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September 10, 2026
# Call for Applicants: Future Enterprise Lab
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### **Future Enterprise Lab**
*Speculative Fiction, Strategy and Creative Entrepreneurship*
**Imagine Toronto in 2055. What would you create?**
Future Enterprise Lab is an 8-week venture design program for OCAD U students and alumni interested in entrepreneurship, creativity, and future thinking.
Combining speculative fiction, strategic forecasting, and venture design, this program invites participants to imagine possible futures for Toronto and explore what kinds of businesses, collectives, nonprofits, creative practices, and community initiatives might be needed in the decades ahead.
Through guided readings, collaborative workshops, horizon scanning, scenario planning, and venture development activities, participants will explore emerging social, technological, economic, environmental, and cultural trends and develop enterprise concepts designed for a changing city.
**25 OCAD U students and alumni will be selected to participate in this fully funded entrepreneurship program.**
### **Program Dates**
***Live Online Sessions:***
**Tuesdays, 6:30 PM–8:30 PM (ET)**
- October 6, 2026
- October 27, 2026
- November 10, 2026
- November 17, 2026
- November 24, 2026
***Reading & Working Weeks:***
- October 13, 2026
- November 3, 2026
No live class. Participants will focus on reading, reflection, and venture development activities.
***In-Person Intensive Workshop:***
**October 20, 2026**
10:00 AM–4:00 PM
RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD)
OCAD University, 115 McCaul Street, 3rd Floor
Lunch provided.
***Graduation Showcase:***
**December 1, 2026**
6:00 PM–8:00 PM
RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD)
OCAD University, 115 McCaul Street, 3rd Floor
### **What You'll Learn**
- Strategic forecasting and horizon scanning methods
- Scenario planning for entrepreneurs
- Future-focused venture design
- Emerging trends shaping Toronto's future
- Creative entrepreneurship and innovation
- Future-oriented customer and marketing strategies
### **What You'll Create**
By the end of the program, participants will develop:
- STEEV Horizon Scan
- Scenario Planning Document
- Customer Avatar Profile
- Future-Fit Marketing Plan
- Venture Concept Presentation
### **Attendance & Participation**
Participants should plan for approximately **4–6 hours per week**, including live sessions, reading, and project work.
To receive a Certificate of Completion, participants must:
- Attend the in-person workshop
- Attend at least five program sessions
- Complete program activities and final deliverables
- Participate in the final presentation showcase
### **Who Should Apply?**
This program is open to OCAD U students and alumni, including:
- Artists
- Designers
- Makers
- Writers
- Creative freelancers
- Entrepreneurs
- Cultural workers
- Social innovators
- Collective and cooperative builders
No business experience, forecasting experience, or existing venture is required.
### **Apply**
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
**Application Deadline:** September 10, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
[**Visit this link to apply**](https://ocadu-cead.typeform.com/FELapplication)
*Participation is fully funded through support from the City of Toronto's Business Incubation and Commercialization Grant Program.*
## Other Recent News
[### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus
The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals.
November 6, 2026
](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus)
[### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists
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October 30, 2026
](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists)
[### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026
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Related Stories
## Related Stories
[### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus
The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals.
November 6, 2026
](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus)
[### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists
OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027.
October 30, 2026
](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists)
[### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026
OCAD University's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to partner again with Wychwood Barns to offer a curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni the opportunity to share a vendor table at the BAM! Holiday Art Market.
October 26, 2026
](/news/call-vendors-bam-holiday-art-market-2026)