Mentor Corner: Meet Hassan Pardawalla
Mentor Corner is a monthly feature highlighting the incredible contributions made by our mentor network to our venture community.
At entrepreneurship@UBC, we are privileged to work with a pool of 250+ mentors across the Vancouver and BC innovation ecosystem who invest their time, expertise, and insights into growing the early-stage ventures of tomorrow. From entrepreneurial leadership development to scaling venture creation, our mentor network is fundamental to what we do here, and we are excited to introduce you to them in our monthly feature, Mentor Corner!
Meet Hassan Pardawalla
Hassan is that person you want by your side when tackling impossible challenges. Over the last 20 years, Hassan successfully managed projects in talent management, supply chain management, new technology deployments, organizational culture developments and business scales across several continents for a Fortune 500 company, along with multiple other businesses in the energy, cleantech, agritech and sustainability industry. Currently, he is a fractional COO at Parda Sense Solutions, co-piloting entrepreneurial businesses in scaling up and commercialization. He serves as a business advisor of ‘Eat n' Log’, is a board member for Vancouver Fringe Festival and volunteers at several NGO’s in the Lower Mainland, and is also a Professor at the University of Canada West, teaching Small Business Management. Hassan also likes to be known as an aspiring stand up comedian, MAMIL cyclist, and podcast host.
Learn more about how Hassan got into mentorship, the impact founders have made on him and what books he's reading.
How did you get into mentorship? What brought you here?
I am here because of the people around me. I want to give back to the people what I was given by the people before me. I want to continually learn and be challenged. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved helping others and building a community. I’ve always had the opportunity to mentor through volunteering and supporting the development of others. I guess the actual ‘mentorship’ hat came to me through Shubh Mittal, the founder of Seleste, a local tech startup creating smart glasses for the blind. I was intrigued by the e@UBC program and all the people involved, and I wanted a place to help elevate future innovators, and here I am!
Working with early-stage startups, you have the opportunity to make a huge impact on the founders you are working with. What impacts have founders made on you?
I have had to go back and question everything I thought might be right or wrong after a session with ventures and founders. They keep challenging my thought processes, and it pushes me to be better at everything. They have also made crossword puzzles and jeopardy easier.
What book are you reading? Podcast you can't stop listening to?
I have a book list with another mentor called The Hassan and Kyle Book List. But, if I were to recommend a book, I would have to say Alchemy by Rory Sutherland and anything by Vaclav Smil! Also, a few of my favourite podcasts are 'Life in the Bike Lane' and 'There are no stupid Questions'!
“I want to continually learn and be challenged. For as long as I can remember, I loved helping others and building a community.”
- Hassan Pardawalla
Thank you Hassan for your expert insights and continued impact on our community!
Are you interested in joining our mentor network?