Our Services

The FastStart team of coaches, mentors and students are here to support you regardless of where you are in your entrepreneurial journey. Whether you have an idea for a business and don’t know where to start or if you are already running a side-hustle and need some help to grow, we can help you.

Training

FastStartDC provides training through our online course, industry specific programming as well as a variety of college and community workshops and events. Check our Events  page for more information on our current offerings.

  • FS360 – Our new online program that allows students to work with FastStart in a virtual environment, with 24/7 access, and it is accessible from anywhere in the world.
  • Five industry streams of FastStart programming – Food Foundry, FastTech, SHIFT (Social Enterprise), E-Shop and the Marker-to-Market.
  • New Skills Workshop Series focusing on tactical skills for our student entrepreneurs.

Mentorship

Our team takes pride in our ability to provide 1:1 mentorship and guidance to our student entrepreneurs. These sessions are tailored to our student’s needs and are often ongoing relationships.

  • One-on-one coaching with our experienced team of coaches and advisors.
  • Business plan preparation and guidance.
  • Connections to industry mentors will be leveraged as needed.

Marketing

Once ready, our student entrepreneurs are introduced to our top tier marketing team make up of students from a variety of disciplines to help build out the marketing assets required to successfully launch your business. Once at this stage, you could get:

  • Access to our team of graphic designers for logo design and brand development.
  • Photographer/ videographer services to support your website/ social media.
  • Social media strategy advice and support.
  • Web design guidance and support.
  • Communications strategy support.

Perks

The best part of becoming part of the FastStart community are the perks! We are well connected in both the community and entrepreneurial ecosystem, and actively seek opportunities for our students to network, compete and showcase/ sell their products and services. We provide our students with the following:

  • Fun off-campus and on-campus networking events and business idea pitch contests with cash prizes.
  • A partnership with Shopify that provides FastStart student entrepreneurs with free access to the e-commerce platform for one year for their own business websites.
  • Programs throughout the year, such as on online marketplace to sell your products, our workshop series, Pop-Up Markets, and networking events.
  • Connections to our community program and funding partners, like the Ontario Power Generation’s X-Lab, Spark Centre, Futurpreneur Canada, OWNR, or the Business Advisory Centre Durham (BACD), where students can find additional services and support for their businesses.