Helping You Become Future Ready
Work-integrated learning that empowers students with entrepreneurial and innovation experience.
Start Your Journey as a Changemaker
enables undergraduate students to make an impact alongside innovators through entrepreneurial thinking placements. Our goal is to inspire your creativity, resiliency and future vision – so you can seize your future with the right skill set.
We believe an entrepreneurial mindset isn’t limited to a personality type, discipline, or to business owners. It is an accessible set of skills everyone can leverage to make an impact, big or small, in any career. The hallmarks of an entrepreneurial mindset will be critical factors in ensuring Canada’s success today and tomorrow.
Experience Ventures is powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative (I-WIL).
There are five different types of placements
An entrepreneurial thinking placement is a structured, short-term opportunity (with honorarium) with a startup or social venture that has partnered with a student’s school. Placements are flexible, part-time, and mostly remote.
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Hackathons
A one- to two-day event in which ventures present students with real world challenges and ask them to provide innovative solutions.
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Challenges
Taking place over several weeks, these require students to build out more complete solutions to social, business, design or community challenges.
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Projects
Ventures present students with a specific project, and the school matches it to talent from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.
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Student-in-Residence
Students selected by the incubator receive unique opportunities to work with several ventures over the course of a term.
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Interdisciplinary Team Projects
Incubators create teams of students from more than one discipline and provide them with a project for a venture or group of ventures.
Explore the placements available at UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ
Scroll through to see what Experience Ventures opportunities are available at UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ through the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking.
1. Experience Ventures Hackathon
What is the Experience Ventures Hackathon?
It is a hands-on, team-based placement where UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ undergraduate students will work together for 16 hours to design innovative solutions to a real community issue. Students learn from mentors, build entrepreneurial thinking skills, and pitch their ideas for a cash prize.
Winter 2026 Hackathon
This winter, step into a hands-on innovation experience designed to challenge your thinking and grow your skills. The 2026 Experience Ventures Hackathon invites UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ students to collaborate on creative, actionable ideas to help address affordable housing in ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ.
Over just 3 days you will:
- Work in teams of 4–5
- Learn from mentors
- Explore community insights
- Build skills in innovation and problem-solving
- Pitch your idea to a panel of judges
- Compete for a $1,000 team prize
- Receive a $325 honorarium for participating
Program Schedule:
- Tuesday, February 3, 2026 5-8pm
- Saturday, February 7, 2026 1-5pm
- Sunday, February 8, 2026 1-5pm
- Plus 5 hours with your team (anytime Feb 4-7)
Spots are limited. Apply before January 30th and help shape ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ’s housing future. Applications open soon, join our newsletter to be the first to know when you can apply!
Hackathon Frequently Asked Questions
January 30th, 2026.
Any UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ undergraduate student who is eager to explore entrepreneurial thinking, build future ready skills they can bring into their respective careers, and expand on existing ideas are encouraged to apply for the program.
Open to:
- Undergraduate students in any year of study
- All faculties
No! We will place participants in teams of 4-5 students.
16 hours over 3 days:
- Tuesday, February 3, 2026 5-8pm
- Saturday, February 7, 2026 1-5pm
- Sunday, February 8, 2026 1-5pm
- Plus 5 hours with your team (anytime Feb 4-7)
Fill out the application form and take the first step toward shaping ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ's future.
Applications close on January 30th.
You will be provided with contact details to connect with event organizers. If you experience any problems during the hackathon, we encourage you to get in touch with us.
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges who will score student submissions against the evaluation criteria.
2. Experience Ventures Solutions Lab
What is Solutions Lab?
The Experience Ventures Solutions Lab is a challenge that invites UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ students to participate in developing innovative solutions to a local or regional issue.
Students will spend a maximum of 40 hours working on their solutions and pitches.
Fall 2025 Solutions Lab
Experience Ventures Solutions Lab is coming up and this year you'll be tackling one of Canada’s most pressing social innovation issues today: the Buy Canadian movement.
Join a multidisciplinary team to design innovative solutions that reduce Canada’s reliance on foreign goods and services while supporting our national economy. Your ideas will directly contribute to the Buy Canadian movement and you will earn an honorarium for your work!
Why Join?
✔ Gain hands-on experience outside the classroom
✔ Build entrepreneurial thinking skills that employers value
✔ Expand your network with industry mentors
✔ Make an impact on one of Canada’s most relevant issues today
✔ Part-time commitment (40 hours over 8 weeks)
✔ Open to undergrads from any discipline
Applications are currently closed. Subscribe to the Hunter Hub newsletter or follow us on social media for program announcements and updates.
Solutions Lab Frequently Asked Questions
Any UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ undergraduate student who is eager to explore entrepreneurial thinking, build future ready skills they can bring into their respective careers, and expand on existing ideas are encouraged to apply for the program.
Open to:
- Undergraduate students in any year of study
- All faculties
The challenge kick-off will be held in-person on the 4th floor of the Hunter Student Commons. Workshops and Mentor "Office Hours" will be conducted online via Zoom. Students are free to meet with their teams in person or online. The finale will be held in-person on December 2nd.
No. Participants are not able to register as a team.
The challenge will kick off with a keynote speaker who works in this space and students will be provided with additional information and resources to support their work. Teams will be provided an opportunity to attend drop-in sessions with mentors to support their progress and work.
You will be provided with contact details to connect with event organizers. If you experience any problems during the challenge, we encourage you to get in touch with us.
Each team will be asked to submit a final project proposal that aligns with the scoring rubric. The submission will include a five minute video and 1 page project brief guidelines for which will be provided at the same time as a copy of the scoring rubric.
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges who will score student submissions against the evaluation criteria.
Previous Solutions Labs
Hunter Hub Solutions Lab: Sustainable Campus challenges students to create impactful sustainability solutions for their campus, culminating in a finale where winning teams are recognized.
Hunter Hub Solutions Lab: Addressing social isolation in the ÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ area challenges students to create impactful solutions, with winning teams recognized at the finale.
Hunter Hub Solutions Lab: Climate change solutions for Southern Alberta challenges students to develop and present impactful projects addressing climate change.
Hunter Hub Solutions Lab: Resilient Food Systems Challenge invites UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ students to develop innovative, sustainability-focused solutions for a community challenge unveiled at the start of the event.
Students were invited to propose feasible and impactful solutions, connecting with fellow students to aid UÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ in achieving its ambitious goal of becoming a zero waste campus by 2030.
