When Students Pitched Space Tech Strategy at MaRS
Last week, high school students pitched a 90-day strategy to a founder building AI systems for space mining. Just a regular Thursday at MaRS.
Students from Milton District High School came to MaRS Discovery District for a full-day experiential learning workshop in partnership with Moon Trades Technologies, a company developing AI systems for space resource extraction. The challenge came directly from the company. Moon Trades is launching its first-ever mining pilot in Sudbury, and students were asked to step into two roles and figure out what the next 90 days should look like.
The SHSM Workshop
The day split students into two challenge streams. The Strategy Team worked on Moon Trades' Sudbury pilot launch: choosing one primary goal, designing a 90-day action plan, defining what success looks like on Day 90, and identifying two realistic risks that could derail the plan. The Marketing Team took on the challenge of turning a complex space technology product into a clear, compelling message for a defined target audience. They crafted core messaging, designed awareness assets, planned a 90-day rollout, and identified failure points with preventive measures.
Both streams ended with pitches. Students presented their plans to the room, defending their reasoning and fielding questions from people who work in the space.
Why MaRS and Moon Trades Changed the Room
MaRS Discovery District is one of the largest urban innovation hubs in the world. For students who may have heard terms like "startup" and "innovation ecosystem" in class, walking through MaRS makes those concepts tangible. The building is filled with companies building real products, hiring real teams, and solving real problems. That context shaped how students approached the day.
Dr. Wintta Ghebreiyesus, Founder and CEO of Moon Trades Technologies, brought a challenge to students that was both ambitious and specific. Space mining sounds futuristic, but the Sudbury pilot is a real project with real constraints. When students worked on strategy and marketing for Moon Trades, they were engaging with genuine business problems, not textbook exercises.
Nida Zulefqar, President of Ontario Tech Space and Rocketry (OTSR), added another layer. Hearing from a student leader who designs and launches competition rockets and planetary rovers showed students that meaningful innovation doesn't require decades of experience. It requires curiosity, commitment, and the willingness to build something.
The Panel That Grounded the Day
The industry panel gave students a view into what professional careers actually look like in the early stages. Bhargav Pancholi from InfoAnalytica and Michael O. from Netact shared their career journeys with the kind of openness that helps students see beyond job titles. They talked about how they got where they are, what skills mattered most, and what they wish they had known earlier.
Facilitator Justine Abigail Yu held the day together with energy and structure, ensuring students stayed focused on deliverables while leaving enough room for curiosity and exploration.
What Students Learned Beyond Business Plans
Students practiced strategic thinking: defining goals, identifying risks, making decisions with incomplete information. They practiced communication: distilling complex ideas into clear pitches. They practiced collaboration: working with peers under time pressure toward a shared deliverable.
These are the competencies that Ontario employers consistently identify as essential, and they are the competencies that SHSM programs are designed to develop through authentic sector experiences.
For students exploring business, technology, or entrepreneurship pathways, spending a day at MaRS working with a real startup founder provides the kind of career clarity that classroom learning alone cannot deliver. Some students will pursue business strategy. Others will discover that marketing or technology or something else entirely is where their interests lead. Both outcomes represent the program working as intended.
Thank you to the students and educators from Milton District High School for bringing the focus and curiosity that made this worth doing.
About LearnIt Solutions
LearnIt Solutions partners with Ontario school boards and independent schools to deliver experiential learning programs and SHSM certifications. We work with 20+ school boards and corporate partners to help students develop real world skills and career clarity. Learn more at www.learn-it.ca.
As part of LearnIt Media, we also amplify education innovation stories through our LearnIt podcast, featuring conversations with Ontario superintendents, principals, and education leaders reimagining student learning.
Founder Dhiraj Hariramani
CEO & Chief Learning Officer, LearnIt Solutions Inc.
Dhiraj founded LearnIt to bridge the gap between classroom theory and career readiness. A UBC graduate and consultant at Accenture, he has directly impacted 10,000+ students across Ontario school boards.
As host of the LearnIt podcast, Dhiraj facilitates conversations with education leaders exploring innovation, equity, and student centered approaches to learning.
Connect: LinkedIn | dhiraj@learn-it.ca | +1 (236) 788 6830
