Unlocking the Next Great Canadian Founders
The Canada Startup Ideation Bootcamp is an intensive 2-week program to help anyone in Canada test their startup idea using AI tools and feedback from top entrepreneurs and investors.
Bootcamp Dates
Bootcamp Cost
Bootcamp Format
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4 live online sessions with direct instruction and feedback
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Feedback and pitch sessions with top Canadian entrepreneurs and investors
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State of the art AI tools to help you validate faster
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Learning platform with step-by-step frameworks, helpful videos, and templates to guide you
Who is this for?
Startup formation in Canada has dropped steeply. This Bootcamp aims to right the ship.
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Anyone that has ever said: 'I have an idea, but I don't know where to start.'
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Professionals navigating layoffs, career transitions, or the itch to build something of their own
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Anyone ready to take the first steps of entrepreneurship but don't know where to start
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Anyone interested in teaming up with other aspiring entrepreneurs
For Anyone with an Idea
In just 2 weeks, you'll follow a proven process to:
- Create and validate startup ideas with experts and real customers
- Leverage AI tools to move faster and smarter
- De-risk the decision on whether or not to pursue your startup idea
- Connect with potential co-founders and advisors
Meet Your Instructors
Participants will get access to over 20 experienced entrepreneurs and angel investors from the Founder Institute network, with more TBA.
Sunil Sharma
Sunil is the Managing Director of Founder Institute Canada and one of the most prolific startup leaders in the country. Since 2014, he has launched 45 FI cohorts across Canada and built a portfolio of 560+ companies. He has 150+ investments across 16 countries, former Managing Director of Techstars Toronto, and a former Canadian diplomat. His mission: turn every Canadian with an idea into a founder connected to the world.
Jonathan Greechan
Jonathan is the Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute. Since co-founding FI in 2009, he has personally mentored thousands of founders, built a global network of mentors, and scaled the program into one of the most recognized names in early-stage entrepreneurship. His mission: give every aspiring entrepreneur on the planet the tools, network, and structure to build a company that changes the world.
Gilberto Gandra
Gilberto is the Founding Partner at RadiusVC, and a Techstars alum and mentor. He invests in deep tech ventures tackling the world's most toxic problems. Prior to investing, he was an operator at Adopet (SaaS platform that scaled rapidly through the pandemic). Gilberto brings a bridge between Canadian founders and global deep tech capital.
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I met my co-founder two weeks before the pandemic lockdown at our FI cohort. Five years later, we're still standing. Many many good things came from Founder Institute, and I have many things to be grateful for.
Fion Lee-MadanAsenion (formerly Fairly AI) - FI Canada Alum -
The battle's far from over, but I went from 0.1% knowledge about how to do things to 1.3 %. Considering this is a 1300 % increase, that's an awesome return on the investment.
Khalil ZaharFight Camp - FI Canada Alum -
I was a solo founder, and going into Founder Institute really helped me structure my business model, business planning, and business acumen.
Alex ChiengVetsie - FI Canada Alum -
If you want to launch a company, Founder Institute is the right place to be! I pivoted from my original idea, kept training and refining my pitch.
Amira BoutouchentBridgr — FI Canada Alum
Canada Startup Ideation Bootcamp Schedule
This 2-week online bootcamp consists of 4 live sessions led by FI HQ instructors, practical idea-building sprints between sessions with AI tools, and feedback sessions with global mentors.
Program Dates
Kickoff & Ideation
The bootcamp starts off with an opportunity to network and exchange ideas with other aspiring entrepreneurs. You will learn the bootcamp structure, set your short-term goals, and begin brainstorming and refining startup ideas.
- Leverage FI's framework to set your validation plan
- Perform initial market research
- Define your problem statement and early adopter for outreach
- Sharpen, expand, or replace your current idea
Customer Validation: Prove the Problem is Real
Learn the validation methods used by thousands of FI founders to separate real opportunities from clever ideas. Create your game plan for testing your concept in the real world using proven techniques, AI tools, and templates.
- Run a validation sprint
- Perform outreach and run customer interviews
- Prepare your validation report to share with mentors
- Iterate on your idea based on feedback
Idea Feedback with Canada Mentors & Advisors
Pitch your validated idea live and get structured feedback from mentors across the FI global network. Use this session to refine your idea.
- Ask questions and receive real-time expert feedback
- Receive direct feedback from mentors across industries and geographies
- Identify the weakest link in your thinking before you go any further
- Get clarity on your startup idea and pitch strategy
Final Pitch Session with Canada Mentors & Advisors
In this final session, you will get additional feedback and advice from expert mentors, share your insights on ideation and customer validation, and receive actionable guidance on the next steps to grow your startup.
- Pitch your refined idea to a second panel of global mentors
- Share your insights on ideation and customer validation
- Walk away with a clear go/no-go decision on your concept, with actionable next steps
Delivered via World Class Tools
Participants get access to the Founder Institute's 'FounderGen Platform' - the world's leading LMS for startup creation.
- Experiential learning and structured, action-oriented sprints
- State of the art AI tools to help students augment their capabilities and speed up progress
- Embedded videos, templates, and resources to help with every step of the business-building process
Connecting Canada to the World
The Founder Institute is the only startup program in Canada that connects you to a global network from day one. After the bootcamp, you get. A pathway to scale globally from the moment your idea is validated
9,000+
Portfolio Companies
2BN+
Portfolio Company Funding
200+
Chapter Cities
100+
Chapter Countries
6
Continents
40,000+
Global Mentors & Advisors
Frequently Asked Questions
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This bootcamp is for anyone in Canada with an idea (or even just the itch to build something) who wants a structured way to test it before going all-in. It's ideal for aspiring founders, professionals navigating layoffs or career transitions, corporate intrapreneurs, researchers, and domain experts. You do not need a co-founder, a pitch deck, or even a finished idea to join. You just need to be serious about testing whether your idea could become a company.
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The Ideation Bootcamp is a short 2-week program focused on one thing: validating your idea. The FI Core Accelerator is a 14-week program designed to help you actually launch a fundable, global company. Most founders go through the Ideation Bootcamp first to get ready for the Core Accelerator Program. It is the first step in the venture building journey.
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No. The bootcamp is designed to sharpen, test, or even completely change your idea. Many participants come in with nothing more than a problem they care about. By the end, you will have a validated concept — or the clarity to know this one is not the one, which is just as valuable.
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This bootcamp runs fully online so anyone in Canada can join (from Toronto to Vancouver to St. John's to the territories). Sessions will be hosted on Zoom, with networking and cohort discussion throughout the 2 weeks.
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Yes. Many employers reimburse the bootcamp fee as part of professional development, innovation training, or entrepreneurship enablement programs. Upon request, we can provide an invoice and a short summary of the bootcamp for your employer's L&D or HR team.
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Yes. You are exactly the type of person we built this for. Canada is in the middle of a workforce shift, and many of its future founders are people who are in transition right now. The bootcamp gives you a structured, low-risk way to explore whether your next chapter could be as a founder, with a direct pathway into the FI Core Accelerator if your idea holds up.
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Yes. All 4 live sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants. We strongly recommend joining live to get the most out of the mentor feedback and cohort networking, but recordings are there if you miss one.
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Once the entrance fee is paid, participants are automatically enrolled in the bootcamp, and the fee is non-refundable. This policy is designed to encourage founders to take the leap and begin their startup journey. By making this commitment, participants overcome procrastination and take a crucial step toward building their business and achieving success.
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No. There is no equity component to this bootcamp.
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It is simple — sign up with your name and email, and pay the entrance fee. You'll receive a welcome email with everything you need to know before Session 1.
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Please email any questions to bootcamps@founderinstitute.com
The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 9,000 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
