McMaster University is thrilled to introduce the Student Seed Fund – a new entrepreneurship program designed to help students and recent alumni take their startups to the next level.
Hosted by the McMaster Entrepreneurship Academy and the Forge, the Student Seed Fund is open to high-potential student and recent alumni startup founders who have completed entrepreneurship programming at McMaster. Successful applicants will receive $10,000 in funding and access to hands-on mentorship to fast-track their company growth.
Learn more about the program below and apply online by March 1, 2025.
Program Benefits
- $10,000 in funding through milestone-based payments
- One-on-one mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs
- Access to advisory from professional service providers, such as lawyers and accountants
Startup Commitment
- Program duration is eight months: April 14 – December 12, 2025
- Founder commits 20 hours per week to working on their business
- Founder meets monthly with Entrepreneur-in-Residence for business advisory
Program Outcomes
This program aims to fast-track McMaster startups to market, enabling them to achieve significant milestones, grow their businesses, hire McMaster talent, contribute to the economic prosperity of the Hamilton community, and help build a Brighter World.
Program Capacity
The program will fund up to 10 McMaster startups per year.
Startup Eligibility
1) Company
- Must be a McMaster-affiliated startup
Industry sectors include but are not limited to: software and mobile apps, medical devices and healthcare technologies, life sciences, cleantech and greentech, manufacturing and materials, social innovation.
- Must have a scalable business model
Any business that is already creating or has plans to create jobs, provide products or services that will have a positive impact on society, and generate enough revenue or sources of funding to be sustainable and grow.
2) Stage
- Must have evidence of product-market fit
Includes but is not limited to: sales, pre-orders and pilots.
3) Founder/Team
- Startup must be founded by at least one McMaster University student (undergraduate or graduate) or recent alumni (up to two years from graduation).
- Founder/team has completed entrepreneurship programming at McMaster
Includes but is not limited to: The Forge Startup Survivor, The Clinic Residency, MILO Lab2Market and Master of Biomedical Innovation.
- Founder/team must commit minimum 20 hours/week to working on their business throughout the duration of the program.
Application Process
- Apply online by March 1, 2025: Student Seed Fund Application Form
- Up to 20 applicants will be invited to pitch their business to Investor Analyst Fellows.
- Investor Pitch Days are scheduled for March 12 and 13, 2025.
- Up to 15 Semi-Finalists will be invited to pitch their business to an Investor Review Committee.
- Investor Pitch Days are scheduled on March 24 and 27, 2025.
- Up to 10 Finalists will be announced on April 2, 2025. Program begins on April 14, 2025.
Information Session
Want to learn more about the Student Seed Fund? Attend a virtual information session. Register for a session below to receive the Zoom link. Both sessions cover the same content, so please only choose one.
- January 28, 2025 at 12:30 – 1:15 PM (Register here)
- February 11, 2025 at 2:30 – 3:15 PM (Register here)