Launch your business into the real world
Collide Launch is a 4-month summer accelerator that brings together members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem from across Canada to turn ideas into viable businesses.
Who’s It For? Undergraduates, graduates, certificate students, and faculty members eager to launch a business, and have conducted a minimum of 30 initial customer discovery interviews.
About the program
Launch provides participants an involved experience that:
▸ Strengthens the founder’s leadership skills
â–¸ Improves business acumen
â–¸ Helps run and grow their business
â–¸ Helps navigate how to finance a venture
Launch is modeled off of MIT’s delta v summer accelerator, and is delivered with support from the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.Â
Through the Launch programs, early-stage venture teams benefit from extensive coaching from industry and ecosystem experts, fostering their development through a structured process of accountability. Participants engage virtually in weekly lectures and mentorship sessions, enhancing their skills and knowledge base.
Past teams have gone on to further their ventures at top accelerators around the world.
Learn more here:Â Dal Innovates Launch Application Package 2026
How it works
May | Program orientation | Kick-off day
June – August | 10 teams | Receive up to $10,000 in milestone payments per team
Accelerate and refine your venture through expert-facilitated workshops on topics like market identification, product roadmapping, revenue modeling, and financial forecasting. Get insights and support from a range of successful entrepreneurs and industry experts to guide you through your idea development and testing stages.
September | Demo Day | Ongoing support
Onwards and upwards! Use your newfound connections and momentum to push your venture to new heights. The Dal Innovates ecosystem will continue to stay behind you, cheering you on.
Why join the Collide Launch program?
Mentorship and coaching: Industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs provide feedback and advice. 
Simulated “Board of Directors”: Accountability and real-world exposure through monthly simulated Board of Director meetings. Meet the founder council members.
Networking: Opportunities to develop connections with fellow entrepreneurs, funders, investors, start-up thought leaders, ecosystem players, and industry experts.
Mental resilience: Mental resilience coaching to handle stress and anxiety.
Perks and benefits: Access to course materials, work space, personalized feedback, media mentions, eligible for co-curricular record (CCR) and others.
The Collide Launch 2026 cohort begins in May, with some pre-training sessions leading up to the core program. The core program will run virtually from June 1 to August 31. The program concludes with a Demo Day at Dalhousie University, Halifax, in September.
Applications open – October 20, 2025
Applications close – January 18, 2026
Acceptance confirmed by – Mid February
Orientation – May 11, 2026
Pre-training Session – May 12, 2026
Kick off Event (in person) – May 22, 2026
Core Program – June 1, 2026 to August 31, 2026
Demo day (in person) – September 2026 (Date TBD)
- Applicants must have a cofounder, and the cofounder is welcome to attend the sessions with the lead applicant.
- The applicant must be a current student or a recent graduate (i.e. graduated within the past two years as of June 2026) of an Atlantic Canadian academic institute.
- The program is funded, in part, through the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (BSI) program. As a result, the lead applicant must be eligible for Mitacs funding and participate full-time to qualify for the stipend.
- Each team must have a faculty supervisor willing to support their application. This faculty member must be eligible to hold Tri-Council funding to facilitate the disbursement of funds to the team. The faculty advisor is not required to attend any program sessions unless they are also one of the applicants.
- Founders are expected to commit a minimum of 30 hours each per week to their start-up throughout this program in addition to up to 3-5 hours a week of programming time and must present at the in-person Demo Day event in September.
- Teams must have some understanding of the entrepreneurial process and must demonstrate familiarity with common frameworks (Lean Startup, Business Model Canvas, etc.).
- Teams should have done a minimum of 30 initial customer discovery interviews to validate their idea and be able to provide evidence to support their claims.
- Each venture dedicated to a specific idea can undergo the Launch program only once.
To apply simply fill out the online application form and outline the following details:Â
- Your teamÂ
- Your ideaÂ
- The problem you are trying to solve, and what inspired you to solve this problemÂ
- Your proposed solution, and why you believe this solution might support a sustainable, stand-alone business.Â
Applications are reviewed by a team of evaluators. Shortlisted teams will be invited to interview with us during the review phase and will be confirmed by early February. Â
Please note: Applications should be written in a manner that does not reveal any proprietary information or disclose information that is not yet publicly disclosed or covered by a patent/provisional patent. Consider any information that you disclose to be non-confidential.Â
Info Session
Have an idea you’re ready to grow? Join our next Launch 2026 Info Session on Dec 2 (10 – 11 AM) to learn how our programs support early-stage founders.
Hosted by Shivani Madhavan and Jessie Furze, you’ll get insider tips on the application process and how to make your venture stand out.
What participants are saying
“Collide Launch was a great program for me to learn about the process of starting a business from A-Z and pushed me more than another other program has pushed me to date. Thanks to the value this program has to offer, I learned lots of valuable lessons, addressed issues I was previously unaware of, refined my idea, and we are preparing to prototype and launch in the next year!”
– Jeremiah Philips, Collide Launch 2025
“The Collide Launch team was able to be the initial jumpstart in ShellTech’s heartbeat, giving it the potential it needed to succeed.”
– Shawn Ray, Collide Launch 2025
Upcoming cohort
Applications for Collide Launch 2026 are open.
Please confirm your eligibility before applying.
The application deadline is January 18, 2026, at 11:59 pm Atlantic. Shortlisted teams will be invited to interview as part of the evaluation process. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application in February.
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For any technical problems or queries regarding your application or eligibility, please reach out to Shivani Madhavan – program manager at shivani.madhavan@dal.ca
The Launch accelerators are made possible with the support of the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Mitacs, Springboard Atlantic, and with private sectors partners.
