FROM BIOLOGY TO BUSINESS TO WINNER COMMERCE STUDENT AND BUDDING E N T R E P R E N E U R N AT H A N R O B I C H AU D W I N S $30,000 SOBE Y AWARD When Nathan Robichaud started his Mount Allison education as a Biology major, he did not set out with plans to win the biggest prize available to Commerce students in Atlantic Canada. During the summer after his first year, Robichaud found himself working with a finance and accounting team at Emera and taking part in an international business case competition in Japan. With a renewed sense of purpose and his own business ideas, Robichaud switched to a Commerce major. Fast forward 18 months and Robichaud finds himself the winner of an illustrious Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies, which supports future business leaders and recognizes entrepreneurialism and community involvement within Atlantic Canada. “Winning the Sobey really validates all the hard work you’ve done and it’s a great networking group,” says Robichaud.
Robichaud was also the winner of The Pitch 2021 — a Dragon’s Den-style event on campus that is generously supported by the TD Bank Group. Robichaud’s business plan, Borealis Seafood, proposed
methods to consolidate the Jonah crab market in the Atlantic provinces. It was a natural world business idea with roots back to Robichaud’s childhood. “I grew up in Yarmouth, NS, and my dad and I would get Jonah crab from a friend who was a lobster fisherman,” says Robichaud. “Jonah crab is flaky and sweet, and I always thought it was undervalued.” Recently, Robichaud has united with some like-minded individuals interested in developing this seafood venture.
Nathan is a young person who is going places,” says Dean Nauman Farooqi. “And an example of the diverse opportunities you can take advantage of in and out of the classroom at Mount Allison.” Robichaud also recently worked as an analyst for High Tide Capital, a private investment fund started by Mount Allison alumnus (and fellow Sobey Award winner) Sam Imbeault (’12); is contributing to the start-up of Kangaroo, a new food delivery app tailored for small to midsize markets and headquartered in Halifax; is collaborating with a friend on a nutrition, fitness, and meal planning software start-up; and worked as a researcher and business development intern for a Mount Allison professor creating a business providing services related to diversity and inclusion. Robichaud has held leadership roles on campus within the Commerce Society and Case Competition team, and plays Mounties Lacrosse. All this while realizing high academic achievements, including receiving the Bell Scholarship, one of the University’s most prestigious entrance awards. “I’ve spent my time at Mount Allison making as many meaningful connections as possible and working to scale a handful of startups,” says Robichaud. “I am so excited about what comes next, and I can’t wait to get to work as a full-time entrepreneur as soon as I cross the graduation stage in May.”