Selected entrepreneurs participate in sessions facilitated by YEDI professors and instructors, providing a solid foundation in business theory and economics. Theory examined includes: entrepreneurship, marketing and sales strategy, business development and growth, finance, and communication skills. Successful entrepreneurs quickly need to learn where they lack expertise and require a network of support. Entrepreneurs participate in sessions that will prepare them for real-life application of theory to achieve inspiration, ideation, and implementation. Topics include: visioning, environmental scanning, finance and fundraising. All sessions take place once per week.

Entrepreneurs need as many opportunities as possible to showcase their companies. Upon successful completion of the accelerator program, YEDI participants will present their ventures to the Institute’s funder audience.

The Venture Fair provides a concrete opportunity for participants to showcase their business plan, models, and milestones to an investor audience, as well as create industry partnerships that will take their venture to the next step in development and success.

Entrepreneurs often benefit by sharing best practices, challenges, and accomplishments with one another. The YEDI Director coordinates regular entrepreneur cluster meetings to facilitate constructive feedback, group exercises, and peer-support. Participants are also expected to complete bi-weekly milestone deliverables that are assigned to guide the business development process. Each milestone and achieved goal will form a component of the final proof-of-concept, with which the entrepreneur will graduate the program.

Entrepreneurs will be matched with subject matter experts across diverse industries. The YEDI Program Coordinator will ensure that volunteer mentors from pertinent sectors are available for valuable insight, problem-solving, and networking opportunities.

Upon program completion, graduates are eligible to apply for seed funding and/or VC funding through YEDI’s Venture Capital fund.

Funding is intended for early-stage opportunities in the start-up validation stage, when the scientific, technical and commercial merit, as well as the feasibility of the applicant’s product or service has been determined.

A business will not survive in a competitive market if it lacks customer service, people management skills, and is unable to relate well to clients, vendors, and staff. Students will take in both a lecture and a seminar involving key components of business communication skills. Our partner National Communication Coaching Association of Canada (NCCA) helps entrepreneurs with their business branding, writing, communication tactics and pitch presentations.