Fanshawe College's Premiere Business Accelerator Program
sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada
Launching Fanshawe College founders towards success in their start-ups.
The LeapIN Business Accelerator program is a real world, hands-on learning experience designed for early-stage Fanshawe College founders to validate their business ideas, establish a minimum viable product, and build a roadmap for implementation to launch their startup.
It’s also a heck of a lot of fun 😃
APPLICATIONS EXTENDED TO MARCH 14TH, 2025
Not sure if you qualify for this program or want to learn more? Get in touch with our team here.
16
Weeks of
Programming
36+
Expert-Led Workshops
15
Spots
Available
$5000
In Funding
Per Company
Past Program Highlights
What is LeapIN?
The road to being a successful entrepreneur begins with a passion for an idea, a plan based on research, experimentation, and analysis, and the persistence and courage to pursue the vision. Whether you have always dreamed of being an entrepreneur or recent circumstances triggered starting a business, Leap IN is designed to introduce you to the key elements of successful entrepreneurship and give you a safe space to learn, grow, and launch your start-up.
LeapIN focuses on teaching new founders how to create businesses that fulfill customers' emotional needs (e.g., solve problems, achieve desires, etc.) via an iterative process consisting of devising and executing experiments to validate assumptions. This process is called the Lean Startup approach to entrepreneurship and utilizes the Business Model Canvas and Customer Development tools to combine theory with a ton of hands-on practice. You will be getting your hands dirty talking to real customers, partners, and competitors as you encounter the chaos and uncertainty of real start-up life. You’ll practice evidence-based entrepreneurship, learning to use your business model canvas to brainstorm and stress test your assumptions and determine if anyone other than you would want to buy your product/service. Based on the customer and market feedback, you will begin to develop and iterate your product/service or concept and build/design something customers would actually buy and use.
Each day will be a new adventure in and outside of LeapIN as you test each part of your business idea, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, build a strong foundation for your company, grow your network, become a better business leader.
You will leave each day with the tools needed to help your business idea move forward!
Program Overview
The program is split into 2 phases:
1) Finding a problem worth solving:
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The Fundamentals of evidence-based entrepreneurship
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Understanding lean start-up methodology and business model canvas
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The importance of experimentation
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Understanding customer problems
2) Finding a solution worth building:
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Customer Discovery and Problem Validation
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Financial Modeling
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MVP and Prototype Design
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Experimentation
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Pitching and Storytelling
Other topics that will be covered:
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Goal Setting
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Leadership
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Market Research
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Financial Statements
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Legal
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Small Business Taxation
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Branding
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Website Creation
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Google Analytics
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SEO and SEM
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Social Media Marketing
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Content Marketing
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Public Relations
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Sales Strategies
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Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Purpose Business
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Community Building and Networking
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Public Speaking and Presenting
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Health and Wellness
Watch the leapIN Information Webinar below for more details.
Program Dates & Times
Program Registration Deadline
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March 14th, 2025
Key Dates and Times
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Program Runs: May 6 – August 21, 2025
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Break Week: June 23 - July 1, 2025
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Program Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
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Program Hours: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location
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1001 Fanshawe College Blvd, London, ON
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LEAP Junction Office - Room F1043
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The program is in person.
Who Can Apply?
Must be a current or former Fanshawe College student.
Must attend a minimum of 90% of the program sessions.
Must be eligible to work in Canada.
Must be willing to dedicate 35 hours a week to working on your business and program activities.
Must have a reliable internet connection and laptop or tablet to participate.
Must attend bi-weekly business advisor sessions to aid in growth.
Business/Idea Eligibility
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Any legal idea for a physical/digital product or service is eligible.
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Can be a for-profit, social enterprise, or non-profit business model.
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We will consider applicants in the idea stage and also existing companies with up to 1 year in business.
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In your application, you will need to:
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Demonstrate your commitment to moving the idea forward or growing the business.
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Tell us how you plan to move the idea/business forward.
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Be able to share some secondary or primary market research on various aspects of the business model.
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Show demand for your idea/business.
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Demonstrate a basic understanding of your industry.
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Program Benefits
Funding
Up to $5000 of funding per business to help with your business launch or growth.
Accountability
Bi-weekly progress check-ins with Leap Junction business advisors.
Networking Opportunities
You will have many opportunities to grow your network and community by meeting and talking with fellow entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
Demo Day
A day to celebrate you and all you have accomplished during the program.
Flexibility
Join from our office or anywhere in the world. We have options for both in-person and online participation.
Meet Like-Minded People
Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road, but not at Leap. You will be working in a space with other like-minded entrepreneurs who can offer advice, support, and motivation!
Business Services
Access to a network of professional business service providers that you will need as your busienss moves forward.
Office Space
Inspiring work and meeting space will be available for the duration of the program
Workshops
Curated workshops from industry/subject matter experts and business advisors.
Mentorship
Opportunities
Access to experienced entrepreneurs.
Co-op Credit
Current students enrolled in a Co-operative Education Program at Fanshawe College may also be eligible to use this program as their Summer co-op term. In order for this program to be considered as your summer co-op term, please confirm eligibility with the co-op office in advance by emailing coop@fanshawec.ca.
