Sydney ThompsonChanges will make the EPIC Discovery Program better suit early-stage startups, says Sydney Thompson.

Badges to affirm skill development by student entrepreneurs

An enhanced version of a program from the Entrepreneurship, Practice, and Innovation Centre (EPICentre) offers participants the opportunity to earn digital badges as they achieve milestones.

The EPIC Discovery Program helps current students and recent graduates from any faculty develop and validate early-stage business ideas. It is the EPICentre’s flagship program specifically geared towards entrepreneurs at the ideation stage through one-on-one mentorship.

Members develop skills in areas such as problem identification, customer discovery, value proposition, advanced market research, competitive analysis, and more.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Canada to implement digital badges into our entrepreneurship programs,” said Wen Teoh, EPICentre director “With these badges, participants can track their progress and share their skills-based digital credentials through portable learning records and social media platforms.”

Individuals accepted into the EPIC Discovery Program will have the added benefit of receiving one-on-one mentorship, access to members-only resources and virtual networking spaces as well as to the collaborative workspace.

“We’ve been working hard to reframe the EPIC Discovery Program to better suit early-stage startups in their entrepreneurial journey,” said program lead Sydney Thompson. “With this new framework, we’re confident that participants will receive the tools needed to validate their market and move forward with a successful venture.”

For more information on the EPIC Discovery Program, visit the EPICentre website.