Funding Opportunities
RBC Venture Accelerator Program
The RBC Venture Accelerator Program provides an opportunity for students at Wilfrid Laurier University to gain entrepreneurial experience. The program will fund a total of five students per semester who have the option of working on their own venture or working for a startup in their field.
Currently this opportunity is open to undergraduate students only. Undergraduate students in all faculties are welcome to apply.
RBC Venture Accelerator Program Application Form
RBC Experience Program
The RBC Experience program exists to allow students to take advantage of opportunities in competitions and conferences that will help them gain exposure to entrepreneurship, grow their network, and gain new skills. This program provides funding to help subsidize the costs of travel, accommodation, and event registration fees. Students are required to apply with their expenses.
RBC Experience Program Application From
AC JumpStart
Funded by FedDev Ontario and delivered through the Accelerator Centre in partnership with Laurier’s Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation, AC JumpStart provides early-stage startups with the seed capital, mentorship and market-readiness tools needed to build their ventures. A select number of grants are reserved exclusively for members of the Laurier community.
Entrepreneurial Advantage
The program delivers substantial entrepreneurial advantage through:
- $30,000 in seed capital (grant);
- Mentorship from experts in areas relevant to their venture;
- Access to market research; and
- Invaluable connections to prospective investors.
Terms and Conditions
- A limited number of grants are available in each round.
- Applications are evaluated on a competitive basis.
- If you are not approved, you may apply again in the next round.
- SmartStart funding and JumpStart funding cannot both be awarded to a company.
- Employees and their families including individuals with a contractual work arrangement with any of the educational institutions involved are not eligible.
Laurier’s Past JumpStart Recipients
- Alaunus
- BridesMade
- English Never Stops
- Local Line
- Meal in a Jar
- Oneiric
- Plasticity
- Sage Care
- Sociavore
- Traffic Soda
- Vidhub
LaunchPad National Bank Grant
Through generous support provided by the National Bank of Canada, the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation awards up to thirty National Bank Grants to LaunchPad ventures each year. National Bank Grants provide qualifying LaunchPad ventures with financial support to help with costs related to startup and/or scaling.
Eligible Expenses
- professional services (e.g., legal, accounting, marketing, graphic design, etc.)
- marketing materials (e.g., print materials, swag, etc.)
- business development (e.g., trade show/conference participation, customer survey costs, etc.)
- product development (e.g., prototyping, equipment, software, etc.)
Terms and Conditions
- Applicants who have been previously awarded a National Bank Grant are not eligible.
- Applicants must be willing/available to attend the annual National Bank sponsorship appreciation event to be held in winter 2019 (exact date TBD).
National Bank Grant Recipients
- Traffic Soda
- Sociavore
- English Never Stops
- JoyCult
- StartLight Labs
- Wheelzo
- DoorDrop
- CrioWater
- Alaunus
- Imminy
- Meal in a Jar
- Local Line
- EventPeeks
- GrocersPlus
- Bartesian
- Marmanbee
- SympleID
- Innovonx Inc.
- Indisidium Inc.
- BridesMade
- ConNextor
- SnoopMe
- Imminy
- InkSmith
- Edusync
- Sherpa
- Visibull
- DreamCatcher
- iKlyk
- Make Your Robot Move (eBook)
- Oneiric
- Virion Games
- Port Vibe
- Shredding Barriers
- Second Waiter