Launch your business into the real world
Launch is an intensive 12-week summer accelerator that brings together early stage entrepreneurial teams to launch ideas into viable businesses. This program is designed for student and research teams who are committed to forming, building, and growing scalable ventures.
Who’s It For? Graduate students, masters, Ph.D., post-doc, and faculty eager to launch a business based on their research, and have conducted a minimum of 50 initial customer discovery interviews.Â
Launch provides participants with 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 MartinTrust 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.
How it works
June – September | 10 teams | Receive a $10,000 stipend per team
Accelerate and refine your venture through workshops on topics like Market Identification, Customer Problem, Product Roadmapping, and Revenue Model & 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 Onwards
Onwards and upwards! Use your newfound connections and momentum to push your venture to new heights. The Launch ecosystem will always stay behind you, cheering you on.
Why join the Lab2Market 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, startup thought leaders, ecosystem players, and industry experts.
Opportunity to win cash prizes: On Pitch Day, teams will have the chance to compete for a prize pool of $9,000.
Mental Resilience: Mental resilience coaching to handle stress and anxiety.
Perks and benefits: Access to course materials, work space, personalized feedback, media mentions, eligible to be added to your co-curricular record (CCR), and others.
The Lab2Market Launch Atlantic cohort begins in May, with some pre-training sessions leading up to the core program. The core program will run virtually from June 4 to August 31. The program will conclude with a Pitch Day at Dalhousie University, Halifax, on September 24, 2025.Â
Applications open  –  January 17, 2025
Applications close – March 2, 2025
Acceptance confirmed by  – early April
Orientation Session: May 14, 2025
Pre-training Session : May 15, 2025
Kick Off Event (in person) – May 23, 2025
Program – June 4, 2025 to August 31, 2025Â
Pitch Day (in person) – scheduled for September 24, 2025 as part of Dal Innovation Week.
Lab2Market Launch is open to students, researchers, and recent graduates in STEM with a research-based venture.
Venture must have at least 2 cofounders, with the lead applicant being actively engaged throughout the program.
- The lead applicant must be a current student, recent graduate (i.e. graduated within the past two years as of March 2024), researcher or postdoctoral fellow 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 Pitch 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 50 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 team (+ faculty / PI)
- 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 April. 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 sessions
What participants are saying
“It was a pleasure to sit on a board for the [Launch] program. Watching teams use the feedback the board provided to them to improve month by month was rewarding. It was incredible to see how the teams grew and learned as they brought their ideas to life”
– Catherine Love, board member @ Launch
“[Launch] is the ideal program for a start-up looking to test the waters with their exciting new idea. They set you up for future success by teaching you the strategies to discover more about your customers and your market. The team also helps you develop a strong business plan so by the time the program is over, you will be ready to the next stage of your start-up’s journey”
– Jared Hudson, Co-founder @ MyPAQ
Lab2Market Launch Alumni
Dr Crystal Sweeney, Founder of PureSpire Biomonitoring Technologies
Where Ideas Meet Impact: Analytical toxicologist builds startup to help firefighters manage risk of carcinogen exposure
Read more
Ravi Kempaiah, CEO of Zen Electric
Startup pivots to meet surge in global demand for better two‑wheeled EV batteries
Read more
Dr Rafaela Andrade, CEO of Myomar Molecular
Dal postdoc wins Mitacs entrepreneurship award for world’s first at‑home test to measure muscle health
Tommy Davis, Chief Science Officer at Foodimprover
Where Ideas Meet Impact: In business to build a better apple
Upcoming cohort
Applications for L2M Launch 2025 are open!
Please confirm your eligibility before applying.
The application deadline is March 2, 2025, 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 April.
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 NSERC, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Mitacs, Springboard Atlantic, and with private sectors partners.
