One project, two lives changed: WIZAD’s takeaways from REV Talk on venture impact

On October 15, 2026, WIZAD founder Leo Nguyen joined a REV Talk hosted by REV Venture Catalyst at Royal Roads University. The title was The Many Forms of Venture Impact: How entrepreneurs are positively changing our world.

The panel looked at impact on two levels, and that framing gave WIZAD a clearer way to explain why it exists.

Two levels of impact

• Macro. How governments, investment funds, incubators and sponsors assess a venture’s effect on the economy, society and the environment.
• Micro. Venture empathy: truly understanding the end user, and building solutions that make a real difference in their lives.

Leo’s takeaway was a shift in the question. The question is no longer only “what service does WIZAD offer?” but “what changes for people, and for our community, because WIZAD exists?” Answered at both levels, the story largely writes itself.

Micro: two groups who need each other

WIZAD serves two groups of end users who need each other but rarely meet.

• RRU students and alumni. They are skilled and ambitious, and they compete hard for a small number of internship and co-op openings. For international students, a short time in Canada and a small local network make it harder still.
• Small businesses in the Westshore and Greater Victoria. Their owners need strategy, digital tools and smoother operations, but have no budget for consultants and no time to do it all alone.

WIZAD is the bridge

WIZAD analyzes student capabilities, sources real business projects, matches the right team and supports that team through delivery.

Each project creates value on both sides:

• Students gain real Canadian work experience, a local reference, and a path from internship to a full-time role in their field.
• Businesses gain assessments, gap audits and quick wins, and a chance to find their next great hire.

Macro: what changes when it repeats

One project helps one student and one business. Repeated project after project, the effect grows: more skilled graduates build their careers in the region, and more local businesses grow instead of just surviving.

One project. Two lives changed. Repeat that, and you change a local economy.

Thank you, REV

WIZAD thanks REV Venture Catalyst at Royal Roads University for a conversation that sharpened how this story is told.

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