Morrissette Accelerator

As part of your Morrissette Accelerator experience, you can expect to participate in a weekly workshop that will give you the education and real-world feedback that you need to launch your business.

Workshop topics can include:

• Value Proposition
• Design Thinking
• Startup Legal
• Digital Marketing
• Intellectual Property
• Accounting
• Sales
• Public Relations
• Leadership
• And more!

The Morrissette Accelerator is a critical component of the entrepreneurship ecosystem at Western University. The program is open to Western students, faculty, and recent alumni with an expectation of a full-time commitment.

At least one founder must have a connection to Western (Student, Faculty, Staff or Alumni). 

We accept six to eight teams per cohort (Fall, Winter, and Summer).

Entrance into the Morrissette Accelerator is a competitive process. The Fall and Winter cohorts are for teams who have a 'Minimal Viable Product' (MVP) that is ready to go-to-market. These cohorts are all 15-16 weeks in duration.

The Summer cohort is designed for validation-stage startups who have put significant effort to understand their business model and are ready to validate their idea with early adopters. This cohort is typically 12-14 weeks in duration.

We look for startups who have completed product development and are ready to launch! If you are still in the idea or build stage, you may not be a good fit for the Morrissette Accelerator yet. Teams who are in the early stages can find great resources available for you at our Entrepreneurship Centre (located Western Student Services Building, Second Floor, Room 2130).

Competitive applications for the Morrissette Accelerator are startups who have high potential to scale (i.e. have IP and/or have a clear competitive advantage addressing a large potential market). We also look for a founding team who have the skills, ability, and determination to launch their product offering into the market.

Teams applying to our Winter 2022 cohort should have a functioning prototype or minimum viable product (MVP) that can be offered to their customers.

Entrance to our program is a competitive process. We accept 6-8 teams per cohort (Fall, Winter, and Summer).

There are two parts to the application for the Morrissette Accelerator.

Stage 1

All teams are required to submit a written application via our GUST platform. Our next application link will be live in October 2021. This application will be for our Winter 2022 cohort, which runs from January 2022-April 2022. 

You will be required to share/upload the following:

• Executive Summary
• Company Logo
• Company Website
• Team Picture
• Youtube Link to your 3-minute Investor Pitch Video
• Youtube Link to your 1-minute Marketing Video / Advertisement
• Investor Pitch Slide Deck - Below is a sample of the details we look for in your pitch deck. 

Stage 2

Applications are reviewed by an anonymous and diverse panel of Judges, the top-ranked teams will have the opportunity to pitch their business to a selection committee. In this round, each team will be given 5-minutes to pitch their startup, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.

Eligibility Requirements

We look for teams who have a high potential to scale and who meet the following criteria:

• At least one founder must have a connection to Western (Student, Faculty, Staff, or Alumni).
• Teams must be willing to contribute a full-time effort in-person at Western University in London Ontario (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Teams must operate their business from the Morrissette Accelerator coworking space (located in Somerville House).*
• Teams can have up to three founders in the Morrissette Accelerator coworking space. 
• Founders working out of the Morrissette Accelerator must have decision-making ability. 
• Founders are required to participate in all the scheduled events, workshops, and competitions throughout their time in the Morrissette Accelerator.

* While we may not be able to predict with absolute certainty what the COVID-19 situation will be like in the fall, it is our hope that the Winter 2022 Morrissette Accelerator program will be carried out at Western University’s campus. A final decision regarding on-campus program placement will be made in December 2021. Based on COVID-19 restrictions, a blended or online approach may be followed.

Winter Cohort

• Time of year: January - April 
• Business Stage: Growth and Scaling 
• Program tailored towards Western alumni, MBAs and researchers
• Funding amount: $12,000
• Program time: 4 months (14-16-weeks) 

Summer Cohort

• Time of year: May - July
• Business Stage: Idea-stage and validation 
• Program tailored to Western students and recent alumni 
• Funding amount: $9,000
• Program time: 3 months (12-14-weeks)

Fall Cohort

• Time of year: September to December
• Business Stage: Growth and Scaling 
• Program tailored towards Western alumni and researchers
• Funding amount: $12,000
• Program time: 4 months (14-16-weeks)

The Winter 2022 Morrissette Accelerator program will run Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., January 3, 2022, to April 22, 2022. 

Coworking Space

Western plans to return to in-person classes and on-campus experiences in September 2021. While we may not be able to predict with absolute certainty what the COVID-19 situation will be like in the fall, it is our hope that the Fall 2021/Winter 2022 Morrissette Accelerator programs will be carried out on campus. At least one founder must be in the space daily (Monday to Friday), actively working on the business from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Western University, Somerville House, Room 3366. 

A final decision regarding on-campus will be made in late August 2021 (Fall cohort) and December 2021 (Winter cohort). 

Blended Learning

Weekly programming at the Morrissette Accelerator will be taught either in-person or through a virtual format pending our mentor's availability. 

Curious to know what you might learn week-to-week in the Morrissette Accelerator.

Check out our example program schedule. 

We're here to help. Send us an email at accelerator@ivey.ca.