The BMO Apex Startup Challenge invites students and entrepreneurs from across Canada to compete at the largest competition of its kind in Atlantic Canada.
Thanks to the generous support of BMO and our sponsors, teams will pitch their ideas to successful business leaders to win $30,000 in prizes.
The Apex experience extends beyond the competitive events, where competitors will be engaged in training workshops, networking opportunities with judges, potential investors and future employers.
This is the traditional Apex competition track for graduate or undergraduate students. Judges, entrepreneurs and business leaders mentor students making their first step as entrepreneurs.
For early-stage, scalable ventures looking to accelerate their growth to the next stage. Open to graduates, non-students and students running early-stage ventures. Judges play the role of investors.
This is a competitive event. A panel will review all applications and select the top participants to present in the BMO Apex Startup Challenge.
A one-page (maximum) executive summary. Examples to use as a guide: Syracuse University, Seattle University, Rice University.
Financial projections for a three-year period in any format that best demonstrates your venture’s financial potential.
PowerPoint or Keynote slide deck, 10-15 slides. Presentations are maximum of ten minutes, plus ten minutes question and answer period. A good guide for your investment presentation is the Kawasaki pitch deck or Sequoia pitch deck.
60-second verbal pitch. No slide deck. Pitch delivered behind a podium with a mic to a large audience. No question and answer period.
When your team applies, you will submite your executive summary, financials and investment presentation slides. If you are accepted to compete, you may submit an updated executive summary and financials up to Jan. 19. You will bring your final investment presentation with you to Apex, which may be updated before and at any time during the event. You elevator pitch does not need to be submitted at any time.
$10,000 is allocated to up to three teams at the judges’ discretion.
Five additional awards of $500 will be provided to teams.
The BMO Apex Startup Challenge will be held at the Wu Conference Centre at the University of New Brunswick.
In addition to group rates on a downtown Fredericton hotel, Apex provides cash travel subsidies of up to $500 to teams traveling from outside Fredericton. Your university may also provide their own travel subsidy.
Final schedule to be provided in January 2024.
Thursday, Jan. 25
- 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Practice and qualifier rounds
- 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Lunch break
- 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Qualifier round continues
- 7 p.m. | Finalists announced
- 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Elevator pitch competition
Friday, Jan. 26
- 9 - 11: 50 a.m. | Wildcard round
- 1:30 - 4 p.m. | Final round
- 6 - 8:30 p.m. | Dinner and awards announcements
One member of your team should be the main contact throughout Apex. This team member completes the online application by:
There are no fees to apply or to compete (teams must cover their own travel costs to attend). Once an application is submitted, no changes can be made.
Applications will open Sept. 30, 2023.
Entry into the BMO Apex Startup Challenge is competitive. Thirty teams (ten undergraduate teams, ten graduate teams and ten new venture teams) will be selected from all applications to compete in January.
Invited teams will have until Dec. 18, 2023 to confirm their participation.
The Apex Startup Challenge would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.
We are seeking funding for Apex to enhance the overall experience for the participants by providing prizes, networking events and meals.
We invite you and your organization to take part in the Apex experience as a judge and a participant in all our networking events. All sponsors will receive promotional opportunities to showcase your organization, with additional benefits available based on donation amounts.
Get in front of students and real ventures – promote your name, potential to work together down the road and make connections.
We also welcome individuals interesting in judging to contact us ibec@unb.ca.
International Business & Entrepreneurship Centre
Faculty of Management
University of New Brunswick
9 Macaulay Lane, Tilley Hall
Email ibec@unb.ca