The Arc Founders Sprint Cohort 01
The Arc Founders Sprint — Cohort 01
Three weeks for AI PhD researchers to build toward a fundable company, or a founding engineer seat at one.
More details → arcfounders.ca
What you walk away with
By July 31, every researcher in this cohort will have:
An investor-ready narrative and pitch deck — pressure-tested by operators and VCs across Canada and the US.
Warm introductions to tier-1 US funds and Canadian operators.
A Demo Day audience of investors actively writing checks in AI.
A peer cohort of 8–10 elite researchers who will outlast the program.
From there, two paths open up:
A fundable AI company in formation — for those whose research, wedge, and ambition align toward founding.
A founding engineer placement at a top portfolio company in Canada or the US — for those who want to build at the frontier without taking the CEO seat. Placements depend on fit and portfolio openings, not guaranteed.
Backed by
Hosted by MaRS IAF
Canadian partners: Lionpeak Partners, Georgian, Shopify, First Ascent Ventures
US partners: Accel, NEA, Lightspeed, Gradient Ventures, Boldstart
Compute & infrastructure: AWS · Google Cloud · Nvidia · OpenAI
Who this is for
PhD candidates and recent PhDs in AI, agentic systems, and frontier technology
Researchers with a working prototype, novel result, or technical insight that hasn't yet been commercialized
Builders willing to work intensely for three weeks alongside operators and investors who will tell them the truth
How the sprint works
Week 1 — Validate. Pressure-test the commercial wedge against real enterprise buyers, US market signals, and 2026 AI funding criteria.
Week 2 — Build. Move from idea to entity — founding team formation, capital-efficient AI infrastructure, cloud and compute strategy, security and compliance, legal foundation.
Week 3 — Position. Sharpen the narrative for investors — pitch architecture, US market entry, mock investor boards, and a hybrid Demo Day connecting Toronto founders to US capital.
Detailed agenda below:
Format
Duration: Three weeks, July 6–24, 2026
Location: Toronto (in-person sessions) + virtual (most weekday sessions)
Demo Day: Hybrid, Toronto → US Bridge — Friday, July 24
Cohort size: 8–10 researchers
Application: By invitation only
About Arc Founders
Arc Founders bridges frontier research to frontier capital. We back Toronto-based PhD researchers turning AI breakthroughs into companies that change what's possible — investing at the earliest stage, embedding each founder with operator-mentors who've built and exited in their domain, and connecting them directly to the funds that matter most for deep-tech outcomes. All without leaving the country that made the work possible.