Brent Mainprize

Brent is a teaching professor at the Gustavson School of Business and a 3M National Teaching Fellow with a focus on entrepreneurship and Indigenous economic prosperity. Brent drives and leads many new and innovative community engagement and growth initiatives for the school that achieve national and international recognition for their positive impacts on the individuals and communities they serve, while accelerating the growth of Executive Programs to one of the country’s highest performing units of its kind.

As an engaged scholar, Brent has leveraged his scholarship and practical expertise in entrepreneurial business planning and modelling to develop the Venture Intelligence Quotient (VIQ) and VIQCoresmart™ in the form of software and their accompanying educational materials. The impact of the successful commercialization of his research is readily apparent through the adoption and widespread overseas use of VIQ™ in Canada, Australia, Italy, Denmark and China.

Over the past 2 decades, Brent has been invited into over 45 Indigenous communities in BC to assist in facilitating community-based research, and to co-create unique programs that promote leadership and self-reliance through entrepreneurship. In 2013, Brent co-designed, with TRICORP CEO Frank Parnell, the Indigenous Advancement of Cultural Entrepreneurship (I-ACE) program delivered in-community. To date the I-ACE program has 50 completed cohorts graduating 714 entrepreneurs starting over 233 new business. In 2019, the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) invited Brent to co-design and help secure $3.2M funding and lead the Indigenous 3C Challenge. The 3C Challenge is an innovative, community-based entrepreneurship program designed to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of 1,000 urban Indigenous youth across BC. Brent’s community engaged scholarship focuses on “How can Indigenous wise practices be shared and appropriately integrated to help Canadian post-secondary institutions on the road to economic reconciliation?”  

Brent enjoys sailing the Gulf Islands with his wife and 2 children. 

Journal publications

Mainprize, B., & Hindle, K. (2007). The Benefit: a well-written entrepreneurial business plan is to an entrepreneur what a midwife is to an expecting mother. Journal of Private Equity, 1(11), 40–52.

Hindle, K., & Mainprize, B. (2006). A Systematic Approach to Writing and Rating Entrepreneurial Business Plans. Journal of Private Equity, 2(10).

Mainprize, B., & Hindle, K. (2005). Assessing the Efficacy and Standardization Potential of Five Competing Venture Capital Investment Evaluation Approaches. Journal of Private Equity, 1(9).

Mainprize, B., & Hindle, K. (2003). Is the Quality of Entrepreneurial Business Plans Related to the Funding Decision? Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, (2003 Edition).

Mainprize, B., Hindle, K., Smith, B., & Mitchell, R. (2003). Caprice Versus Standardization in Venture Capital Investment. Journal of Private Equity, 1(7).

Mainprize, B., Hindle, K., Smith, B., & Mitchell, R. (2002). Towards the Standardisation of Venture Capital Investment Evaluation: Decision Criteria for Rating Investee Business Plans. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, (2002 Edition).

Book

Hamilton, R., Borrows, J., Mainprize, B., Beaton, R., & Nichols, j. (Eds.) (2021). Wise Practices: Exploring Indigenous Economic Justice and Self-Determination. (University of Toronto Press, Canada).

Mainprize, B., Hindle, K., & Mainprize, N. (2009). Venture Intelligence: How smart investors and entrepreneurs evaluate new ventures (p. 255). Victoria: Venture Intelligence Institute.

Book Chapters

Mainprize, B., Mercer, A., Edwards, L. & Hindle, K. (2021).  Wise Practices: Towards a Paradigm of Indigenous Applied Community Economic Development Research and Facilitation. Chapter 3. 

Hamilton, R., Borrows, J., Mainprize, B., Beaton, R.,& Nichols, j. (Eds.) (2021). Wise Practices: Exploring Indigenous Economic Justice and Self-Determination. (University of Toronto Press, Canada).

Case Study

Mainprize, B. The Ben Barry Agency: Changing the face of fashion, Published in: Solomon, Stuart, Smith, Charlebois, and Marando (2007) Marketing: Real People, Real Decisions. Canadian 3rd Edition. Pearson Education Canada. 20 (2007).

Mainprize, B. Cupcakes, Case Track Proceeding. Administrative Science Association of Canada, Banff, AB. June 2006. 29 (2006).

Other

Mainprize, B., Mercer, A., & Elliott, B. (2019). Strategy of the BC Government's Indigenous Procurement Initiative. British Columbia Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

Mainprize, B., Mercer, A., & Elliott, B. (2019). Economic Prosperity Strategy for the Nisga'a Nation. Nisga’a Lisims Government. 

Mainprize, B. (2017). Barriers to First Nation Economic Development - Literature Review. British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.

Presentation

Mainprize, B., Mercer, A. (2020, March). Building & Supporting an Entrepreneurial Economy & Culture. First Nations Economic Development Corporations Conference. Vancouver. 

Parnell, F., Mainprize, B., Stephens, C. & Stack, C. (2019, November). Ecosystem Development: Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs (ACE) program. Excellence in Pracitce Conference, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) (International Conference) Barcelona Spain. 

Mainprize, B. (2018, November). TRC Legacy Categories: Education, entrepreneurship and socio-economic capacity building. 2018 Building Reconciliation Forum: Working Together to Advance Reconciliation (National Conference). Victoria: Universities Canada and UVIC.

Mainprize, B. (2018, November). Indigenous Community Business Models for Prosperity. Annual Gathering of Indigenous Community Leaders in the Northwest BC. Prince Rupert: Tribal Resource Investment Corporation.

Mainprize, B. (2018, November). Balance the Values: (1) Community (2) Culture and (3) Cash (3Cs) in New Business Ventures: The BC Indigenous 3C Challenge. Indigenous Links to Learning. Vancouver: Cando (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers), National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association and Indigenous Services Canada.

Mainprize, B. (2018, October). Western Canadian Growth Strategy. Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) launched an engagement plan to develop a regional growth strategy with Western Canadians for Western Canadians. Vancouver: Invited by Western Economic Diversification Canada, Federal Government.

Mainprize, B. (2018, January). The importance of developing strategies to link First Nations community skill levels and industry opportunities to create sustainable economic-development and employment success stories. Indigenous Joint Gathering of Leaders. Vancouver: Cando (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers), National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association and Indigenous Services Canada.

Mainprize, B. (2018, February). Toward Indigenous economic reconciliation: Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs (ACE) program. Educational Developers Caucus. UVic.

Mainprize, B. (2018, February). Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs; Program Design, Partnerships and Impact. Univation. Ottawa: Hosted by Universities Canada and the Rideau Hall Foundation.

Mainprize, B. (2017, November). Economic Development; Building Individual Capacity to plug-into Community-based Economies; Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs (ACE) Program. Indigenous Links to Learning. Vancouver: Cando (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers), National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association and Indigenous Services Canada.

Mainprize, B., & Borrows, J. (2017, March). Ideafest: Brave spirits on new paths: The road to Indigenous economic reconciliation. UVIC IdeaFest. Victoria: UVIC.

Mainprize, B. (2016, December). Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs Program: Impact and Potential. Wharton’s Global Education Stars Conference. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wharton: University of Pennsylvania.

Mainprize, B. (2016, April). Using Reality based TV in the Undergraduate Classroom. International Teaching Conference. Jacksonville Florida: Florida State University.

Mainprize, B. (2016, April). Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs Program: Curriculum and Culture Integration. International Teaching Conference. Jacksonville Florida: Florida State University.

Mainprize, B. (2016, March). Strategies and Wise Practices for Aboriginal–Municipal Economic Development Collaboration. 6th Annual British Columbia Economic Development Association Conference and Minister’s Dinner. Vancouver: BC Government and British Columbia Economic Development Association.

Mainprize, B. (2016, June). Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs Program: Impact and Potential. Annual Conference: Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE). London Ontario: Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).

Mainprize, B. (2015, August). Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs Program: How Can UVic Business School Faculty Best Teach Entrepreneurship in Aboriginal Communities by Balancing the 3 Cs of Community, Culture and Cash? Let’s Talk About Teaching: Annual Teaching Conference at UVIC. UVic: UVic: Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Mainprize, B. (2014, August). Entering the Dragon’s Den to Teach Entrepreneurship: Using a Taxonomy to Leverage the Learning Value of Reality-Based Television in the Undergraduate Classroom. University of Victoria Teaching & Learning Annual Conference. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria.

Mainprize, B. (2014, June). Entering the Dragon’s Den to Teach Entrepreneurship: Using a Taxonomy to Leverage the Learning Value of Reality-Based Television in the Undergraduate Classroom. Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Kingston, Ontario: Queens University.

Mainprize, B., Mitchell, D., & Hobby, T. (2005). Non-Timber Forest Products and Indigenous Enterprise: Prospects for Income, Conservation and Community Well-being. The 22nd the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress. Brisbane, Australia, 8 – 13 August 2005: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress.