Building Better Founders: AC:Studio’s First Cohort Delivers Big Results

The goal was clear when we launched the AC:Studio program in 2022. We wanted to give early-stage founders a real advantage. Not just advice, but hands-on support, mentorship, funding, and tactical expertise to accelerate them from idea to impact.

Three years later, the results speak for themselves. The first cohort of AC:Studio has created over 600 jobs, launched more than 100 new products, and raised more than $62 million in investment. Collectively, these startups have generated over $27 million in revenue.

But for Tabatha Laverty, COO of the Accelerator Centre, the true impact of AC:Studio goes beyond the numbers.

“It’s not just about startups,” Laverty said. “It’s about inclusive innovation. Sixty-three percent of companies in the first cohort were women-led. Twenty-six percent were newcomers to Canada. Five percent were Indigenous founders. That kind of representation changes what innovation looks like—and who it’s for.”

It’s not just the results that set AC:Studio apart. It’s how those results were achieved. The program has proven that a new kind of startup support—one that’s inclusive, responsive, and rooted in tactical execution—can change the game.

“We saw incredibly talented people stalling before they even got started. It wasn’t a lack of hustle. It was the barrier to entry—access to funding, talent, and time,” said Ruth Casselman, CEO of the Accelerator Centre. “AC:Studio was designed to remove those barriers.”

With $10 million in support from FedDev Ontario, AC:Studio welcomed 100 companies into its inaugural cohort. Over time, that number narrowed to 50, then 25. These were high-potential companies with strong ideas, large addressable markets, and founders who, as Casselman put it, had “the magic mix of passion, credibility, and resilience.”

“We took the best of the best and doubled down,” Casselman said. “The whole idea was to get them to market faster, to revenue faster, to funding faster, and we’ve seen amazing success.”

That success was on display at the 2025 AC:Studio Innovation Showcase on March 26, 2025. Founders shared stories of transformation made possible by the program’s hands-on model and deep community support.

For Sydney Robinson, co-founder of Vessl Prosthetics, AC:Studio offered more than funding or advice. It gave her the practical tools to turn a prototype into a business.

“The AC:Studio program provided us with much of the foundational business knowledge we needed to go from co-founders with an idea to a viable startup,” Robinson said.

With that support, Robinson and her co-founder, Oleksiy Zaika, were able to validate their market, refine their model, and bring a new level of comfort to prosthetic users.

That tailored approach was equally important for Mikelle Ethier, co-founder of This Is Perimenopause. What started as a shared experience with co-founder Michelle Stainton grew into a mission to support women navigating a life stage often overlooked by the healthcare system.

“We were commiserating about our symptoms and the lack of support when we realized we could do something about it,” Ethier said. “The Accelerator Centre gave us the tools and mentorship to turn our shared experiences into a platform that supports other women.”

Andrew Dolinski, co-founder and CEO of Jetdocs, said AC:Studio’s impact was rooted in strategic clarity.

“Through the AC:Studio program, we refined our go-to-market strategy and positioned Jetdocs for continued growth,” he said.

The program didn’t just help founders grow. It helped them build durable, scalable companies faster than a traditional pathway would allow. Keith Akers of Aquacell Energy said AC:Studio helped his company go from lab-scale to commercial prototype in just six months.

“That kind of acceleration usually takes years,” said Akers. “With AC:Studio’s support, from grant writing to access to freelance talent, we were able to function and look like a much larger organization.”

Throughout the program, founders received up to $100,000 in seed funding, one-to-one mentorship, and access to tactical supports via partners like Uvaro, SnapPea Design, Conestoga College, Innovate Niagara, and WEtech Alliance. This layered support model allowed founders to scale faster, smarter, and with fewer missteps.

“We don’t prescribe one way to run a business,” said Casselman. “We’re here to meet founders where they are to help them avoid pitfalls and keep moving forward.”

Looking ahead, the Accelerator Centre is already applying lessons learned from the first cohort to a new challenge. With renewed funding from FedDev Ontario, the next two cohorts will support startups aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, creating solutions targeting clean energy, climate action, quality education, and more.

“With AC:Studio, we’re not just building companies,” said Casselman. “We’re building solutions to real problems, and we’re doing it right here in Canada.”

Applications for Cohort 2 of AC:Studio are now open! Apply before May 24th to be considered.