نظرة عامة على البرنامج
Introduction to the BEST Bridge to Startup Program
The BEST Bridge to Startup (BB2S) program is a four-month summer entrepreneurship experience designed for undergraduate and graduate students from the Lassonde School of Engineering. This program empowers students to build startups based on their Capstone prototypes, providing them with an opportunity to pursue an entrepreneurship endeavor full-time.
About the Program
The BB2S program is designed for students who will soon be graduating, offering them a meaningful experiential learning journey that increases the likelihood of successfully launching their ventures and better prepares them for an entrepreneurial career. The program reinforces Lassonde's mission of equipping students with critical skills, attributes, and knowledge needed in a rapidly changing environment to have a positive impact on their community and beyond.
Program Elements
The BEST Bridge to Startup program involves five key elements:
- Development of a Venture Business Plan: Participants develop a basic pitch document that can be used to launch or fund their business after four months, following a structured format with feedback given at each stage.
- Completion of the Technology Entrepreneurship Course: This course helps participants navigate each stage of the venture creation process.
- Mentoring and Coaching: Regular mentor and coaching sessions with professional advisors address critical questions at each step of the venture creation process.
- Peer Activities, Interaction, and Feedback: Peer feedback is provided each month to reinforce the design thinking process, embed divergence and convergence, and incorporate the voice of customers and the need to develop and test prototypes.
- Reflective Learning Journal: Participants keep a reflective learning journal to document their progress and reflect on what they have learned throughout the program.
Resources
As part of the program, teams have access to resources from BEST, including mentorship, coaching, training, and access to prototyping facilities. Each team/startup also has the opportunity to work with a paid Schulich MBA/Masters/BBA Intern for a period of four months.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the program, teams must meet the following criteria:
- Team Composition: Teams must have at least two eligible founders (maximum three), including undergraduate students in their final year with only a few courses remaining to graduate, or graduate students who have submitted their final thesis or have approval from their supervisor to participate.
- Time Commitment: Teams are required to dedicate two in-person days per week for their project (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
- Project Requirements: The project must leverage technology and demonstrate potential for commercialization.
- Founders Agreement: Teams must have or be willing to enter into a basic founders agreement before the start of the program.
Application and Participation
Each member of the team must submit an individual application. The program culminates in a Final Pitch Day, where participants pitch their business to a panel of expert judges and fine-tune their business plans based on the feedback provided.
Past Participants and Projects
The program has supported various innovative projects and startups, including SellStatic, ROUT3, Nobl Kids, optimaTRAX, NeuroG, REEFERS, MechTronX Inc., PoweRanger, Chatbase, and HandiFuel, each addressing unique challenges and opportunities in their respective fields.