LaunchYU AccelerateUP is a 4 month program held in partnership with ventureLAB and YEDInstitute. The program is designed to support entrepreneurs as they Build, Launch, and Scale their ventures.
The intensive program provides lectures, workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and other services that help early-stage ventures as they launch and grow their businesses. The program also provides participating ventures an opportunity to receive a maximum of $8,000 in cash awards. For each cohort, LaunchYU offers a total of $30,000 in cash awards for the participating ventures.
In addition to this, graduates of the program will be able to compete for the new Aird & Berlis StartupSource Market Entry Award. The top three ventures in the program will be judged on their progress and their ability to take their venture to market. The top startup will be awarded $12,500 and receive an equal amount of Aird & Berlis’s StartupSource legal services.
The program also provides access to resources like collaborative working space, legal advice and services, cloud and virtual infrastructure, access to maker spaces, investor meet-ups, industry connections, and more.
At the end of the program, ventures participate at a Graduation Demo Day where they pitch to an audience consisting of investors, corporate executives, successful entrepreneurs and government officials.
Program Requirements:
To participate in the LaunchYU AccelerateUP Program, you must apply as a startup venture. If there are multiple co-founders for the startup, all co-founder's shall submit a single application form here.
The LaunchYU AccelerateUP Program is designed to support all types of ventures, including for-profit, not-for-profit, and for-profit social enterprises.
The program is open to all individuals, regardless of their affiliation with York University, including all external community members, students, alumni, staff, and faculty members.
The program includes weekly 3 hour on-site sessions conducted by industry experts in various startup topics and intensive one-on-one sessions with mentors that are scheduled at the convenience of participants and mentors.
Selection Process:
A maximum of 20 ventures are selected in each cohort of the accelerator. This includes up to five social enterprises.
All applications submitted are evaluated and selected applicants are invited for an in-person interview.
The final selection of participating ventures is made after the interviews.
The ventures are evaluated based on 2 major criteria:
Capability of the founding team to execute
Potential impact of the venture idea and the ability of the venture to scale
Program Cost:
The LaunchYU AccelerateUP Program is offered at no cost to the participating ventures.
LaunchYU or York University does not charge any fees or claim any equity share from the ventures participating in the LaunchYU AccelerateUP Program. The only contribution expected from the participants is their commitment to their venture and their active participation in the program.
Important Dates:
Application Deadline: TBA
Program Start Date: May 2018 (final date TBC)
First Cash Awards (5 awards of $3000 each): Early July
Second Cash Awards (3 awards of $5000 each): End of August
Aird & Berlis StartupSource Market Entry Award: Late January
Graduation & Launch Day: TBC
For submission guidelines please visit https://www.cashforexperts.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=970
Review additional Pitch Competitions and grant opportunities at https://www.cashforexperts.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=category&id=9:start-up-grants&Itemid=1106