PROGRAM TIMELINE

2024
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Spring

Immersion week

Next AI and Next Founders participants gain their first exposure to faculty and the NEXT network through an intense onboarding week in March (Next AI) and May (Next Founders), respectively. 

2024
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May

Venture Reveal

Select ventures from all three programs pitch and receive feedback from a network of peers, mentors and other members of the NEXT Canada community. 

2024
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May - August

Courses and workshops

Founders attend masters-level classes and workshops from our award-winning faculty, successful entrepreneurs and investors. Meet the network

2024
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May - August

Founder Education - Foundation

Throughout the summer, founders attend multiple sessions on the Economics of Entrepreneurship (taught by Reza Satchu) as well as Strategy & Innovation (taught by Prof. Ajay Agrawal). These courses provide entrepreneurs the foundation on which they build their businesses.

2024
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May - August

Founder Education - Expertise

Founders learn about Entrepreneurial Finance (taught by Imperial College London professor Ramana Nanda); Business, Government and the Global Economy (taught by Georgetown University professor Marc Busch); and Machine Learning (taught by University of Guelph professor and CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, Graham Taylor).

2024
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May - August

Founder Education - Growth

While the founders lay the foundation and build expertise, they also are prepared for the growth of their business with Market Research Data Collection and Analysis classes (taught by Rotman School of Management professor Avi Goldfarb); Data-Driven Decision Making (with Rotman School of Management professor Mara Lederman); and Entrepreneurial Strategy (by Rotman School of Management professor Joshua Gans).

2024
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May - August

Guest Speakers & Workshops

Over the course of the summer, founders are exposed to a wide array of successful business leaders, investors and academics. People like Michael Katchen (Co-founder & CEO, Wealthsimple), Paul Desmarais III (Senior Vice-President, Power Corporation and Power Financial), Steve Jurvetson (Founder & Managing Director, Future Ventures), Shivon Zilis (Project Director, Office of the CEO, Neuralink), and more.

2024
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August

Venture Day

A celebration of Canadian entrepreneurship that will include graduating founders’ pitches in front of investors, corporate stakeholders and the larger startup ecosystem.

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Post-program

Alumni events

Although the program has finished, our founders are forever part of the alumni community and NEXT family. We hold special events for alumni, where they can network with their peers and entrepreneurs from other years.