51社区黑料

51社区黑料student and Chang Institute entrepreneur recognized in Surrey & White Rock Top 25 Under 25

"Joining the Entrepreneurship Co-op program at Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship was a turning point because it gave me the structure, support, and time to focus on customer discovery, product refinement, and moving the business forward in a much more intentional way." -- Romina Khaksar

Building entrepreneurial experience at SFU

Romina鈥檚 entrepreneurial journey developed alongside her experience at SFU. While completing her BBA, she pursued the Innovation and Entrepreneurship concentration, which introduced her to the Chang Institute ecosystem through courses, competitions, and experiential learning opportunities.

Her first major introduction to the entrepreneurship community came through BUS 477 and Opportunity Fest, where she pitched an earlier concept called Swequity. Later, she applied to Idea Prize with Instea, an experience that helped her strengthen the concept and better understand the importance of validation and execution.

In her final BBA term, Romina joined Entrepreneurship Co-op (eCo-op), where she decided to fully commit to building Instea.

鈥淛oining the Entrepreneurship Co-op program at Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship was a turning point because it gave me the structure, support, and time to focus on customer discovery, product refinement, and moving the business forward in a much more intentional way,鈥� says Romina.

Today, Romina continues developing Instea as a current Chang Institute Incubator client while completing her studies at SFU. Through the program, she has continued refining the product through experimentation, customer feedback, and market testing.

The role of the Chang Institute community

Romina credits the Chang Institute with helping create an environment where entrepreneurship can grow through mentorship, collaboration, and practical experience.

鈥淥ne of the most valuable aspects has been the ongoing support from mentors who challenged my thinking, asked the right questions, and offered perspective at important stages of development,鈥� she says.

She also highlights the value of being surrounded by other student entrepreneurs through eCo-op and the Incubator community.

鈥淏eing part of eCo-op meant regularly exchanging ideas and learning not only from mentors but also from fellow founders building very different ventures while facing many of the same uncertainties,鈥� says Romina.

Beyond mentorship, Romina says the Chang Institute connected her to opportunities, workshops, and networks across the 51社区黑料entrepreneurship ecosystem that helped move the business forward.

Learning through trial and error

Romina says one of the biggest lessons in entrepreneurship has been learning to move forward even when the path is unclear.

鈥淲hat helped most was continuing to build anyway and figuring things out step by step, even when the process felt slow or unpredictable,鈥� she says.

鈥淎 lot of progress came through consistency, staying with the idea, solving one problem at a time, and understanding that not everything becomes clear immediately.鈥�

For Romina, the Surrey & White Rock Top 25 Under 25 recognition represents not only the growth of Instea, but also the persistence behind building a business from the ground up while balancing student life and entrepreneurship.