all miss Mary's positive outlook and giving spirit,” he said.
Community engagement and support
Dr. Kilfoil's efforts at Dal and beyond significantly impacted the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Halifax, supporting and driving community initiatives.
“Mary represented the best of us that toil in venture development; a razor-sharp intellect with a heart of gold and a calling for service to her community,” said Craig MacMullin, president and CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED), “We are truly greater for her contribution and poorer for her passing.”
Others praised Dr. Kilfoil and Dr. Leach for providing much-needed guidance to so many entrepreneurs.
“You and Mary played a pivotal role in the endMS Summer School that we hosted here in 2014. It would never have come together without the insights, and more than anything the enthusiasm and passion, that you and Mary brought to that project,” said Dr. John Fisk, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie.
Legacy
Legacy can mean many things. For those who knew Dr. Kilfoil, it has meant being a continued source of inspiration for entrepreneurs, educators, and community innovators.
"Mary’s legacy will never leave us," says Cam McDonald, co-founder of Sage Mixology (now known as Iconic Brewing Company). "She was instrumental in my journey as well as so many others. She was kind, driven, and unwavering in her determination. She was a pioneer in Canadian academia and a change agent."
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