Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate is now closed.
The next round of Accelerate will launch on January 12, 2027. Stay tuned!
You can download the Guidelines, Application Form, Eligible Expenses & Claims FAQ documents by clicking the link on the sidebar under Related Documents.
Program Overview
The Accelerate program helps Nova Scotia’s early-stage technology start-ups move faster through key stages of commercialization and growth.
Accelerate offers two distinct streams based on a company’s path to market. While companies in both streams meet the same eligibility criteria (see below), the streams exist to reflect different growth paths. Choosing the right stream is critical to receiving appropriate support, evaluation, and funding.
Important: Stream selection is not determined by your industry or technology. Companies operating in areas such as AI, life sciences, ocean technology, or clean technology may be eligible for either stream. The appropriate stream is determined by factors such as commercialization complexity, path to market, and growth strategy.
Growth Stream
The Growth Stream is best suited for companies with minimal regulatory complexity, no proprietary hardware, and a barrier-free path to market. It is designed for technology start-ups that are in-market or demonstrating traction through significant pilots and will fund their early growth through operating revenue rather than heavy reliance on external capital.
Competitive applicants for this stream have customers actively using their product. If your company best fits the growth stream criteria, but you have not yet had customers use your product (including in a pilot capacity), we encourage you to consider waiting to apply until you have demonstrated customer interest. Intake opens twice per year (January and June).
Examples of strong Growth Stream candidates include:
- SaaS or software-enabled businesses solving a validated problem
- Data-driven or technology-enabled solutions that can be commercialized without significant regulatory approval or hardware development
- Digital products or platforms with repeatable and scalable sales models
The primary focus of support for this stream is revenue growth. Programming includes workshops, sales training, and more. Most sessions will be delivered virtually. Additional areas of focus for this stream include:
- Sales and go-to-market execution
- Revenue scaling and pipeline building
- Marketing and customer acquisition efficiency
- Operational readiness for growth
Funding:
- $30,000 in non-dilutive, non-repayable funding, disbursed on a reimbursement basis via claim of eligible expenses. Up to $15,000 may be allocated to founder salaries.
Development Stream
The Development Stream is best suited for companies facing significant technical, regulatory, or commercialization complexity, including proprietary hardware or highly regulated markets, and a longer path to market. It is designed for deep technology start-ups rooted in proprietary IP, scientific research, or advanced engineering that are pre-revenue or generating limited early revenue and will require significant external capital (e.g., venture capital, strategic investment, or non-dilutive funding) to fund development and scale.
Competitive applicants for this stream have conducted thorough customer validation for their product, have demonstrated proof-of-concept for their solution and are actively advancing product development (TRL 3,4 or higher), and are preparing to raise investment within 6 to 9 months of completing the program.
Examples of strong Development Stream candidates include:
- Research and development-intensive companies working on novel or proprietary technologies that require significant technical validation before commercialization
- Companies developing advanced hardware, medical devices, industrial sensors, or other innovations with longer and more complex paths to market
The primary focus of support for this stream is investment readiness. Programming includes workshops, sector-specific advisors, and more. Most sessions will be delivered virtually. Additional areas of focus for this stream include:
- Product development, technical validation, and prototyping
- Regulatory strategy and compliance planning
- IP strategy and risk management
- Preparing for venture capital or strategic investment
Funding:
- $40,000 in non-dilutive, non-repayable funding, disbursed on a reimbursement basis via claim of eligible expenses. Up to $15,000 may be allocated to founder salaries.
Eligibility
To apply, you must:
- Be a Nova Scotia registered business in good standing with a permanent address in Nova Scotia
- Have most of their workforce and senior leadership residing in Nova Scotia
- Be majority-owned (51% or more) by Nova Scotia-based founders who plan to work 35+ hours per week on the company during the program
- Have less than $1M in cumulative revenue and less than $250K in equity investment raised
- Have identified a large and significant global market opportunity
- Have not previously participated in Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate. Companies may only complete the program once, regardless of which stream they participated in.
Evaluation Criteria
Submissions are evaluated on the following criteria:
- Management Team: Skillset of key individual(s); entrepreneurial track record; capacity to develop the company and handle risks associated with the venture. We expect applicants to have strong technical and business team members.
- Market Pain & Value Proposition: Problem and impact of the market pain (i.e., who is impacted and how widespread is the problem); current approaches to solving the problem; your solution (i.e., how it works, how it solves the problem, current status of development and data to support proof-of-concept); value proposition (i.e., how much time or money the customer will save/generate by using the solution).
- Market Opportunity & Business Model: Description of target customers; quantity of customers; customer validation; revenue model; size of the market opportunity (i.e., large international markets).
- Competition & Go-to-Market: More detailed competitive analysis; barriers to entry (examples: IP, proprietary data collection); pricing; go-to-market strategy (including key milestones, timeline, and proposed business model).
- Accelerate Milestones & Success Metrics: Plan and timeline for program milestones; list of key activities to achieve milestones; detailed budget for award funding; evidence of execution on past key milestones.
- Development Stream Only: Capital Requirements & Investment Potential: Referring back to go-to-market plan, demonstrate a feasible, clear plan of execution; outline expected capital requirements and venture capital investment potential (i.e., high-growth potential, large market opportunity, attractive return prospects).
- Growth Stream Only: Revenue Growth Potential: Overall revenue potential (pursuing a large market opportunity), market adoption barriers, cost of customer acquisition, current readiness to capture market share.
Important Dates
- Call for submissions: January 12, 2027
- Submission deadline: January 29, 2027
- Shortlisted companies notified: February 25, 2027
- Shortlist pitches: March 3 & 4, 2027
- Winners notified: March 8, 2027
- Program begins: April 1, 2027
How to Apply
Applications for Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate are now CLOSED.
To apply:
- Pick your stream (Growth or Development):
- Complete the APPLICATION FORM, answering all questions in the boxes provided, and SUBMIT IT ONLINE.
- If this is your first time applying to a program with Invest Nova Scotia, please contact Kaitlin Webb (Growth Stream) or Katerina Msafari (Development Stream) to request your Customer Number. You will need this number to submit your application online.
- Have your payroll and revenue information (if applicable) ready to submit.
Details about what evaluators look for in a submission, and other important information, can be found in the Accelerate Guidelines. Please note that Invest Nova Scotia is unable to accommodate updates once applications are submitted.
You can download the Guidelines, Application Form, Eligible Expenses & Claims FAQ documents by clicking the link on the sidebar under Related Documents.
Submit a claim
To submit a claim for approved activities completed during the program, please click Submit Claim below to access the form.