Validate your idea as a business
Collide Validate equips you with the skills needed to critically test and evaluate your idea within the marketplace.
About the program
Believe in the potential of your idea? As an aspiring entrepreneur, you might wonder if your concept holds promise in the entrepreneurial landscape. Enter Collide Validate – where you’ll gain the skills necessary to test your idea directly with your customers, shaping the destiny of your entrepreneurial vision.
This 8-week program includes:
- Two pre-training sessions – Understand program expectations and master customer interview techniques.
- Six core sessions – Explore the nine key building blocks of the Business Model Canvas through expert-led workshops.
- 1-on-1 personalized coaching – Get tailored guidance to refine your approach.
Collide Validate helps you navigate through the nine critical building blocks of the business model canvas. With a keen emphasis on Customer Segments and Value Propositions (desirability), you will emerge equipped to discern whether to pause, pivot, or propel your venture forward, decoding if company creation stands as your next entrepreneurial evolution.
Eligibility
- You must be a current student, faculty member, or a recent graduate (up to 2 years) at a university or college in Atlantic Canada.
- You should possess a business idea that you are eager to validate. Whether it’s a spark of innovation or a well-defined concept, we welcome your entrepreneurial vision.
- Teams with 1 or 2 members are eligible to participate.
Benefits to students
- Market Research & Validation: Assess your product-market fit and validate your business idea through targeted market research, including real-world feedback from potential customers.
- Customer Discovery: Engage directly with potential customers to gain insights that will strengthen your business concept.
- Training & Networking: Gain hands-on training from top innovation leaders while building valuable connections within Atlantic Canada’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.
- One-on-One Coaching: Receive tailored guidance each week to revise your approach.
- Fuel Your Business: Earn a $500 stipend upon completing the Collide Validate program by attending all sessions, completing the take-home tasks and conducting 50 customer discovery interviews—providing an early boost to help grow your venture.
- Co-Curricular Record (CCR): Dalhousie and King’s students can request to add the program to their CCR, enhancing their resumes and supporting applications to graduate programs.
Info Session
Want to know if Collide Validate is a good fit for you? Hear from program manager Shivani Madhavan and program alumna Jewell Tan as they review what to expect from Collide Validate.
Apply Now to Collide Validate
Collide Validate: Virtual Fall 2025 – Open to students and faculty across Atlantic Canada.
This cohort runs from October 1st to November 26, 2025.
- Pre-training information and prep sessions will be on October 1 and October 8, 2025
- The core six-week program begins on October 22, 2025, and concludes on November 26, 2025.
Fall Semester Location & Times: Zoom sessions on Wednesdays, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for students in Atlantic Canada.
Apply by: April 30, 2025
Notes:
- Applications are assessed on a rolling basis, which means we will continue to accept applicants throughout the entire application period.Â
- Applications may close before the deadline if all available spots are filled.
For any technical problems or queries regarding your application or eligibility, please reach out to Shivani Madhavan, Program Manager, at shivani.madhavan@dal.ca
Please subscribe to Dal Innovates Newsletter for program updates and opportunities for entrepreneurs. Â
Collide Validate is made possible by the support of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
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