The Summer Institute offers an intensive three-month program to guide startups through the process of turning their vision into a livelihood. Participants access funding for living costs and prototyping, as well as skills training and coaching to create a viable business.

Each summer, the J. Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management & Entrepreneurship at the University of New Brunswick opens its doors to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to explore an innovative idea they feel has the potential to grow into a thriving business.

These passionate people want to start something different and craft a business that will need some out-of-the-box thinking to build. These are not models that can be pulled directly from a business book. These are ventures with a unique product or service that will require a supportive space to explore, develop, and launch.
Working with businesses in the earliest stages of growth means the Summer Institute is able to accept entrepreneurs with very different skills and interests.

The Summer Institute’s approach helps strengthen creative thinking and allows alumni to complete the program feeling confident in what they’ve built. After all, each venture has just spent three months refining its ideas with a broad community of supporters who simply want to help good people achieve their dream of starting a business.