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 7-week program includes:
- One pre-training session – 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, 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.
Apply Now to Collide Validate
Collide Validate: Winter 2026 –Â Choose from two virtual cohorts
Collide Validate: Jan 2026 Atlantic Cohort – Virtual
This cohort is hosted by NSCC and UPEI’s Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship. It is open to post-secondary students and recent grads across Atlantic Canada.
Session Dates: January 15 – March 5, 2026
(No session: February 19, 2026)
Days/Times Winter Semester: Thursdays from 6:00-8:00 pmÂ
Location: Online via Zoom Link. Participants are asked to keep their cameras on as it promotes engagement and networking.
Apply By: December 10, 2025
Collide Validate: Jan 2026 Inclusive Innovation Cohort – Virtual
This cohort is hosted by Dal Innovates and Black Business Initiative (BBI). It is open to equity-deserving post secondary students and recent grads across Atlantic Canada*. Â
Session Dates:Â January 21 – March 11, 2026Â
(No session: February 18, 2026)
Days/Times Winter Semester: Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00 pmÂ
Location: Online via Zoom Link. Participants are asked to keep their cameras on as it promotes engagement and networking.
Apply By: December 10, 2025  *Eligible Black-owned businesses will be given first consideration. Â
For any technical problems or queries regarding your application or eligibility, please reach out to Emily Neil, Program Manager, at emily.neil@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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