After the continued success of the Durham College (DC) Accelerator programs, FastStart DC, along with the Spark Centre is pleased to announce it will be offering its Fall Accelerator program once again this October.

The program is designed to help students and graduates take their innovative ideas or business ventures to market faster while utilizing the professional services from an experienced support team. Over the course of the term, participants will develop their businesses, meet with industry professionals and participate in seminars and pitch competitions.

“We are very excited to again offer the Accelerator program,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, dean, Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “After the success of our incubator programs over the past year, we knew we wanted to give more students and alumni the opportunity to access the many benefits of participating in this type of program. Faster entry to market for their business, reduced start-up costs and providing a focused work environment for them to learn while they work alongside seasoned professionals are just some of the many benefits for participants.”

The 2015 Summer Accelerator was the first time the program was offered and 10 business ideas were chosen to be a part of the incubator. DC Entrepreneurship and Small Business student Michael Shankar, who created the brand marketing focused business Belle in a Box, was a member of one of the participating teams in the inaugural program. Over the past year he has become a regular in The VIBE (B233), not only as an Entrepreneurship Assistant working with FastStart, but also working on his second startup, Nich & Mikey.

“The Durham College Summer Accelerator was great,” said Michael. “It really taught me what I needed to support my business ideas. Working in The VIBE was also a great benefit of the program because it allowed me to work in a positive environment; filled with the people and resources I needed to be successful with my startup.”

The application deadline for students and alumni interested in participating in DC’s Fall Accelerator is Friday, September 16. Applications can be submitted via the FastStart website, with the program beginning on Monday, October 3 and running throughout the fall term, with the potential to continue throughout the winter.