Introducing Brock LINC’s early-stage entrepreneurship program, Navigate.
Navigate is a hands-on program designed for individuals who are looking to explore, develop and evaluate their business idea. The program is built around the Lean Startup methodology, which focuses on testing and iterating a business idea through extensive customer feedback.
This is an intensive 11-week program where participants will be guided through the Lean Startup process. This includes talking to 50-100 customers during the program and then iterating and pivoting the business idea based on insights and information gathered during those interviews. As part of the program, students will work weekly with Brock LINC staff, external mentors, and other entrepreneurs in the program.
All participants who fully complete the program will receive a certificate of completion and students who complete the program will also get credit towards the Innovative & Creative Thinking domain in Brock’s Campus Wide Co-Curriculum.
Navigate will be delivered in-person at the Brock LINC every Wednesday from 3:00-5:00pm. The next program offering is taking place from January 15 – April 2 2025.
There is no cost to participate, though enrollment in the program will be capped to ensure small groups and personalized feedback and mentorship.
Applications for the next offering of the NAVIGATE program are now OPEN. Deadline to apply is Thursday January 9, 2025 at 5:00pm
Navigate is Brock’s new early-stage entrepreneurship program. With a focus on the Lean Startup methodology, participants in Navigate will learn about how to develop their business idea using a framework that emphasizes testing, iterating and pivoting. Participants in the program can expect to:
- Treat your business idea as an assumption or hypothesis
- Test your business hypothesis by talking to customers (a lot of them)
- Use that information to validate your hypothesis, or pivot your idea
- Rinse and repeat to develop a prototype
Participants will be guided through the Lean Startup process. This includes talking to 50-100 customers during the program iterating and pivoting the business idea based on insights and information gathered during those interviews. As part of the program students will get experience talking to customers, partners and competitors.
The program will be delivered over an 11-week period with both synchronous and asynchronous learning components.
Each week, participants view the assigned videos and complete the assigned work and interviews prior to attending the weekly sessions. Each week participants will learn about the business model canvas and test hypotheses and share their findings with Brock LINC staff, mentors and other entrepreneurs in the program.
During the weekly sessions, each participant will present their progress, what they have learned as well as meet mentors and advisors to receive feedback.
Weekly in-person sessions will take place on Wednesdays at 3:00-5:00pm at the Brock LINC.
Applications are now OPEN for our Winter offering. Deadline to apply is January 9, 2025 at 5:00pm.
Our next cohort will be offered from January 15 – April 2 2025.
Please contact the Brock LINC at brocklinc@brocku.ca if you have any questions about the program.
Navigate is open to current Brock University students (both undergraduate and graduate students), Brock Alumni and community members in the Niagara region.
Individuals or teams can apply to be part of the program.
Other eligibility criteria includes:
- You are able to attend weekly in-person sessions on Wednesdays from 3:00-5:00pm.
- You have a business idea that you want to test and validate
- During the program you can dedicate time each week to going out and talking to your customers
- You are working towards developing an initial mock-up or minimum viable product of your product/service
- You are open to receiving feedback and mentorship with your business idea