Startup Readiness Engine

From BC to the Global Stage:
A Web Summit Readiness Engine for Sales, Partnerships, and Capital

About the Program

The Startup Readiness Engine is a hands-on, cohort-based accelerator that helps early-seed and pre-seed BC startups prepare for customer acquisition, AI-assisted sales, and partnership development.

Built From Founder Feedback

BC founders want customers and capital, but often struggle to access both. Many existing programs focus on sales and funding, but few teach founders how to connect the two, or how to use AI to accelerate both. The Startup Readiness Engine bridges that gap with a practical, structured curriculum that ties customer acquisition, AI-assisted sales and partnerships, and funding together, giving founders the complete toolkit they need to compete (and win) at Web Summit Vancouver 2026.

A Complete Pipeline of Founder Support

Delivered by New Ventures BC and Mosaic Accelerator, in collaboration with Angel Forum, this program connects BC’s startup support ecosystem into one cohesive learning path.

Limited space available.

What you’ll learn:

Core Workshops, in partnership with Mosaic Accelerator

Storytelling & Customer Acquisition Foundations
Craft compelling stories, validate your market, and demonstrate your value to customers and investors.
AI-Assisted Sales, Lead Generation & Partnerships
Learn how to build an AI-powered sales stack and create partnerships that scale.

Financing Foundations for Founders: A Funding Masterclass Series by Angel Forum

Continue your journey with Angel Forum’s follow-on program. Designed to be taken after the Web Summit Readiness Engine, this program builds on the skills you’ve developed and helps you understand funding options, strengthen your financial story, and confidently pitch for capital at Web Summit.

Eligibility

We’re looking for ambitious BC-based founders ready to accelerate their growth and represent the province at Web Summit Vancouver 2026.

Eligible companies are:

Based in British Columbia
Any sector
Meet the criteria for Web Summit’s Alpha or Beta startup tracks:
- Alpha: Minimum Viable Product, Pre-seed, pre-revenue
- Beta: Product-market ﬁt, Seed, Revenue generating

Your Commitment

To successfully complete the program and qualify for the final showcase, participants must ensure full attendance at all core sessions and complete all assigned deliverables. This ensures every founder leaves ready for Web Summit Vancouver 2026.

Format: Five interactive 3-hour workshops, two Roundtables, and a Final Showcase.
Schedule: Thursdays, 3:00 – 6:00 PM.
Dates: Workshops will be delivered between February – April 2026.
Venue: Downtown Vancouver (location details will be shared with registered attendees). In-person attendance is encouraged. A remote/livestream option is available for those outside the Lower Mainland or by request.
Commitment: Cohort-based learning. Successful attendance of all sessions and completion of all assigned deliverables required.
Fee: $149 per company. Enrol in Angel Forum’s Financing Foundations for Founders program and take part in both for $200.

Schedule

All sessions take place from 3:00–6:00 PM in Downtown Vancouver. In-person attendance is encouraged, with a remote livestream available for those outside the Lower Mainland or by request.

February 5 – Workshop 1: Founder Storytelling for Global Audiences
February 12 – Workshop 2: Customer & Market Validation Using AI + Real Conversations
February 19 – Peer Pod 1 (Roundtable): Customer Story Review Roundtable
February 26 – Designing An AI-Powered Sales Flywheel
March 5 – Sales & Partnership Conversations That Land
March 12 – Web Summit Readiness, Outreach & Strategy
March 18 – Peer Pod 2 (Roundtable): Sales & Partnership Strategy Review
April 23 – Finale Showcase: Investor-Attended (*Attendance requires completion of both the Startup Readiness Engine and Angel Forum’s Financing Foundations for Founders.)

Meet Your Instructor

Rochelle Grayson

Program Leader & Executive-in-Residence

Rochelle is an Afro-Latin, trilingual, serial entrepreneur, and digital strategist with over 30 years of experience in business, marketing, finance, tech, and education. She has worked with several women’s organizations, been nominated as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, awarded Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40, and named one of Vancouver’s Top 10 Women in Technology.

Additional instructors to be announced soon.

This program is supported by Innovate BC, through its Road to Web Summit Vancouver, a sector development program designed to support B.C. companies to maximize their Web Summit Vancouver experience and capitalize on its potential to support
their growth.