Program Overview

Introduction to the Summer Entrepreneurship Program

The Faculty of Applied Science (APSC) and the ICICS team behind the creation of HATCH are pleased to offer the 2025 APSC Summer Entrepreneurship Program (SEP). This program provides support to students and teams wishing to advance their ideas utilizing novel technologies or systems that could have an impact on the world.

Program Overview

The SEP is targeted at new teams as well as teams coming out of the academic streams like Tech-E, NVD or student programs like the Innovation on Board competition. The program will also help teams position themselves for entering into the Venture Founder (Innovation@UBC) program. The SEP will be individually tailored to the needs of individual teams.

Program Structure

• Weekly “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) group entrepreneurship sessions with an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR)
• Guest speakers, and social gatherings
• Open Office Hours – weekly scheduled mentorship sessions with the HATCH EiR
• Short weekly presentations plus reading on building a start-up
• Training on and use of HATCH makerspace equipment
• Shared office space
• Funds to cover prototyping costs

Eligibility

The SEP is open to all student teams, provided one student per team is from APSC. If applying as an individual, you must be from APSC. All teams with a passion for entrepreneurship are welcome.

Program Timeline

• Apply by March 31, 2025
• Applications reviewed by mid-April followed by request to meet team/student
• Interviews/pitch session from April 3rd – April 15th
• 10 program sessions from April 29th to June 24th plus July 8th

Program Content

The program comprises two short weekly sessions

• Content Delivery – Tuesdays 5:15pm – 6:15pm during program
• One-on-One Q&A – “Ask Me Anything” – Thursdays 5:15pm – 6:15 pm during program; bookable 10-minute slots

Topics Covered

• Market Size – is the market size sufficient to launch your idea?
• Competition – is there space in the market for your company?
• Customer Discovery – what are the questions to ask potential customers? Is my product a vitamin or an aspirin?
• Intellectual Property (IP) – Do you have unique IP and / or do you have competitive advantage?
• Beachhead Market – Which market you should start with and why
• How to use equity to build the team
• What does it mean to be a CEO? Is it right for you – attitude, skills, experience?
• Decision Criteria – “Go” / “No Go” considerations for undertaking a startup
• Pitching your idea – How to communicate your idea to investors and stakeholders
• How to tell your story

Past Program Participants Thoughts

• “It’s super helpful to have someone with so much previous experience help us navigate the unknowns and identify the areas we can improve.”
• “The program brought on really good speakers, and I think having someone experienced to bounce ideas off is really helpful for someone like me who is working alone at the moment.”
• “This program was great to provide ongoing discussions…. Each of the sessions built on the last, so it made the whole course feel very fluid and easy to follow.”
• “…the sessions, were absolute gems.”
• “Your passion for the subject was evident, making the sessions engaging and enjoyable.”
• “I would absolutely refer it to a friend. I think that getting advice from you both, and getting to listen to the challenges that other groups were facing was extremely helpful.”
• “Amazing amount of support available. Having access to the maker space, ICICS library, pitch book, etc., is fantastic. Especially for teams.”