What is this?
We select a small group of founders and help them build, validate, and pitch their startup in 6 weeks. The program ends with a live demo day where you present to investor for real funding opportunities. If selected, you get access to mentorship, operator support, and up to $100K+in capital pathways. Pitch in front of investors. Get real funding opportunities.
This is not a program. This is deployment.
Three pathways. One outcome.
Whether you're a founder, an investor, or a professional, there's a path designed for where you are.
Single Event
Dragon's Den Pitch Combine
Invite Only (Coming Soon)
Curated pitch event where vetted founders present to active investors. Real-time feedback, live capital discussions, and direct pathways to funding.
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Live pitch to investor panel
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Immediate funding conversations
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Equity + grant opportunities
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Post-event investor intros
2-4 Weeks
Talent Challenge
Open Competition (Coming Soon)
Professionals solve real business problems from partner companies. Top performers get guaranteed interviews and direct placement opportunities.
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Solve real-world challenges
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Get evaluated by hiring companies
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Guaranteed interviews for top 10%
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Build portfolio + credibility
How it Works?
Six weeks. Four phases. One outcome: investor-ready.
01
Week 1-2
Foundation
Validate your idea, define your market, build your positioning. Ship your first iteration or MVP prototype.
02
Week 3-4
Traction
Get users, run experiments, iterate based on feedback. Build your pitch deck and financial projections.
03
Week 5
Pitch Prep
Refine your story, practice your delivery, finalize materials. Get feedback from advisors and operators.
04
Week 6
Demo Day
Present to investors in a Dragon's Den format. Real-time questions, live feedback, immediate funding conversations.
Between Sessions:
You get access to office hours, peer feedback loops, advisor check-ins, and a private community of founders, operators, and investors. This is not a passive program, you're expected to execute.
Multiple Funding Pathways
We don't just connect you to capital. We deploy it, through equity, grants, tax credits, and investor networks.
Equity Investment
$25K - $100K
Direct equity investment from Emerge Elite and partner investors. Standard SAFE or priced round terms.
Grant Funding
$10K - $50K
Non-dilutive grant capital for eligible companies. No equity required, milestone-based deployment.
SR&ED Tax Credits
Up to 35%
Canadian startups can recover up to 35% of R&D costs through SR&ED. We connect you with specialists.
Investor Introductions
Ongoing
Direct intros to our network of angels, VCs, and strategic investors actively writing checks.
How capital decisions work
At Demo Day, founders pitch to a panel of active investors. Unlike traditional pitch events, investors make real-time capital decisions and can issue term sheets on the spot.
Funding is not guaranteed—it's earned. But if you execute throughout the sprint and deliver a compelling pitch, you're positioned to secure capital immediately.
Demo Day: Dragon's Den Format
The culmination of your sprint. Live pitches. Real investors. Immediate capital decisions.
The Format
Each founder gets 5 minutes to pitch, followed by 10 minutes of live Q&A from the investor panel. No scripted questions, this is real diligence in real time.
The Panel
Active angels, VCs, and strategic investors who write checks. They're not here to give feedback—they're here to deploy capital into the right companies.
The Outcome
Investors can issue term sheets, schedule follow-up meetings, or pass all within 24 hours. No months of waiting. Just fast, decisive action.
Post-Demo
Even if you don't close funding on Demo Day, you get direct investor intros, pitch feedback, and ongoing support as you continue to raise.
This is for you if:
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You have a validated idea or early traction
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You can commit 20+ hours/week for 6 weeks
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You're ready to ship, iterate, and execute
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You want investor feedback and capital access
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You're coachable and open to pivoting
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You can articulate your vision clearly
We're selective. Not everyone gets in. But if you're execution-ready and willing to put in the work, this program will compress 6 months of founder development into 6 weeks.
Why we're different
We're not an accelerator. We're not a school.
We're a deployment mechanism for capital and talent.
We assume you can clearly execute with 6 weeks of shipping and iterating. Demo day closes real capital, Investors in the room make decisions with 24 carefully selected founders, and no upfront cost, equity only if funded.
Our thesis is simple, Founders don't need more education. They need structure, accountability, feedback loops, and direct access to capital. That's what we provide. Everything else is noise.
Cohort 7 Timeline
Applications close May 15, 2026. Spots are limited to 24. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
May 15, 2026
Applications Close
Final deadline
June 1 - July 13, 2026
Sprint Begins
Until Demo Day
May 20-25
Interviews Selected
for
30 mins with
cohort announced