Today@Dal

The accelerator program uses Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodology to help founders get ready to launch their ventures
 

Applications are open for the third cohort of the Ready2Launch accelerator. This 12-week virtual program will help participants take their businesses from validating their idea to launch their business. It is open to undergraduate or graduate students, researchers, and recent grads from any Atlantic Canadian post-secondary academic institution.

Led by Dalhousie University and the I-INC Network, Ready2Launch is part of a suite of programs offered through Dal Innovates that help deliver innovation and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes to students, faculty, and alumni. Since Ready2Launch launched in 2020, a total of 20 teams have participated and have gone on to raise more than $2.8 million in funding and grants. The teams have also advanced into next stage accelerators such as Creative Destruction Lab and Innovacorp’s Accelerate.  

“This program is an outstanding opportunity for founders to validate their business model and approach customers and investors with confidence. With facilitators from MIT, the participants are getting exposure and learning from the masters in the craft of innovation driven entrepreneurship to solve global problems” Spencer Giffin, Director - Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Dalhousie, said in a statement.

The program uses the Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodology developed by Bill Aulet at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and provides weekly workshops facilitated by experts from MIT. Weekly clinics cover crucial founder skills such as Managing Founder Dynamics, Corporate Law, Sales Process, Pitching, and others. Each team will receive up to $15,000, mentorship from a designated industry expert, and feedback from a simulated Board of Directors. Resilience training and peer presentation days will round out the program. At the conclusion of the program, teams will compete in a pitch competition for $10,000 in prizes.

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2022. The program will run from June 6, 2022 to August 26, 2022 with the pitch day on September 22, 2022. More information and the application form can be accessed here.

The program is supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Brigus Capital, Build Ventures, Christopher Huskilson, and Morrison Park Advisors.