July 4th - August 24th, 2023
Basecamp
An IRL (in real life) summer entrepreneurship program helping students
Compete for one in six grants of up to $5000 in funding!
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DMZ Basecamp is an 8-week intensive student incubation program that helps young entrepreneurs create tech solutions to growing social or economic gaps in society.
At Basecamp, students tap into their potential and learn how to develop and market business ideas with the help of other young innovators, industry mentors and successful entrepreneurs. This is an opportunity for students to start real companies and gain experiential learning opportunities to apply what they’ve learnt and solve the world’s biggest problems.
What's in it for you?
- 1:1 mentoring with DMZ Staff, alumni companies, and outside mentors
- Connection to Toronto Metropolitan University's 10 entrepreneurial zones
- Customized coaching with DMZ experts on marketing, product development, lean canvas business models, consultations, and financing
- Bi-weekly accountability meetings with DMZ staff
- Opportunities to engage with other leading startups and experts from across Canada
- Compete for one in six grants of up to $5000 in funding!
Basecamp by the numbers
184
Students accepted131
Startups created67
Features in major media outletsWhat you'll learn
Sales and negotiation
strategies
Legal advice
Marketing strategies
Product and brand
management
Value proposition
design
And so much more
Week by week
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Program Validation & PrototypingWeek 1: Entrepreneurship 101 & Goal Setting
Week 2: Design Thinking & Customer Discovery
Week 3: Mock Ups & Prototyping -
Go To MarketWeek 4: Messaging & Marketing
Week 5: Financing & Legal
Week 6: Product Launch & Sales -
Pitching & StorytellingWeek 7: Pitching
Week 8: Basecamp Finals!
Application criteria
Students interested in the program must:
- Have at least one team member commit to the program in person 3 days a week
- Be returning to school in the fall or have graduated high school or postsecondary within eight months program start date
- Have an innovative business idea that utilizes technology to solve a compelling industry problem
- Have a driven, coachable, and collaborative team
Don't have an idea, but still interested in Basecamp?
For students who don’t yet have a business idea, Basecamp now offers a stream in helping students ideate a business. Apply as an individual and be placed in a team with other like-minded students to go through all the steps of ideating a startup. In this stream, participants joining Basecamp without an idea get to participate in exclusive workshops and learn from industry experts and startup founders alike. At the end of the program, the top team will be awarded $5,000! Please specify in your application that you’re applying without a business idea, and you’ll be considered for this stream.
Can't commit to a full time program?
For first generation and Italian heritage students who are looking for a part-time program, the Canadian Italian Business & Professional Association of Toronto and the DMZ have partnered to create Italia360, an 8-week part-time incubation program that helps first generation and Italian heritage student entrepreneurs create innovative and disruptive businesses. At the end of the program, students will compete for a paid trip to Italy! Students interested in the Italia 360 program can apply here.
Ready to validate your business?
APPLICATIONS CLOSEDTimeline
REGULAR ADMISSION
Applications open Monday, March 27th, 2023-
Application DeadlineApril 28th
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Application ResultsMay 15th - 19th
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Interview DateMay 23rd - 26th
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Final DecisionMay 29th
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Basecamp OnboardingJune 14th
LATE ADMISSION
Late Applications open on May 15th, 2023-
Application DeadlineMay 26th
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Application ResultsMay 29th
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Interview DateMay 29th - June 7th
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Final DecisionJune 9th
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Basecamp OnboardingJune 14th
Success stories
A FRIENDLIER COMPANY
A Friendlier Company is creating a smart, centralized reuse system to eliminate single-use food packaging waste. The company gives food service providers reusable takeout containers, and once used, A Friendlier Company handles all reverse logistics, washing, and redistribution for reuse. The containers are lightweight, stackable, and are competitively priced to disposable plastic containers. This zero-waste system generates up to 60% less greenhouse gas emissions than single-use alternatives. Since launching, A Friendlier Company has been featured on CTV News, Global News, and the CBC.
ANAXA
Anaxa specializes in the inconceivable. Even in a world of an ever-growing list of connected devices, there is so much room for growth. Our goal is to implement bleeding edge, quantum based hardware across different industries to solve their biggest problems. Anaxa will start protocol testing this year and is on track to developing its hardware in 2023.
MEDAKI
MedaKi’s focus is on increasing accessibility to health care products and providers, specifically pharmaceuticals. We are headed towards a future where all pharmacy services and products will be delivered through an application on your mobile device or desktop. With MedaKi’s solution, we will allow users to directly connect with their local pharmacy! Medaki was accepted into Toronto Metropolitan University's Science Discovery Zone and Toronto Metropolitan University's Biomedical Zone. MedaKi also won the top prize at the Toronto Metropolitan University Venture Zone Industry Challenge.
Supporting partner
Agnes Hilkene
Executive Director, The George and Helen Vari FoundationThe George and Helen Vari Foundation
A particular focus of The George and Helen Vari Foundation is ensuring that motivated entrepreneurial students have the supports in place so they can reach their full academic and professional potential.
