
Invest Ottawa Ignition Program
Last Update: January 24, 2025
ON, Canada
Boot camp for technology startups in Ottawa
Invest Ottawa Ignition Program at a glance
Eligible Funding
- No Condition
Timeline
- Open Date : January 1, 2019
Financing Type
Expert Advice
Eligible Industries
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
Grant Providers
- Invest Ottawa
Status
Open
Overview of the Invest Ottawa Ignition Program program
Participate in a 10-week boot camp designed to help you at the early stages of building a tech or tech-enabled startup. The program includes workshops, one-on-one mentorship, physical work space, and networking opportunities.
Eligible projects & activities
Projects or activities eligible for the IO Ignition Program:
- Entrepreneurs with tech or tech-enabled product ideas
- Early-stage startups looking to validate their startup idea
- Founders who have started talking to customers or have initial sales
- Individuals seeking to build their network with like-minded founders
Examples of admissible projects:
$ 17,000
Launching an online marketplace for local artisans
$ 25,000
Building a platform for freelance digital artists
$ 27,500
Creating a new mobile platform for booking sustainable travel experiences
$ 26,500
Creating an AI-driven personal assistant app for busy professionals
$ 21,000
Implementing a new health tracking app for seniors
Eligibility criteria of the Invest Ottawa Ignition Program program
IO Ignition is a 10-week bootcamp for entrepreneurs looking to validate a tech startup idea and establish a strong business foundation. To be eligible, applicants should be willing to test assumptions, be focused on tech or tech-enabled products, have engaged with customers or made initial sales, and seek to expand their network with other founders.
- Willing to test assumptions
- Focused on tech or tech-enabled products
- Engaged with customers or made initial sales
- Seeking to expand network with other founders
Who is eligible?
Eligible companies for the IO Ignition Program are early-stage startups looking to validate a tech startup idea and build a solid business foundation. They should be in the tech or tech-enabled product space and have started engaging with customers or making initial sales.
- Early-stage startups
- Tech or tech-enabled product companies
- Companies that have started talking to customers or have initial sales
Eligible expenses
There are eligible expenses for this grant. The program offers discounts on business essential software as a service (SaaS) tools that help accelerate growth. Some eligible expenses include:
- Legal services
- Finance and accounting tools
- Equity management software
- Insurance services
- Sales and marketing tools
- Project management software
- Website design services
Eligibility criteria of the Invest Ottawa Ignition Program program
IO Ignition Program evaluates and selects applicants based on specific criteria to ensure a suitable fit for the bootcamp.
- Relevance of the startup idea to the tech industry
- Previous engagement with customers or initial sales
- Desire to challenge assumptions and build a network
- Fit with the Venture Path trajectory
How to apply to the Invest Ottawa Ignition Program program
1
Visit the IO Ignition Program application page.
2
Fill out the application form with your information and details about your startup idea.
3
Submit your application for review.
Apply to this program

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