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IgniteLab Welcomes Record-Breaking Fall 2026 Cohort

On October 1, 2026, the Hub Incubator at the John F. Wood Centre welcomed its largest IgniteLab cohort to date. IgniteLab is a 10-week program that helps student entrepreneurs develop and test their business ideas through workshops, one-on-one coaching, mentorship, and funding support.

This fall, 22 student founders representing 14 ventures joined the program. Their businesses span a wide range of industries, including HealthTech, AgriTech, Environmental and CleanTech, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Artificial Intelligence, showcasing the creativity and entrepreneurial talent emerging from the University of Guelph community.

Learn About the Hub Incubator
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The ventures are addressing diverse challenges, from helping children manage chronic health conditions and advancing sustainable agriculture to reducing food waste, improving fitness tracking, supporting executive functioning, and exploring new uses for artificial intelligence. Together, these founders are building solutions with the potential to create meaningful impact across multiple sectors.

“Reaching our largest cohort yet is an exciting milestone for the Hub. Welcoming 14 ventures into the program demonstrates the growing interest in entrepreneurship at the University of Guelph, and we're looking forward to helping these founders accelerate their ideas and seeing what they create over the coming months.”

  • Jessie Kennedy, Manager, John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise

Participants are equally excited about the opportunity to grow their ventures and learn from fellow entrepreneurs.

“I’m most looking forward to learning how to turn a neuroscience-driven idea into something that can create meaningful real-world impact. Through Project Cortex, I’m exploring how neurotechnology can help us better understand the brain beyond controlled research environments and within the complexity of everyday life. IgniteLab gives me the opportunity to validate that vision, learn from others, and begin shaping it into something that could contribute to the future of brain health.”

  • Nevena Nikolova, Project Cortex

The IgniteLab program reflects the Wood Centre's commitment to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.

At the end of the program, founders will compete in a pitch competition for additional funding to support the continued growth of their businesses. Follow the John F. Wood Centre on social media to see the progress of this year's IgniteLab cohort and celebrate their entrepreneurial journeys.

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The John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise is developing innovators and entrepreneurs at the University of Guelph. We look for innovative and sustainable solutions to economic, social and environmental problems. It is through this mission that we empower a new generation of business leaders committed to community engagement and a sustainable future. We instill in our students a sense of social responsibility and leadership, character-building values that help develop citizenship. We help to bring ideas to life!