Launch your business into the real world
Launch is an intensive 4-month 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 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.
Download the Launch 2025 Information Kit – Learn more about our programs, timeline, and application process.
The 2026 Information Kit will be available soon.
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 1 to August 21. The program concludes with a Pitch 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
Program – June 1, 2025 to August 21, 2026
Pitch day (in person) – September 2026 (Date TBD)
Lab2Market Launch is open to students, researchers, and recent graduates in STEM with a research-based venture.
- Â 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, recent graduate (i.e. graduated within the past two years as of August 2025) 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 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 sessions
Have an idea you’re ready to grow? Join a Launch 2026 Info Session on Nov 6 (12 – 1 PM) or 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
“Lab2Market Launch was a transformative experience for me and my startup journey. The program gave me the tools to validate our idea, refine our value proposition, and connect with mentors who truly understood the challenges of building a deep-tech company from research. Thanks to the structured guidance and support, we were able to translate our academic research into a tangible venture path, secure early funding opportunities, and position ourselves for growth. Lab2Market didn’t just accelerate our progress—it gave us the confidence and clarity to move forward with purpose.”
– Dr. Haitham Shoman, Qalaam Health Solutions
“Lab2Market has had a profound impact on our venture Tangify Farming Solutions. What began as a simple idea has, through the guidance of mentors and the support of the L2M community, evolved into a mature concept with the foundations of a sustainable business. The program has enabled us to address real and meaningful needs while, bridging the gap between research and entrepreneurship, while building a solid foundation.”
– Mariana Toro Ramirez, Tangify Farming Solutions
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
Applications for Lab2Market Launch 2026 are open.
Application deadline:Â 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.
- If you just missed the deadline, due to special circumstances, please contact Lab2Market Launch Program Manager, Jessie Furze, at jfurze@dal.ca.
For any technical problems or queries regarding your application or eligibility, please reach out to Jessie Furze – Program Manager at jfurze@dal.ca
The Launch accelerators are made possible with the support of the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and through the Lab to Market grants, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), in addition to Mitacs, Springboard Atlantic, and with private sectors partners.
