Queen’s University wanted to develop and deliver an accelerator program to help post-revenue start-ups and SMEs in Eastern Ontario scale, with a target of doubling growth every two to three years over the first five years.
Drawing on our extensive experience with accelerators, research and technology parks, and innovation districts, Stiletto worked with the team at Queen’s to develop the Growth Acceleration Program, a three-month accelerator for technology or science-based solutions companies poised to grow. Stiletto structured the program into eight modules delivered in full-day sessions bi-weekly over 14 weeks. Program topics included finance, sales and marketing, grants and funding, leveraging data, developing the company team, and profiling gaps and opportunities for skills.
Stiletto delivered the program in 2020 and 2021. In fall 2021, we developed a bootcamp version targeted towards health and health innovation companies that we successfully delivered to the first cohort in February 2022.
The first three sessions provided training and support to 20 companies. Seven out of the first cohort have experienced considerable growth and two of the second cohort have experienced significant transformation since taking the program. Each of the participants credit it with providing the support needed to catapult to the next level. Results of the bootcamp participants will be measured at the six-month mark of its completion.