Validate your idea as a business

Collide Validate is a six-week program that 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.
Designed to establish a robust foundation in primary market research and customer interviewing, Collide Validate navigates 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.
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
Select a Collide Validate Cohort
Applications for the Winter 2025 Collide Validate program are now closed. Please subscribe to Dal Innovates Newsletter for program updates and opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Collide Validate Halifax (In Person) – Winter 2025 on Wednesdays
Open to students from post-secondary institutions (colleges and universities) within the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Session Start & End Dates:
- Information and prep sessions will be on January 8 and January 15, 2025.
- The core program begins on January 22, 2025, and concludes on March 5, 2025.
- *Please note there will be no programming on February 19th, as it is Reading Week.
Time & Location:
- Collide Validate in Halifax sessions will run on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00 pm.
- Join us in the Romero Room, Emera IDEA Building, 1345 Norma Eddy Lane, Halifax, NS
Collide Validate Atlantic (Virtual) – Winter 2025 on Thursdays
Open to students from post-secondary institutions (colleges and universities) across Atlantic Canada, excluding Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Session Start & End Dates:
- Information and prep sessions will be on January 9 and January 16, 2025.
- The core program begins on January 23, 2025, and concludes on March 6, 2025.
- *Please note there will be no programming on February 19th, as it is Reading Week.
Time & Location:
- Collide Validate Atlantic sessions will run on Thursdays from 6:00-8:00 pm.
- The sessions will be held virtually on Zoom.
For any technical problems or queries regarding your application or eligibility, please reach out to Shivani Madhavan, Project Manager, at shivani.madhavan@dal.ca
Collide Validate is made possible by the support of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
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