Nav Bhatia has accomplished much in his life.  

Bhatia, a successful businessperson who owns several Hyundai dealerships, is perhaps best known as the Raptors Superfan who hasn’t missed attending a single Toronto Raptors home game in 30 years. He also founded the Nav Bhatia Superfan Foundation – a non-profit dedicated to raising money to build basketball courts and camps for youth across Canada and the globe.

Bhatia was speaking to students, their supporters and faculty as the keynote speaker at the Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship’s Night of Excellence Best Pitch Competition where students deliver business pitches to receive feedback and prizes.

Bhatia, who was wearing both his Toronto Raptors NBA championship ring and the one he received after being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, tells people that if he can succeed in this country, anyone can.

However, it wasn’t always easy. After coming to Canada in 1984, he experienced racism and discrimination. He called them speedbumps – they bothered him, but he also managed to rise above these incidents and didn’t let them derail him. His advice to the students was not to take the bait and avoid getting angry.

“If I had, I don’t know if I’d be where I am today,” said Bhatia.

Website Development student Hima Agrawal, whose pitch was a Humber-specific online marketplace for students, was excited to hear from someone such as Bhatia about his experiences in business and felt there was valuable knowledge to be gleaned from the keynote.

Bhatia, meanwhile, had a few tips for success to share with the students. First, continue to learn from those around you each day. Also, treat people the way you want to be treated and be willing to forgive. As well, businesses are built by strong teams, and you can’t do it alone.

John Lam, director, Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship, said the pitch competition that requires students to deliver a succinct, one-minute pitch strengthens their communication skills while also getting them to think critically about what to include in their pitch and what must be cut out for time.

It’s also a more welcoming environment than it would be when pitching to investors, added Lam. Networking was a big part of the night as the students made their way around the room following their pitches to chat with other entrepreneurs and the audience for feedback.

As Lam noted, the students were refining lifelong career skills that are transferrable to any industry.

“It’s an amazing honour to have Nav here supporting Humber students and alumni,” said Lam. “It speaks to the strength of the Humber community when someone such as Nav was willing to come and lend his time and it shows the unparalleled learning experiences we’re able to provide at Humber.”

Shambhavi Jha, who’s studying Fashion Management, pitched an idea for a sustainability-focused clothing line.

“I wanted to build my confidence, and I was a bit nervous coming in, but I think I’m improving,” said Jha. “The experience I gained here is important.”

The students who participated in the event were from both the BMO Launch Me program and the Longo Family Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) program. The Night of Excellence was designed to help prepare students for two upcoming donor-funded pitch competition events held in the spring – the BMO Launch Me Competition on March 20 and the Longo Family BYOB Video Pitch Competition on April 11.

Find out more by visiting the Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship website.