The League of Innovators is recruiting young entrepreneurs for their flagship Labs Accelerator program empowering young entrepreneurs all across Canada. The program is national and barrier free (virtual, free, sector agnostic). 

The next cohort of Labs runs from Feb-April 2022 and applications are open until Dec 6th. You can apply and learn more about the program here. Labs empowers youth-led startups of all kinds (50% of the co-founding team are 25 or younger) to connect to a network of peers, investors and industry experts through mentorship, workshops, ask me anything sessions sessions and virtual community. New to Labs are the Social Impact Stream and a Black Youth Entrepreneur Growth Program Stream where you get everything Labs has to offer and more. 

Here are five reasons why young entrepreneurs across Canada should apply to the League of Innovators Labs accelerator program.

1. Join a growing national community of other young entrepreneurs, changemakers and innovators. Connect with people embarking on a similar journey as yourself and get support, feedback, friendship, throughout the 12-week program and beyond through live sessions, our Slack community and our alumni community hours. Chances are that there is someone else who has been through it or felt similar challenges and wins as you have and will have. You can find your people here! 
2. Empower yourself with learning resources to grow your knowledge base, entrepreneurial skills and mindset. The Labs program equips you with access to our resource bank, a venture package of perks and discounts exclusively for our community, and a directory of folks who can support you through milestones. In Labs we dive into three program pillars around: Founder First, Getting Your House in Order and Building Connections through each week’s theme. Some examples include The Brand, The Team, The Roadmap, The Raise, The Pitch and more!
3. Build your confidence and expand your understanding of what’s possible for you and your startup. At the end of the Labs program, we celebrate at the Founder’s Showcase event where you pitch your startup to a curated panel (don’t worry we work with you to get there!). It’s so amazing to see all the incredible growth achieved throughout the 3 quick months. Even week to week in the Labs venture huddle peer groups that meet for an hour during the program with other founders in the Labs program working in a similar industry and stage, there is so much knowledge transfer and week to week transformative learning. 
4. Network with industry experts, serial entrepreneurs and investors. Each week there are about four hours of live workshops to build your knowledge through lived experience and technical knowledge. Get ready to apply learnings as you go and build your toolkit of knowledge to draw upon when you need it most. Not to mention office hours and the opportunity to connect with people who can help move the dial in building your business. 
5. Did we mention that the Labs program is: No Fees. No Equity. No Strings Attached. You can be anywhere in Canada with an internet connection building any type of startup business, emerging non-profit or social enterprise in any industry. Diversity creates the conditions for innovation to happen! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Are you ready to accelerate your startup? Fuel your fire with Labs by applying to the Labs accelerator for youth-led startups! You can access the application here. Some key dates for you: Applications are open until Dec 6, Batch 8 of the 12-week Labs national virtual program starts February 2022.
Got questions after all that? Want to say hi or partner with us? Reach out to Acceleration Programs Director, Annika, at annika@theleagueofinnovators.com