News Release

Engineering student named Global Graduate Student Entrepreneur of the Year

Grant and Award Announcement

University of Toronto

Vincent Cheung (ECE), a PhD candidate, continued his winning streak this month in adding a global title to his local, regional and national entrepreneurial awards.

Cheung was named Global Graduate Student Entrepreneur of the Year, a specialized category within the 2010 Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA), a program of the Entrepreneurs' Organization. The competition is for university students taking a full course load while running a revenue-generating business.

The electrical and computer engineering PhD student is the owner and creator of Shape Collage Inc. (www.shapecollage.com), a digital media software company. His product can take hundreds of photos and in just seconds, automatically arrange them into a photo collage in any form, such as a shape, word or logo. With the help of U of T's Innovations and Partnerships Office, he is in the process of obtaining a patent for his work.

In addition to the creative merits of his product, Cheung's company has been cash-flow positive since day one and generates six-figures in annual revenues.

For the latest round of the entrepreneur competition, Cheung was flown to Kansas City, Missouri, where he presented his business to a panel of entrepreneurs, journalists and others. His impressive achievements and excellent presentation led to the global award.

"It's amazing to receive such a prestigious award, especially for doing something that I love," said Cheung. "I get to make cool and fun things, impact the lives of millions of people around the world, and make money doing it."

"We are tremendously proud of Vincent's achievements," said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. "His company, Shape Collage, emerges from a strong entrepreneurial spirit that demonstrates his commitment to engineering innovation."

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