Applications for the NEXT AI Toronto and NEXT AI Montreal/ Remote 2025 Cohort are closed.
NEXT AI 2025 PROGRAM
FOR VALIDATION/ DISCOVERY/ EFFICIENCY STARTUPS
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
Get ready to apply to the Next AI 2025 program
VALUE PROPOSITION
- – World-class curriculum taught by award-winning faculty
- – Access to top AI scientists and Venture Managers
- – Access to an international pool of Mentors and Investors
- – High impact Workshops and Speaker Series
- – Free office space in the heart of Toronto and Montreal’s AI hubs
The Next AI program is delivered in Toronto, Montreal, and remotely. The program is offered to ventures incorporated in Canada.

FOR ENTREPRENEURS LOOKING TO SOLVE GLOBAL CHALLENGES WITH AI-ENABLED SOLUTIONS.
Next AI is a world-class founder and venture development acceleration network for AI-enabled startups. Founders can participate from anywhere in Canada, following the program remotely or in-person from the Toronto or Montreal sites. Leveraging a renowned ecosystem of AI and business experts, Next AI provides support on both AI product development and market commercialization. Each year, Next AI identifies the top early-stage teams developing ambitious AI-powered solutions and provides them with the mentorship, education, and network to have a global impact.

Choose from 2 locations:
TORONTO
From March through April the Toronto program is delivered virtually (with the exception of Immersion Programming in March) and from May to mid-August, the program is predominantly held in-person at NEXT Canada’s HQ in downtown Toronto.
All participants are required to attend in-person for Immersion Programming in March in Toronto, Venture Reveal in May in Toronto, and Venture Day in August in Toronto. The cohort will benefit from a vibrant in-person ecosystem, networking, office space, and special events based in the city.
This option is open to founders across Canada and is ideal for those looking to fully immerse themselves in the Toronto AI and tech community.
Have a question? Book a 1:1 call with the NEXT Toronto team.
MONTREAL/ REMOTE
Running from March to September 2025, the entire program is accessible remotely for all participants. However, all participants are required to attend three in-person events: Immersion Week at the beginning of the program in March in Montréal , Venture Reveal mid-program in May in Toronto, and Démo Day in September in Montréal.
Participants living in the Montréal vicinity will be required to attend a few additional smaller in-person workshops and events, for better cohort cohesion.
Have a question? Book a 1:1 call with a NEXT AI Montreal Venture Manager!
Join an Open House in Toronto
Meet the NEXT AI Toronto team in-person!
Sign up to a NEXT AI Webinar
Learn more about the program and the application process.
Join an Open House in Montreal
Meet the NEXT AI Montreal team in-person!
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN

World-class curriculum taught by award-winning faculty

Access to top AI scientists and Venture Managers

High impact Workshops and Speaker Series


Access to perks from leading AI technologies and legal assistance through in-kind partners like NVIDIA, AWS and Osler

Free office space in both Toronto and in the heart of Montreal’s AI hub

Access to an international pool of Mentors and Investors
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Next AI provides a hot spring of local talent, global experts, and top-tier researchers. Over the course of the program, entrepreneurs will receive invaluable technical and business education from a community of Canadians and world-renowned leaders, including:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Applications Open
October 17, 2024

Deadline To Apply
December 10, 2024 at 11:59PM EST

Program Runs
March - August (Toronto) March -September (Montreal/Virtual) 2025

PHASE ONE
The program’s first phase consists of common-track and 1-1 support, offered both in-person and virtually, to upskill founders and strengthen the foundations of their ventures. Founders receive instruction from internationally acclaimed faculty and Canadian business leaders and get introduced to devoted mentors, Venture Managers and scientists-in-residence. With support from legal and accounting partners, they organize their venture to be investor-ready and consolidate their product roadmap.
By the end of phase 1, founders are ready to validate their offering on the market and accelerate the growth of their project.
PHASE TWO
Phase two sees entrepreneurs being exposed to learnings from top business leaders and accelerating their product development. Mandatory programming is reduced, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on customers while receiving support from Venture Managers and mentors. Towards the end of phase two, Ventures receive extensive training to improve their pitches before being introduced to a select group of investors interested in early-stage AI ventures.
Next AI – 1-1 support complemented by lessons from industry leaders, while Founders focus on product growth, market validation and capital acquisition.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Companies meeting the following criteria are encouraged to apply :
- – Stage of development : Discovery-Efficiency
- – AI Is core to the Idea/Company
- – Team is driven by its mission, Open to mentoring, possesses in-depth technical expertise and/or a good understanding of the industry
- – A minimum of one business co-founder and one distinct technical co-founder who intend to receive a minimum of 10% of the company’s shares and hold Canadian citizenship / permanent residency or a valid work / study permit
- – Business model and market opportunity conducive to massive scaling.

Introducing The Next AI 2024 Cohort
This year’s Next AI cohort boasts 100 founders leading 45 ventures across a diverse range of industries, including Life Sciences & Advanced Health, Enterprise Software, Art, Digital Media & Telecommunications, Financial Services, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, Retail Consumer, Human Resources, Clean Tech, E-commerce, Security, Mining, Oil & Gas, Transportation, Tourism, Culture & Entertainment, and Proptech.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
See below for a list of commonly asked questions about the program. If you still have Qs, contact us. Or, book a meeting with one of our Alumni Venture Managers here.