ABOUT
Applications are now open for July 2025-February 2026.
Experience Ventures facilitates entrepreneurial thinking placements at companies for post-secondary students. Companies get student help to complete business projects and students gain resume-building skills. Companies benefit from student work at no cost to them (the honorarium is provided by Experience Ventures).
Since 2022, VentureLabs has delivered this program in partnership with UCalgary and the Government of Canada.
- Apply to participate in Experience Ventures
- Companies apply after identifying scoped projects within their organization for students to gain meaningful experience
- Students apply to entrepreneurial thinking placements
- Company and student profiles will be uploaded to our database.
- Students and companies undergo a brief onboarding process before the placement begins
- Students engage with the company during the placement and experience an entrepreneurial environment first-hand
- Companies provide in-kind support, such as time or expertise, and receive the benefit of having students contribute to projects at no cost
- At the end of the short placement, students will receive an honorarium from Experience Ventures. Students and companies are also asked to complete a quick evaluation.
- Students engage with the company during the placement and experience an entrepreneurial environment first-hand.
- Companies provide in-kind support, such as time or expertise, and receive the benefit of having students contribute to projects at no cost.
- At the end of the short placement, students will receive an honorarium by Experience Ventures through SFU. Students and companies are also asked to complete a quick evaluation.
Experience Ventures offers five types of entrepreneurial thinking placements. Some involve students working on individual projects, while others are team efforts. Each placement involves actual companies, and a project students actively focus on.
Individual Opportunity
- Project: An opportunity to work with a company. VentureLabs helps to match a student to a specific project proposed by a company. Each project is 80 hours in duration. The participating student will receive an honorarium of $825 after their placement.
Team Opportunities
- Non-Technical Hackathon: Students compete as a team to tackle a real-world challenge a partner venture faces and offer potential solutions. Each student contributes 16 hours. The participating student will receive an honorarium of $325 after their placement.
- Challenge: A challenge is put forward by a partner venture for students working in a team to build a more complete solution. Each student contributes 40 hours. The participating student will receive an honorarium of $525 after their placement.
- Interdisciplinary Project: Students collaborate in a team with members from a variety of programs in close partnership with one venture to complete a defined project (this is effectively a team-based version of the “Project” placement). Each student contributes 80 hours. The participating student will receive an honorarium of $825 after their placement.
Placements are intended to be part-time commitments, with the understanding that students are in school taking classes with multiple priorities outside the placement.
Placements are intended to be a part-time commitment, with the understanding that students are in school taking classes with multiple priorities outside the placement.
Individual Opportunities
- Project: 80 hours in total, part-time, at a schedule determined between the company and the student.
- Student-in-Residence: 80 hours in total, at a schedule determined between VentureLabs and the student.
Team Opportunities
- Non-Technical Hackathon: A total of 16 hours for each student over a few days (specific dates will be announced).
- Challenge: 40 hours total, part-time, for each student, at a schedule determined between the company and the student team.
- Interdisciplinary Project: 80 hours in total, part-time, for each student, on a schedule determined between the company and the student team.
Experience Ventures is recruiting both companies and students to participate from July 2025-February 2026.
For companies
Identify early talent and get more done
Your company’s business objectives are on hold because you don’t have the capacity or resources to tackle them right now. Segment those objectives into focused projects and get student help to complete them through Experience Ventures. There is no cost to companies to participate. The program’s goal is to connect companies and students in entrepreneurial thinking placements. We will match your project to a curated student talent pool.
“Through Experience Ventures, we connected with a student who had a strong depth of knowledge in exactly the field we were seeking insight into. This student was able to apply the learnings from their school curriculum to address questions that will have real-world application in our business – a truly win-win scenario. I highly recommend this program to others!” – ViewsML
“The student from Experience Ventures had exceptional skills in data management and analytics which were game-changers for our sales CRM and partnership pipeline. Her ability to turn complex data into actionable insights was truly impressive, and her attention to detail was unparalleled. We are grateful to VentureLabs for the opportunity to have her join our team.” - Levr.ai
Benefits
