Venture Scientist Bootcamp
The program for Canada's best deep tech founders. $10,000 stipend, four months. Everything you need to build.
The Venture Scientist Bootcamp (VSB) is Mila Ventures' flagship incubator — a highly selective, 4-month program that gives Canada's top STEM founders the space, resources, and high-octane coaching to build the foundations of a high-potential deep tech startup.
This is not a course. It's an operating environment. You'll build alongside a curated cohort of peers who match your technical depth, coached by operators who have done it, supported by Canada's leading artificial intelligence (AI) research institute.
By the time you leave, you'll have traction, evidence, and a real shot at what comes next — whether that's raising a round or entering the Mila Ventures Accelerator.
Who Should Join?
Scientist in. You arrive as a researcher and leave as a founder. You fit this profile if you:
are finishing a PhD, are doing a postdoc, or within three years of graduating from a STEM degree.
are applying alone or as a team, and at least one of you has deep STEM expertise. The stipend covers up to two founders per team.
have started customer conversations, a prototype, or a validated concept.
can be in Montréal, full time, from January 12 to mid-May 2027.
want coaching that pushes back every week.
How selection works
Written application, about 20 minutes.
Interview with the Venture team.
Decision communicated by December 4 2026. The selection process is rigorous and highly selective.
Infrastructure and Leverage
- Money - $10,000$ per founder, for up to two founders per team. Mila gets up to 2% only if you raise in the next 18 months.
- People - Coaching from a venture manager who’s been a founder. Lunches with operators who have built companies. A cohort of technical peers.
- Place - Dedicated office space in Mila at the intersection of the top tier research institute and inside Canada's AI ecosystem.
- Method - Sessions on frontier AI from Mila researchers. Workshops on customer discovery, product, revenue, and fundraising. A series on how the best founders use AI tools.
- Network - Introductions to Mila researchers, investors, founders, and partners.
How Does it Work
The Venture Scientist Bootcamp is for founders who don't need to be convinced — they need to be accelerated.
Over four months, you'll move through a structured arc: from validating the problem, to building and shipping, to generating traction, to arriving at Demo Day with evidence and momentum. Your venture manager will push your priorities every week. Your cohort will hold you to a high bar. The content, the speakers, and the tools will all serve one purpose: helping you move faster.
This is what it looks like when Canada's best technical talent decides to build something that matters.
Program Dates:
- Deadline to apply: November 28, 2026
- Next session starts: January 12, 2027
300+
Venture scientists trained
Helping graduates transition to the business world successfully.
$80M+
Funding raised
From top tier VCs like A16Z, Felicis, Real, Khosla, Panache and local angels.
20+
Startups created this past year
Mila supported the growth of over 20 new startups founded by researchers.
The most disruptive founders alive aren't coming from business schools. They're coming from labs. You have what most founders will never buy, borrow, or fake — deep technical truth. The Venture Scientist Bootcamp exists to make sure the world benefits from it.
Jonathan Guillemette PhD, Bootcamp Lead, Mila
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Venture Scientist Bootcamp?
The Venture Scientist Bootcamp (VSB) is Mila Ventures' 4-month sprint to market for elite STEM founders building high-potential deep tech startups. It combines venture coaching, frontier AI founder stack, GTM execution, and a curated founder community — all in Montréal, at the heart of Canada's AI ecosystem.
Do I need to have a company incorporated?
No. But you need more than an idea. Some customer validation, a prototype, or a validated concept — something that shows you're already moving.
Do I need a work permit if I am an international student or not a Canadian citizen?
No. The Bootcamp is structured as an educational venture formation residency, not an offer of employment. While participants receive a stipend to support their professional training, they are not employed by Mila and the time spent in the program cannot be considered work experience.
It is your sole responsibility to obtain and maintain the appropriate legal authorization to enter and stay in Canada for the full four months of the program. Mila does not sponsor visas or permits, nor do we provide immigration advice. We strongly advise consulting with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or a certified immigration professional to determine the exact requirements for your specific situation. That said, international students who hold a valid study permit do not need to obtain a work permit in order to participate in the program.
What is the time commitment?
You'd be committing yourself to the VSB full time, and being in Montréal for the duration of the program. This will be the most intense four months of your life, if you aren’t ready to pivot from ‘’Researcher’’ to ‘’Founder’’, this isn’t for you.
What's the stipend?
$10,000 per founder, for a maximum of 2 founders per team.
What does Mila get?
If and only if you end up raising at least 1M$, Mila will get 2% in order to preserve these programs for the next generations.
What happens after the program?
Cohort 1 presented at Demo Day on September 24, and six of the ten teams are now in active conversations with investors. Teams that fit may be invited to the Mila Ventures Accelerator.
Is this program in French?
The program runs in English. We welcome applicants from across Canada.
When do applications open?
They are open now! Applications close November 28, 2026. Acceptance letters go out the following week.
News
Backed by Mila, new Montreal ‘boot camp’ aims to hatch next billion-dollar Canadian startups | The Gazette