NEXT AI 2027 cohort

About

Early-stage AI-enabled ventures incorporated in Canada can join a free, equity-free founder development program delivered through Toronto or Montréal/Remote formats from March 2027, with applications due December 9, 2026.

Benefits

• 🎓World-class curriculum
  Taught by award-winning faculty and AI researchers, covering machine learning, computer vision and NLP, AutoML, reinforcement learning, economics of entrepreneurship, and strategy and innovation
• 🧑‍🏫 Mentorship and venture support
  Access to top AI scientists, dedicated Venture Managers, scientists-in-residence and an international pool of mentors
• 🛠️ Workshops and speaker series
  High-impact workshops and speaker sessions with Canadian business leaders
• 🎁In-kind partner perks
  Access to perks from AI technology and legal partners such as NVIDIA, AWS and Osler
• 🏢Office space
  Free office space in Toronto and in the heart of Montréal’s AI hub
• 🤝Investor exposure
  Conditional: toward the end of phase two, ventures receive pitch training before being introduced to a select group of investors interested in early-stage AI; funding is not guaranteed, though many ventures have secured funding through the NEXT AI investor network

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be incorporated in Canada or actively completing the Canadian incorporation process
• No participation fee is charged
• No equity is taken in ventures
• No funding is provided
• Participants should be prepared to commit 6–8 hours per week to mandatory programming and deliverables, generally during business hours
• At least one participating co-founder is expected to work full-time on the venture
• Part-time employment is allowed, but employment is not a valid justification for missing mandatory programming
• Toronto stream: all participant co-founders must attend in person at their own cost for Immersion Week in March, Venture Reveal in May and Venture Day in August in Toronto
• Toronto stream: the program is virtual from mid-March to early May and predominantly in person in downtown Toronto from May to mid-August; the technical stream runs remotely via Zoom
• Montréal/Remote stream: all participant co-founders must attend in person at their own cost for Immersion Week in March and Démo Day in September in Montréal; participants living near Montréal must also attend some additional smaller in-person workshops and events
• The official working language is English; Montréal/Remote participants can be served and submit business material in English or French
• Applications open on 15 October 2026 and close on 9 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST
• Program runs March–August 2027 for Toronto and March–September 2027 for Montréal/Remote

Target Sector

Sector agnostic, Agriculture & Food, Defense & Security, Education, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Real Estate & Construction, Retail & Consumer, Semiconductors & Electronics, Sports & Fitness, Telecommunications, Transportation & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Other

Target Location

Canadian companies, with founders able to participate from anywhere in Canada; the venture must be incorporated in Canada or actively completing Canadian incorporation, and the FAQ states the company must be majority-owned by Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The Toronto site is open to founders across Canada and the Montréal/Remote site is accessible from anywhere in Canada.