Community & Students - Experience Venture Challenges

Experience Venture Challenges

The Experience Venture Challenges program, is powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary, a free 6-week asynchronous program designed exclusively for York University students to explore and validate their early-stage tech start-up ideas. Participants will gain access to interactive online asynchronous workshops and essential start-up resources to help bring their ideas to life and lay the foundation for a successful business venture.

What to expect

The program will help refine and validate your business idea through interactive virtual training and curated mentorship. You will engage with industry experts to gain foundational knowledge in building and growing a technology startup and join a network of like-minded individuals to discuss business challenges in a peer-to-peer format. Upon successful completion of the program, eligible students will have an opportunity to receive a stipend of $525 to support their entrepreneurial journey.

Community

Upon completion of the 6-week cohort, selected participants will have the opportunity to gain continued support through our ecosystem of resources and educational training.

Leadership development

Participants gain exclusive access to curated leadership content, personal growth accountability, and peer support programming.

Growth frameworks

Gain practical knowledge on design thinking methodologies, customer profile development and go-to-market strategies to launch your idea.

Milestone driven

Actively work towards the launch of your tech venture. Our programs are goal driven, using proven frameworks that put participants in the driver seat while we help them reach their end destination.

Timeline

Applications Open

December 1st, 2025

Applications Close

December 15th, 2025

Final Acceptance

January 2026

Programming

January to February 2026

Program Completion

February 13th, 2026

Application process

Step: One

The applications for the Experience Venture Challenges program are now open!

Applications close on December 15th, 2025.

Join the Waitlist

Step: Two

If chosen, applicants will be contacted by the YSpace team to be onboarded.

Applicants are chosen based on their application submission. How viable is their business idea? How detailed was the application?

Step: Three

Once onboarded, students will gain access to the YSpace online learning system to being the program and gain access to resources and support for development.

Program eligibility

The Experience Venture Challenges program serves York University students going through the ideation process and validating the feasibility of their idea or existing business.
We are looking for York University students, undergraduate or graduate, with innovative tech ideas or businesses.
We are looking for York University students who are driven, coachable, and collaborative with a growth mindset.
To be eligible for the stipend, students must be domestic and have not received Experience Ventures funding from April 2025 to March 2026.
Some of the priority sectors for the program are Mobility, Healthcare, AI, and AgriTech.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are looking for York University students with an early-stage business idea who are driven, coachable, and have a growth mindset. The ideal business is likely still in ideation or early validation phases, with a goal to validate their market and launch an MVP in the next 6 to 12 months.

No, the program is sector-agnostic but priority will be given to ideas/businesses in mobility, healthcare, AI and agritech. All the resources and support are focused on technology-based ventures across all industries.

NOTHING! It is a free program for everyone and we do not take any equity in the company! In fact, eligible students will have an opportunity to receive a stipend of $525 for their participation.

The program is designed for all students at York University, as long as they are dedicated to the program and willing to put in the committed time to validate the business idea. Only domestic students will be eligible and have an opportunity to receive a stipend of $525.

The program runs from the beginning for two months from January to February in 2026. On a weekly basis, the participant should devote a minimum of 3 to 5 hours for workshops, mentorship sessions, and venture development.

A maximum of 50 ventures will be chosen per cohort.

Apply Now!

The applications for the Experience Venture Challenges program are due December 15th 2025.

Join the Waitlist

OUR PARTNERS AND FUNDERS

Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s innovative work-integrated learning initiative

Newsletter signup

YSpace is committed to working with emerging technology, agrifood, products and services. Get in touch today to find out how you can become a part of our community.

Contact us

For more information, please contact us at
yspace@yorku.ca
416-736-2100 ext. 44940