Ideas that give back

Priyash Bista — Project STOKE and HelpR

Priyash Bista graduated from Mount Royal University’s Bachelor of Computer Information Systems program with a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Currently, Bista works as a delivery lead at Benevity, one of Western Canada’s largest and fastest-growing technology companies.

He explains that MRU drew his innovative side out of him.

“By going through the entrepreneurship program, I was posed with questions that really made me think outside the box, which made me lean into the concept of innovation and what that means. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that as humans, we spend all of our time innovating, whether we realize it or not.”

Bista started his undergrad in 2012 and was new to Calgary at the time. He says that MRU got him connected not just academically, but socially.

“I had just moved to the city and didn’t have that many friends, so I started joining a bunch of clubs on campus. I was seeking a lot of things outside of the classroom because I didn’t know anyone and I was putting myself out there. This really allowed me to get a greater idea of innovation because it pushed me towards people that had the same mindset as me.”

Bista’s first connection point was through Enactus, a student-led club made up of students from across campus dedicated to building a better tomorrow. The group concentrates on impactful projects that address needs in a community, working to serve those needs and make a difference in peoples' lives.

“Enactus provided me with a platform to meet like-minded individuals from across the globe. It was too easy to be head’s-down on school work at times, and interacting with others in this forum made me think about larger issues in society,” Bista says.

Not only did Enactus add great value to Bista’s time at MRU, it connected him with the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE). Through the IIE, Bista was able to become part of Project STOKE, a social enterprise that worked to send clean burning, environmentally friendly stoves to Kenya. These top lift up-draft quad models helped improve indoor air quality and also empowered youth entrepreneurs by providing them the stoves to sell.

In just over a year, Project STOKE gained prominence in the social entrepreneurship community and won $30,000 at a pitch contest with the Change Tank as the only student team in a city-wide competition. Bista and his team were able to send 95 stoves in the first batch that went to Kenya. They also raised funds for survivors of the horrifying Garissa University massacre of 2015.

Bista explains that all of his ventures stem from his passion to help the less fortunate.

“Being in school, I didn’t have to worry about all the things that people in different countries have to consider. I was able to recognize my own privilege, which allowed me to leverage what I had as a platform to help others in need,” Bista explains.

“So, I did a bunch of change.org and GoFundMe campaigns to essentially help raise awareness and funding for people in developing contexts. All of my non-profit and give-back types of initiatives were a direct result of innovation. It really made me think about the root of innovation, which is finding a niche or a gap to fill.”

Bista’s passion for the non-profit sector didn’t end with Project STOKE. In his last two years of school, he developed a geolocation-based volunteering app called HelpR that allowed people to find volunteering opportunities based on their location. This venture ultimately landed him his job at Benevity.

He explains that none of this would have been possible without the unconditional support he received at MRU.

“I never felt ashamed or put down for an idea that I had. It always felt like everyone around me was encouraging me to push forward with whatever my idea was, even if it was some crazy thing,” Bista says.

“Coming from a background of scarcity and not a lot of abundance, I always felt like my back was against the wall and that I was reactive towards all of the decisions that were happening in my life. But when I was at MRU, I felt like I was given a break to think through a perspective that I hadn't been able to do in the past — a perspective of abundance that enabled me to make things better.”

In terms of offering advice, Bista encourages current and future students to take the leap, regardless of their personal feelings.

“I was about to launch my first GoFundMe campaign and I was sitting at the Tim Horton's on campus. I remember sitting there holding my computer — I had everything written out and ready to go but I began to doubt myself. I thought, ‘Why would anyone want to donate their money for this cause?’” Bista explains.

“And then I remember thinking, ‘If not you, then who? If not now, then when?’ And I hit publish.”

June 1, 2021 — Sarah Green