McGill.CA / Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship / Build a Startup
Launching Products in Real Markets

Stage: Validation
Industry: Industry-agnostic

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Validation Lab

The Validation Lab is a dynamic 10-week training program designed for early-stage startups ready to validate, test, and scale their MVPs. Through weekly workshops guided by successful entrepreneurs and focused hands-on work, you'll gain the tools to define your ideal customer, refine your product-market fit, and build a robust go-to-market strategy. From customer acquisition to pricing optimization, each session is designed for action—propelling your startup toward a successful launch.

Key learnings

  • Testing and scaling your functioning MVP
  • Validating and refining your Ideal Customer Profile
  • Acquiring users / customers and product testing
  • Building your Go-To-Market strategy & planning the execution
  • Optimizing sales and pricing strategies for your business model
  • Preparing for market launch
     

Program format

Dates: June 2 - August 4, 2026

Time: Tuesdays, 5:00PM - 9:00PM EST

Hybrid program: Sessions are in-person at the Dobson Centre with a virtual option to accommodate our global network.

Who is this program for?

We welcome teams with:

  • at least one McGill affiliated co-founder e.g. student, faculty, staff or alumni (graduated within the last 10 years).
  • multi-disciplinary professionals (including learners or graduates) with a functioning prototype of MVP who are looking to iterate their MVP, validate their product-market fit and go-to-market strategy, validate their business/ revenue model, and preparing to incorporate their startup or are incorporated.
  • at minimum one technical co-founder, and can build your business upon a technology, science, or idea that is significantly or radically disruptive.
  • commitment to attend all the workshops and executing the project work (required to maintain your participation in the program).

Have questions about the program?

Email us at dobson.mgmt [at] mcgill.ca for more information.

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