Launch your tech businesses with Conestoga
We’re on a mission to support Conestoga students and alumni launch over 300 tech ventures over the next few years.
The Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective offers two pathways to support tech ventures:
- Venture Lab for Tech
- Venture Lab for Global Tech
This project is funded in part through the Scale-Up Platform program, an initiative funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and offered in partnership with Communitech.
Venture Lab for Tech
Are you an aspiring entrepreneur, based in Canada, with an idea for a new tech business and need help getting started?
The Venture Lab for Tech incubator helps founders with early-stage tech ideas in the tech sector (think software, hardware and middleware).
Working alongside a dedicated industry coach, you’ll work through a comprehensive 15-week roadmap designed to accelerate your business idea through activities like problem and customer journey mapping, market research, rapid prototyping and pitch practice, as well as gain access to Conestoga’s research centres—including intellectual property and commercialization resources.
Eligible companies can stay in the Venture Lab for up to one year to refine your business with ongoing support.
Get plugged into the local tech ecosystem through our partnership with Communitech, Waterloo Region’s hub for tech start-ups.
Program participants have access to Communitech’s scale-up resources, funding opportunities, industry networking, and co-working space in Communitech, Waterloo Region’s hub for tech start-ups.
Apply for the Venture Lab for Tech
Next cohort begins: May 2025
Deadline to apply: March 25, 2025
Eligibility:
- Current Conestoga students (full-time or part-time studies)
- Conestoga alumni (at least one course completed at Conestoga)
- Proposing a tech-oriented business idea
- Prepared to commit a minimum average of 15 hours/week for the 15-week program to: work on the idea, Roadmap activities, and attend weekly meetings with your coach (in-person or virtual).
Venture Lab for Global Tech
Do you have an existing business outside of Canada, ready to unlock global growth and accelerate your international expansion?
Our Venture Lab for Global Tech program is your gateway to international expansion in Canada’s top innovation hub. In partnership with Communitech, the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective at Conestoga College has built the most advanced accelerator platform, powered by a vast network of mentors and investors.
This data-driven, equity-free, in-person incubator is tailored for high-growth startups aiming to scale globally by leveraging Canada’s position as a leading tech hub and the Waterloo region’s thriving innovation ecosystem.
Learn more and apply to our Global Tech Venture Lab Visit conestogaglobaltech.ca.
Testimonials
Ezok | Venture Lab for Tech
“My time at the Conestoga Venture Lab has been an enlightening journey, filled with invaluable lessons on validation, networking, and leveraging professional data sources to accurately gauge my market size. The mentors, experts in their respective fields, came together periodically to refine and sharpen my investment and commercial pitches. They provided me with numerous opportunities to present my product, fostering a supportive environment that encouraged local initiatives. Coming from another country, this experience was particularly transformative for me, as it introduced me to opportunities I was previously unaware of. The Conestoga Venture Lab not only equipped me with the tools necessary for success but also broadened my perspective, making it an integral part of my entrepreneurial journey." -Henrique Bilbao, founder
QuickCasa | Venture Lab for Tech
“My time in the Venture Lab was very powerful and very well thought out. There was a lot of great checkpoints and a lot of great points where I got to learn and understand more about how I should be conducting our market research and our validation, speaking to customers and kind of growing from an idea into a real problem statement that we could show and start selling on.” -Stephen Mccabe, co-founder and CEO
