McMaster University is thrilled to introduce the Student Seed Fund – a entrepreneurship program designed to help students and recent alumni take their startups to the next level.
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, 2026.
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: May 4 – December 18, 2026
- Founder commits 20 hours per week to working on their business
- Founder meets bi-weekly with Resident Entrepreneur 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 Bootcamp/Residency, Lab2Market, Master of Biomedical Innovation, MEEI, MTEI
- 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, 2026: 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 10 and 11, 2026.
- 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 26, 2026.
- Up to 10 Finalists will be announced on April 6, 2025. Program begins on May 4, 2026.
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, 2026 at 12:00 – 12:45 PM
- February 10, 2026 at 2:30 – 3:15 PM