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Branksome Hall

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Venture Lab: Entrepreneurship & Leadership

Unlock your potential

The Venture Lab, delivered in partnership with top global tech business incubator DMZ, equips participants with entrepreneurial skills while fostering business-relevant leadership capabilities, such as public speaking, collaboration and hands-on problem-solving.

Through mentorship and team-building, participants build resilience, adaptability and the skills to turn ideas into action and lead with confidence.

The image shows the bold, black letters "DMZ" centered on a white background. The letter "Z" has two diagonal lines, creating a stylized look.

key information

Ready to lead the way? Let's make it happen!

Two-Week Program

(co-ed for ages 13–16)
Bring Your Own Device. For more information, please see our FAQs.

Dates

July 7–18, 2025 or
August 11–22, 2025

Hours

9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Location

Branksome Hall - In-person

Fee

$1,800.00 CAD
(includes daily hot lunch)

Key Focus Areas

  • Design thinking and creative problem-solving 
  • Business model ideation and value proposition development
  • Effective pitching and storytelling for ideas
  • Learning to take initiative and lead team projects with confidence
  • Gaining confidence in decision-making and problem-solving under pressure 
  • Encouraging creativity and innovation in group settings to solve challenges
  • Hands-on practice with iterative project development to turn ideas into actionable outcomes
  • Developing strategies for overcoming common entrepreneurial obstacles, such as resource constraints or team misalignment
  • Exploring real-world case studies of successful young entrepreneurs to draw inspiration and practical insights

Program Features

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Interactive Workshops

Real-world case studies of successful entrepreneurs and role-playing exercises that simulate leadership challenges.

Two outlined heads face each other; one has a gear, the other an arrow in the brain area. A lightbulb above them symbolizes sharing ideas, innovation, or knowledge transfer. All elements are in pink on a transparent background.

Mentorship Opportunities

Guest speakers from DMZ’s network of industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs, along with personalized feedback to support participant growth and success.

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Experiential Learning

Activities designed to build trust, adaptability and problem-solving skills in teams. Participants will also visit DMZ’s headquarters in Toronto to explore proven business models and network with a vibrant community of experts, influencers and entrepreneurs.

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Final Showcase

Participants will showcase their entrepreneurial ideas or projects in a final presentation to peers, mentors and parents, highlighting their creativity and hard work.

Program outcomes

Upon finishing the program, participants will earn a certificate of completion and a digital badge for inclusion on their LinkedIn profile showcasing their elevated leadership skills and potential.

About DMZ

DMZ is ranked the No. 1 university-based tech incubator in the world by UBI Global. Located in Toronto, DMZ helps tech startups build great businesses by connecting them with customers, capital, experts and a community of entrepreneurs and influencers. With a commitment to helping high-growth tech startups scale, DMZ fosters a vibrant startup community and fuels innovation in Canada.

As part of Slingshot’s Venture Lab, participants will go on an excursion to DMZ’s headquarters in the heart of downtown Toronto to learn about proven business models and network within DMZ's community of experts, influencers and entrepreneurs.

Founded by Branksome Hall, the Slingshot Innovation Academy propels students on a learning trajectory like no other, as they tackle real-world problems, gain hands-on experience, learn from industry experts and discover technology-driven solutions to re-invent the world as we know it.

At the heart of its creative approach is teamwork, building leadership, marketing and presentation skills to enable students to turn their ideas into realities. Rigorous standards and a comprehensive approach mean brighter careers for our students.

Young, innovative and curious minds ages 13–16 who have an interest in leadership, entrepreneurship and/or artificial intelligence will benefit from the programs.

No previous experience is required.

Yes, both programs will require students to bring their own device.

Here are the minimum requirements:

  • Operating system: Windows 10 or 11 or macOS 11.7+ (no iPads/tablets as some Slingshot Innovation Academy software requires full laptop operating systems)
  • Memory (RAM): 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended
  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5 processor or higher, AMD Ryzen 5 or higher, or Apple M1 or higher
  • Storage (SSD): 256 GB or higher

Necessary software for the Slingshot programs will be provided, with instructions on how to download it before the first day. IT Support will be provided once the program begins, as needed. If you have any questions about the above requirements, please email slingshotia@branksome.on.ca.

Those registered for the Venture Lab program will visit DMZ’s headquarters at Toronto Metropolitan University to explore proven business models and network with a vibrant community of experts, influencers and entrepreneurs. They will travel there as a group via public transit. Details will be provided to families in advance of the program start date.

Venture Lab: Upon finishing the program, participants will earn a certificate of completion and a digital badge to include on their LinkedIn profile showcasing their elevated leadership skills and potential.

Artificial Intelligence Lab: Upon finishing the program, participants will earn a certificate of completion, and be equipped with a portfolio showcasing their completed projects and an enhanced resume highlighting their technical skills and experiences.

We accept Visa/Mastercard and eChecks.

All cancellations must be made in writing to the Slingshot Innovation Academy by email at slingshotia@branksome.on.ca.

For cancellations prior to February 14, 2025, a full refund will be issued.

For cancellations prior to or on March 31, 2025, a full refund, minus a $500 administrative fee, will be issued.

Cancellations on or after April 1, 2025 are not eligible for a refund unless the cancellation is related to medical reasons for the participant and accompanied by a doctor’s note, at which point a partial refund of up to 50% may be granted, at the discretion of Slingshot Innovation Academy. Please reach out to us about the information required in a doctor’s note supporting a refund request. These partial medical refunds are only available for students who must miss three or more consecutive days of the course. No refund is available for full or partial day absences due to inclement weather or any course activities/field trips not fully utilized.

Please note that should you cancel a session and you are eligible for a refund, the 2.4% processing fee for credit card payments is not refundable at any time for any reason. Branksome Hall and the Slingshot Innovation Academy reserve the right to cancel/change any program at any time, in which case a full refund will be issued for any payment previously made in relation to that program. You will be notified by email of any changes or cancellations.

Please reach out to us by email to discuss any accommodations your child may need to fully participate in the program. We will do our best to support your child in achieving the maximum benefit from the program.