Rick Colbourne
Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship
- BA (Mount Allison University), MBA (Simon Fraser University), PhD Management (University of Cambridge)
- 6023 Nicol, Carleton University
- 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6
- Email Rick Colbourne
- 604-721-4354
Dr. Rick Colbourne is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, where his work focuses on advancing innovation and entrepreneurship across systems of business, education and community. He formerly served as Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusive Communities, where he advanced equity, diversity and inclusion across Carleton University and the Sprott School of Business through institutional strategy and partnerships.
His doctoral research at the University of Cambridge examined how multinational organizations learn and adapt from the shop floor to the C-suite, highlighting the dynamics that drive strategy and change. This foundation continues to guide his applied research and executive education practice, where he examines how organizations and entrepreneurs put innovation into practice using tools such as AI and through building adaptive systems that connect people, ventures and markets.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Colbourne co-led global digital transformation projects at Accenture in the creative industries, building rights management platforms, digital content systems, and commercialization strategies for multinational clients. As Executive Director of the Learning Strategies Group at Simon Fraser University, he designed and delivered award-winning custom programs for clients such as Teck, Corix and G&F Financial to strengthen leadership capacity and organizational performance. He also founded and operated a concert production company, working with concert promoters and international touring artists, gaining first-hand experience in building and scaling ventures.
He has been awarded fellowships including the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Indigenous Entrepreneurship (University of Arizona), Associate Research Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation (University of Cambridge), the Future Learning Innovation Fellowship (Carleton University), the Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Fellowship (University of Westminster) and the London Technology Network Fellowship (London Business School). His teaching has been recognized with the Teaching Honour Roll at Simon Fraser University, the University Achievement Award for Teaching at the University of Northern British Columbia, the Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Fellowship at the University of Westminster, and the Deputy Minister’s Recognition Award for Collaboration and Partnership from the Government of Canada.
He sits on the boards of corporate, advisory and non-profit organizations, helping to shape strategy, ESG initiatives and technology transitions. Through these roles, Dr. Colbourne works to turn complexity into action, showing that innovation is not an isolated activity but an ongoing practice of building resilient systems that connect research and practice, institutions and communities and vision with execution.
Projects
Allyship, Co-Cultural Strategies, and Indigenous Ventures
Ongoing research with Annaleena Parhankangas on mobilizing allyship and co-cultural practices in support of Indigenous entrepreneurship and crowdfunding strategies.
Emancipatory Entrepreneuring
SSHRC Insight project exploring activist, social justice, and outlaw practices in entrepreneurship across domains such as human bio-enhancement, gender and sexuality and health and wellness. Central to future program of research.
Two-Eyed Seeing, Grand Challenges and Wicked Problems
NFRF Exploration project (PI) examining community-led responses to neoliberal restructuring in Ottawa, Regina, and Vancouver, with a focus on urban systems, resilience, and sustainability.
Decolonizing Education: Disrupting and Transforming Racist and Colonial Practices in Graduate Business Programs
Spencer Foundation project (Co-PI) advancing curricular transformation and inclusive pedagogy in business education.
Indigenous Works & Sprott School of Business: Collaboration for Reconciliation in Action
SSHRC Partnership Development Grant (PI) creating national data and strategies for reconciliation and inclusion across Canadian business schools.
Transforming Indigenous Procurement
Cando/SSHRC project identifying policy, practice and capacity pathways for Indigenous procurement and economic development.
Multimedia Storytelling with Indigenous Youth
Carleton MCRF project (PI) mobilizing digital storytelling and youth-led research for sustainable development.
Just Transitions, EDI, Work, and the Workplace
CRIW project (PI) examining organizational adaptation to equity, diversity, and sustainability transitions.
Generative AI and Entrepreneurship
Projects examining the use of AI in entrepreneurship education, creativity, and prototyping.
LGBTQ2S+ Economic Inclusion and Entrepreneurship
Project with the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) and Carleton’s Innovation Hub supporting entrepreneurship and equity for LGBTQ2S+ communities.
Publications in Progress
- Emancipatory Entrepreneuring and Social Innovation.
- Community-Led Responses to the Neoliberal Restructuring of Cities and Urban Centres.
- Exit Staged Right? Understanding Founder Imprints and Strategy Effects on the Sale and Transfer of a Hybrid Social Enterprise (with Peter Moroz and Robert Anderson).
- Generative AI and the Future of Creative Education and Practice in Entrepreneurship (with Peter Moroz).
- From Problem to Prototyping: Using Generative AI in Entrepreneurship Education (with Peter Moroz).
- A Leadership Model for Indigenous Community Corporate Partnership Success.
Dr. Colbourne is not accepting PhD/MSc students.